Over grown uneven garden , now cut back

n_sharma50

Hello, my first post here. I have just acquired a 25 meter * 8 meter garden on back of my new house. This was overgrown and not been maintained at all for years. I have spent 2K+ already to cut back the overgrown bushes, trees, hedges etc and can now see the ground. Its uneven and and still has areas which are at least 10-12 inch deeper than rest. Lots of weeds/foliage old branches, garden waste just rotting. old fence panels littered, old planters , tree stumps. You name it and it will have it.

What are my options? I want to level it and then lay the turf on most with some trees plants on the edges by fences. 

How should I go about? I really want to first level it out but not sure what would be a good plan.
Any tips helpful. I have attached before and current pictures.

AnniD

Welcome to the forum 
You certainly have a project there. I would suggest having a think about exactly what you want in the garden, and then draw a plan. A lot depends on the way it faces, is it sunny, shady etc. A lawn would require a lot of preparation, levelling, removing stones etc. Are you planning to lay turf or grow from seed ?
A lot may depend on the budget you have, it's possible to hire a mini digger which would clear any remaining rubbish and level the site, someone with a good eye can level it easily. 
There are a lot of forum members who have experience of this type of project, you have come to the right place !
Good luck with it, looking forward to seeing photos of the progress 

n_sharma50

Thanks. This is south facing garden so gets a lot of sun shine.  I plan to mostly turf.

Good idea about mini digger, will look for local company.

PurpleRose

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I would echo what @AnniD has said. Have a good think about what you want from the garden draw up a list of ideas and and draw a plan before you start. 

When we moved into our home, our garden had just been left and was overgrown. We cut it all back and found lots of lovely flowerbeds covered in membrane and stones and other parts of the garden really neglected. We planned what we wanted where and did manageable tasks so we were not overwhelmed before moving onto the next job. 

Good luck with your task and I hope that you enjoy transforming your garden. You are in the best place for garden related queries.

Liriodendron

Have a look at your fences too at this stage - it's much easier to replace anything which is falling to bits now, before you lay grass or dig borders.

n_sharma50

thanks for the advice. I do need to get fence corrected too. My priority list so far is 

1. Remove the left over rubbish/waste. ( May be dig a hole and bury it in?)
2. Level the garden and remove dead grass/weed/moss etc. May be spray some weed killer all over.
3. Get fence fixed.

Once I reach this stage, I will have to pause as there will be building works in main house and I would think they will not care for newly laid grass/plants. Basically I want it to a reasonable state before building works. 

Mrs-B3-Southampton,-Hants

If you use weedkiller you'll have to wait for warmer weather so the weeds are growing strongly for it to be effective.
As for the rubbish I recommend hiring a skip and use it for the rotten fencing as well.

Posy

Nooooo! Never, never dig a hole and bury rubbish. It's bad for the garden, the environment, future owners of the property - it's a disaster. Get a skip and put it all in that. Personally, I wouldn't blast it with weedkiller, either. I would take on a section at a time, clearing, tidying and improving the soil where appropriate. You may need a professional to level the site, but get it cleared and tidy first so that you can get a good view of what you have and what you want.

Cambridgerose12

I second @Posy's comments. A skip is the way to go, not least because if you did bury the rubbish on your land, it will interfere with planting ever after. Also, if you weedkiller all over, you will lose any nice things that are yet to be discovered. Invite your friends for the day and the skip will fill up really fast (wonder why I have no friends?!?). You can take out everything that's broken--fences, sheds, rubbish, etc. 

Then you need to start by planning--where do you want hard landscaping? Lawn? Borders? Put in your new fences first and lay any paving, as these are jobs that will involve people trampling over your entire garden. Only once the layout is clear can you really begin with improving the soil and planting. But do come back with more photos at this point and we'll help. Good luck!

AnniD

I totally agree, hire a skip to get rid of the rubbish, don't bury it whatever you do.
Same goes for the weedkiller. A site like that looks daunting and it's very tempting just to spray chemicals all over it, but far better to dig. Look on it as free excercise, either for yourself or whoever does it.

n_sharma50

Ok so should avoid burying. What about the non plastic waste like old soil and old branches etc. can they be buried. I don't have a driveway so to remove all would be very tricky hence the option of burying. But yes I do get the point about doing it properly so will explore options.