5 Ways to Makeover an Overgrown Garden

Gardens are a beautiful addition to a home, but when left unattended, can cause an overgrown mess. Whether you’ve recently inherited an overgrown garden from purchasing a home or you’ve left yours unattended, getting it under control is within reach. I 

So, before you run to get your tools and tear out all of the plants and start over, try our tips on how to clear an overgrown garden fast. While these tips won’t make the garden maintenance go away completely, they can help you keep it looking good without being overwhelming. In turn, you’ll have less to do to keep your garden neat through the summer months. 

Fixing an Overgrown Garden — Where to Start

When you look at your garden, it can seem overwhelming to restore order to the chaos. There are plants everywhere, weeds could have found a sneaky way in and sprouted, and greenery is spilling over everywhere to give it a very untidy look. Follow these steps to get started on restoring your unruly garden. 

Find a Focal Point

To give yourself focus and a goal to work toward, pick out a focal point in the garden. This could be something as simple as the center of the garden, or you could set a statue, seat, water feature, or a specific plant as the focal point. Once you do, you’ll be able to start trimming, pruning, and removing plants to allow the focal point to take center stage while avoiding razing the garden to the ground. 

Take Stock of Your Plants

Chances are, you’ll notice that some plants are doing very well, even too well, while others are struggling to survive with the overgrowth. Make a note of the plants you have and their conditions. For example, if you have mint, it can quickly grow out of control and take over. You want to contain the rapidly growing plants while giving the struggling plants room to grow. 

5 Tips to Quickly Clear Out an Overgrown Garden

Even though clearing out your overgrown space can seem like an impossible task, there are things you can do to move the project along at a decent pace. The following tips will help you take back control of your green space without using all of your spare time so you can enjoy the results. 

1. Introduce Edging Material

Plants won’t spread where there is edging material, which can help ensure that your garden doesn’t grow wild again. You can outline the garden with this material, and it can be anything from rocks to mulch. You can create eye-catching designs that run alongside your garden and inside the garden to box off each area. Edging can help keep invasive or fast-growing species neatly contained, and it’s also an excellent deterrent for weeds. 

2. Cut Everything Back

Yes, growth is usually lovely with your garden, but there is such a thing as too much growth. Once your plants, shrubs, or flowers reach the stage where they get overgrown, they can start to get leggy. This leggy growth can negatively impact your plant’s health overall. So, start by giving everything a good trim. Look for odd branches or growth that stick out, dead or dying areas, or anything that doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing. Cut it back while ensuring that you leave enough of the plant for healthy growth. 

3. Mulch

Weeds are the bane of any gardener’s existence, and these pesky plants seem to pop up everywhere in your garden. To help contain them, you can clear them out and then lay down a two or three-inch layer of mulch. Not only will the mulch smother the weeds, but it also comes in several nice color options to create an aesthetically pleasing look. It can help retain water, so you don’t use it as much, and it can keep the plant’s roots much cooler in the scorching sun. 

4. Hire a Landscaper

If your overgrown garden is too much to handle and you’re willing to spend money to fix it, you can hire a landscaper. This landscaper can come in and tidy up the existing garden or take it all out and design a brand-new one. This can be a more expensive option, so you want to make sure you have the budget for their time and the materials they’ll use to improve or replace your garden. 

5. Clear Out Any Rubbish

Maybe it’s not your plants. Instead, you could have an accumulation of broken furniture pieces, trash, and dead or dying vegetation cluttering up your garden space. Take a day and make a point to clear out all unwanted material and get rid of it. It’ll also give you time to take a good look at your existing plants and decide if any of them need to go due to diseases or illnesses. 

Wrapping Up

Don’t wait another minute to tackle and clear out your overgrown garden space. Get a plan ready for when the weather starts to warm up, so you know exactly what you need to do to create a thriving and beautiful garden. If you need help, reach out to a professional landscaper to ensure it’s done correctly.