Question
Hi Laura,

I have a huge problem.  I just purchased a home a month ago in Illinois.  My yard is a mess!  I have bushes, weeds, plants that have grown wildly and trees with ivy all over them and growing onto the house.  I would like to manicure my yard and have it looking beautiful. However, I have no clue on what to do and where to begin with all of the plants.  I would like to plant some perennials and have flowers that can last throughout the summer.  I do not know where to begin but the landscaper's are so expensive and I know that I am capable of fixing my yard but I do not know if I should should pull everything out and start all over or if I should just trim.
Can you give me some ideas and help.
Thank You.

Answer
Jana,
It really depends on how huge of a mess iit is. You need me,because that is exactly what I do.LOL! I restore neglected gardens and landscaping and here is how I have done it for 20 years:


First look around to see if there are any plants worth salvaging. If it has grown up so bad you can't see much just looking.You may have to pull some things back and check around underneath overgrown shrubs and such.

If there are some things you would like to keep make a "hospital" bed so to speak. Find a good shady place and either plant them directly in the ground or get some big black nursery pots and pot them up in those. Most nurseries have tons of them that they don't use or will sell very cheap.Just make sure you use some fresh potting soil in the pots or ground,depending on where you place your plants to hold over until you are ready to replant them.Keep them watered if you don't get much rainfall.

The next thing you do sounds like a Nike commercial: Just do it.Pull out all the big weeds and vines and trim any shrubs you want to keep in place. If you don't want the shrubs,pull them out too. My husband pulled out some of our shrubs that were too big to actually dig up with his 4 wheel drive jeep and a big chain wrapped around the trunk of the shrub.
After you have most of the big weeds pulled out but still have a few shorter ones left spray everything with weed killer. The best time to do this is on a hot sunny day.It works faster. Make sure the weather is not calling for rain,you don't want to waste expensive weed killer.Repeat the process over a week or two if you still see them coming up.

When all your weeds are dead,you HAVE to use a weed barrier of some sort in all your beds and landscaping area.I use very inexpensive black plastic.It comes in rolls and I found it in the paint section at WalMart.I think they have it there to use as a drop cloth but I use it for weed block. It is about $4 a roll for the smaller and probably about twice that for the wider roll. The smaller width is easier to work with. Then go to the garden department and buy some metal garden staples to hold down the plastic.Buy quantity,it is a lot cheaper.I get mine at Lowes and they come in a box of 50 I think. They are U shaped metal staples. The sooner you get that weed block on there, the better.Otherwise they will be back before you get it put down.

Just go at your own pace on each area.You don't have to do it all at once.Figure out your priority first.Meaning where you would like to start. I usually start by the house and entry area where it can be seen by passersby and friends and family and yourself of course.
While you are waiting for the weed killer to do it's thing,take photos of your yard area where you want to start and have a plan.Just a rough sketch will do and also research plants that do well in your area. Go to your local nurseries and garden centers for advice on what does best in your particular plant zone.I will also give you sources to look up on the internet to see what you are wanting tp plant and how easy it is to grow.

Once you have chosen your plants,cut holes in your plasric,making them large enough so your plant will get water.Dig a hole a plant.When you are finished with that first area,get some mulch brought in from a nursery(it is cheaper than bag mulch). Mulch after all plants are in place and water deeply.Make sure you keep your new plants watered.
Just keep this up in all your areas. This will take quite some time to reconstruct but just take it an area at a time and you will soon see the fruits of your labor.
Here are some plant sources for you:Here are some great sources to look at on the web:

White Flower Farm,Musser Forests,Wayside Gardens, Shady Oaks Nursery,Walters Perennials(or Gardens),Jackson & Perkins,Khelm's Song Sparrow Perennial Farm,Van Bourgondien Bulbs,Van Dyck's Bulbs,Brent & Becky's Bulbs,Plants by Mail,Gardener's Supply Co.,Bluestone Perennials,Sheperds Seeds,Applewood seed Co.,Ball Seed Co.,Genesis Seeds,Ltd.(www.genesisseeds.com),Kieft Seed Co. USA(www.kieftseeds.com),Mountain Valley Seed,Inc.(www.mvseeds.com),www.google.com is helpful too.

All these companies offer free catalogs too and a lot of specials if you order online.
Don't overwork yourself.The temps here are already in the 90's and you need breaks quite often.I don't know how hot it is in Illinois but here in western Ky. it got to 94 yesterday.What a day!
Good luck to you and don't get frustrated,it just takes time to have a dream garden! If you have any more questions at all,don't hesitate to use my personal email address:[email protected]