[Elle]

I have just moved into a new house and as you can see the garden is a mess, its also huge! at the back of the garden the trees have been cut down to provide some much needed light and we also cleared away weeds that were up to 6ft high. But the trees are not dead yet, so that needs to be taken care of, and the weeds are now also starting to grow again. any advice on how to tidy up and prepare the garden to sow grass, also wondering if i can grow grass under the trees at the side of the house? any advice on how to tidy it up in general would be welcome.

[Greengage]

On the second picture grass will not grow there, on the first picture would remove stumps and level off then install a border or plant grass.
Also in second pic too many trees and they look like birch which will surface root and absorb nutrients and water from soil while dappled shade is nice your ground will be poor underneath.
if i could afford I would get in mini digger to level off, remove three trees as they are too big for area and they wait a season to see where sun is and wind etc, not all will agree with me but thats my opinion from seeing two pics

[AJ]

Mini digger is a good idea, Keep telling myself , Na, I can still do it.. Its so much quicker, and spares the old back and probably every other muscle group as well,

[tagwex]

When it comes to established weeds what is required is persistence, persistence and then even more persistence! I am told that some weed seeds can live in the soil for years giving you an annual problem. Pull up the whole of the root where possible, leave an inch in the ground and it will grow again.
There is a chemical that you first drill a small hole in the stump and then pour this in, it has three letters in its trade name which I just cannot think of, STP maybe. Someone will confirm or deny.

[Greengage]

SBK brushwood killer

[tagwex]

That's the one. Any good?

[Greengage]

Dont know if you were to read the blurb on it it is the greatest thing since sliced pan, Harmless to humans (wouldnt they say that) but it killseverything but grass,
read the safety data sheet yourself.

https://www.agridirect.ie/uploadedfiles/products/sbk-brushwood-killer/SBK-Brushwood-Killer-2.pdf

[Good guy]

Hello, Elle. Welcome to the forum.
As for the tree stumps, I would dig them out rather than rely on chemicals. While the digger is there, you can do some re-levelling or other shaping, dig out those old fence posts etc.
As for the deep, dry shade, there are plants that thrive in such conditions, poor soil and all - just not grass. Maybe you could take advantage of the shade. Also, 'raising the crown' of a tree by removing some of its lower branches is a useful way of letting more light get to the ground, without losing privacy or shelter.
I think Greengage's advice to wait, and observe how the light falls and changes with the season, is good. Remember the changes will happen in reverse in spring. Take time to measure up the garden and draw a sketch plan. Use it to help you decide what you want to do in the various areas, don't worry about the scruffy ground where the trees were - it will green up of its own accord and you can control it by mowing. There's no mad rush!
You could get an idea of how people's ideas change over time, as they develop their plans, by looking at the threads by Kindredspirit and Nozebleed.

[Elle]

Thank you all for your responses, a mini digger is definitely on the agenda, its going to be a long road i think. I love the space that we have and there is so much potential, im just feeling very over whelmed with the sheer size of the garden. The trees also seem to be infested with aphids, they are a torture and there's millions of them.

[tagwex]

[Good guy]

Elle, I sympathise! It's hard to even begin to think about beginning to tackle it. Please don't take this as patronising, but Rome wasn't built in a day! Take your time, keep things tidy with the mower until growth stops in a month or so and get used to the space. Planning is the key to making the job do-able.
Prioritise your needs and wants, try to put them down on a sketch plan and maybe see how much it might cost to achieve some of them. Eventually you will be in a postion to say "We must do job X because that is so visible from the kitchen window; job Y is a priority because the approach to the front door is awful....." Or whatever. Then you can say that you will make a start on those jobs and try to complete them by such and such a date.
One of the things I like about gardens is that they are dynamic - always changing. I've had this garden for over twenty years and it not finished yet! Needs change and new opportunities arise. At some stage in the next ten years, in my garden, what is now a play area with swings, tree house etc will become a 'forest edge' planting.
I wish you luck!

[Greengage]

Same here what started out as a play garden and serious jungle, then developed into Play garden and small veg plot, then bigger veg plot, then herbaceous borders lawns and veg plot, now we have hens and dog and herbaceous borders under threat, next we will develop into Fruit garden wildflower meadow and honey bees gardening is wonderful adventure enjoy.

[Sive]

I think Good Guy has given you very best of advice, Elle, even if it's not quite what you want to hear. Modern life is all about getting things immediately, faster, sooner etc etc. If there is one thing gardening teaches you, it is how to slow yourself right down and tune into your garden.....the orientation, the soil and yes, you need to become very aware of the views you have from your house, just as Good Guy has advised.
The most ridiculous gardening programmes of the past 20 years have been of the "instant gardening" type as there IS no such thing.
One last thing, Elle......take some photos...there is nothing that will delight you more than looking at those photos in five years' time when you realise how far you have come and how much nature has taught you !
Good luck.