Beginner To Gardening, please help

loudude1

So this is my first post here and I’m in need of some help. I have never really done much gardening before but figured why not now my child is nearly 2 and walking and loves to play in the garden. I have attached 2 pictures which you can see my main lawn (very overgrown) and to the left what was a flower bed which now seems weed infested, I would basically like to get rid of the beds on the left and just have a single lawn and nothing else. My question is how to go about this, is it just a matter of grabbing a spade and digging the roots out? Any help is much appreciated, 
thanks
lewis

Joyce21

"is it just a matter of grabbing a spade and digging the roots out? Any help is much appreciated, "

The answer is yes but why not keep the border and plant some climbers against the fence to provide some colour. Clematis and honeysuckle, for example, are relatively easy to look after. You would need to erect trellis or put wires onto the fence first.

Stevedaylilly

Obviously, if you don't want any colour or form to your garden, then a fork and a spade a bit of hard work and everything out including roots and weeds. A few perennial plants that come back every year and a few bulbs would give you some nice colour if you decided to keep that boarder. It does look as that part of your garden have some level of shade so what, if you decide to keep that boarder, what plants you decide will have to at least be able to survive in that type of level of shade 

Garden noob

It's not too hard to sow grass seed: Dig over the area, removing large roots/stones etc; compact and level the ground; loosely rake the surface; spread grass seed; loosely rake it in and water; keep the ground damp while the seed is germinating.

I agree with the other comments though that the garden would benefit from climbers, bulbs and the odd shrub. These are very easy to grow. I would suggest extending the lawn as planned and leaving a small flowerbed. You can plant a few things, and if you like it you can extend the bed over time. 

Just play and see how you get on. Gardening really isn't that difficult, and it's great to see fruit of your labour as flowers etc grow. 

Borderline

Just something else to consider. Grass growing right up the the boundaries, particularly a wooden fence will mean that it's very hard to just mow to the edge. I think you should keep the drop border section and create a similar drop edge all around your garden. Maybe cover it over with pebbles or gravel. Without it, you will find further weeds growing around the boundaries, which could mean more work for later.

Hostafan1

a bit of a shame to lose those lovely snowdrops.

Allotment Boy

I agree with others a border with shrubs perennials & bulbs is actually less work in the long term than having to keep grass cut, and a lot more interesting too. A little patch for your 2 year old to sow seeds & grow some things would be great too, you can learn together.

Wayside

(It's begging for a small tree, shrub or two.)

Joyce21

loudude,  It needn't be expensive to have some colour in that border. You already have the snowdrops and even a packet of nasturtium  seeds would provide summer colour.

Dovefromabove

.... and two year olds can push nasturtium seeds into the soil and help water them when they grow, watch the butterflies visit them and even if he/she eats them (the nasturtiums I mean, not the butterflies) it won't matter 'cos they're edible.

He/she could then try with radishes and carrots ......... and perhaps plant some crocus corms in the autumn and then, in the spring when they flower it'll be wonderful 

Nanny Beach

Grab a fork and dig the weeds out, you can see, it is cheaper, but you would have to keep your little one off it, and proect the seeds from the birds, it would be quicker and easier to lay turf.  You would need to weeds, rake over, level, tapm down, which ever method you chose.Course, like everyone else on here (us gardeners!!!!) we would love you to keep the border, and plant it, but its not our garden.