Well-established garden care

[BThomas]

I have a garden that is well established by the previous owner. They have some great stuff and some stuff they just let become overwhelming ground cover. It’s a great space but needs some work. The paths are nice but hard to maintain. And overall there’s a sense of disorder, even though there are many great combinations of perennials and plants.
1. What are some quick tips for making the place look orderly while we figure out the more detailed parts?
2. How do I keep the perennials (corn flowers, hostas, day lilies, bee balm and much more) looking intentional?

 

[DirtMechanic]

Weeding by hand seems labor intensive, but what it allows is a very close inspection of a variety of contextural details and observations that will serve you well over time. Once weeded, mulch. Part of the look you wish will have to do with texture, and it helps in the soil building and weed control affairs which ultimately work toward the frugal use of labor while maximizing enjoyment. It seems like a lot of work to dig and inset a masonry border, but you will not have to deal with it later, where a mulch line needs adjustment weekly almost.

 

[Tetters]

Advice I had many years ago from my mum when confronted by a much worse garden than yours...... '' pick a corner, and concentrate on that one space until you have it the way you want it - then move on to the next corner.''
It worked for me - when I took off the blinkers, the garden looked a whole lot better

 

[BThomas]

Tetters, that's excellent advice! It's always so hard to know where to start. If it were a situation of needing to start from scratch, it feels like it would be easier, but there's a lot of really nice things (which happen to be blooming right now) which would be a shame to lose!

 

[Tetters]

Tidy pathways are a good place to start, and shaping hedges and shrubs that you can already envisage. Don`t forget that early spring will bring more surprises that are unseen now. It takes a full year to see it all. Taking notes, and putting in labels is a must as the seasons pass. I hope you enjoy it.

 

[Mogrow]

Great ideas. Since I am trying to uncluttered my older boarders for easier maintainable I think I like the masonry boarder and wonder if moving sone perineal hosts, sedums and Lenten Rose to the back of the boarder and have more ground cover towards the front might be helpful.