Unused Garden Renovation

HAZEMAN

Hi
Just seeking some advice on how to tackle the issue of a garden that has been neglected for over 20 years.

It is overgrown with thick grass (2-3 ft tall), weeds, rubbish bushes etc etc.

It is large - about 1/3 of an acre.

I hope to do it all myself as I have a low budget.
I was thinkin' of:
hiring a bulldozer? or some heavy machine?
Cover everything with several tarpaulins and leave for a few months?
Strimming as low as possible and then digging (getting tired writing that option)?

i dont want to create a perfect lawn just a good level field.

Oldtree

if it is your own then dont rush it. Take your time to discover over a period of a year exactly what is there. When you say you want a field what exactly do you mean by that, weeds is a broad description.

A wild field has loads of native plants in it. If you just want a nice green area then I wouldnt bother digging, choose the main shrubs and plants you want to keep and work away at the rest over time. Gardening is meant to be enjoyed and to take pleasure from you efforts not a trudge.

To start with remove rubbish, then do out a plan of the area to keep a note of the main plants and that would help you decide on where to strim a meandering path through the field and shrubs. Path to be mowed from then on.

I have a similar area an just let it get on with itself, planted a number of plants, shrubs and trees and mow the path. I intervene in this wild area as little as possible and do not strim it any more. Different grasses flower at different heights and different times. I have over 15 different grasses that I didnt plant.

magicbastarder

yeah, i was wondering if it was 'rubbish bushes' or 'rubbish, bushes'.

are you in a rural area? the cheap option may be to borrow a few goats for a few weeks!

kylith

Or pigs. I've heard that there's no rotovator like a couple of pigs.