Our garden receives some treatment

These photos capture the scene after the gardening labourers paid a visit. Three hard working souls, originally from Latvia, tackled the garden with their tools and rolled up sleeves and I was very pleased with the results. 

The whole garden has been levelled off with some tlc. The grass has also been cut and lawn seed placed down so now I await the outcome of the seeding. It also means I can go ahead with planting bulbs in readiness for the spring.

The bbq area (below) now looks worthy of being a culinary area and Buddha looks happier too.

The herb area (below) has had some care and the out-sized bush has been trimmed back leaving it to look a bit more more lively. It helped that the garden was benefiting from glorious Autumn sunshine when I took the picture.

(Below) The rosehip and the rose bush has been removed as they were blocking out too much light.This was important as there is now more light around the seating area.

The garden now has a more spacious feel (below) compared to when we first moved in and we can now see the garden shed more clearly as we look down the garden..Patience is required for the grass to grow in the treated areas.

The patch at the foot of the garden (below) under the tree had been a place where stuff was dumped and where the local cats came to deposit their waste. It has now been levelled off, rubbish cleared, and lawn seed planted.

The job now will be to add some colour.

The hydrangea (below) has been replanted in the back garden.

The work starts with some cutting back

The garden receives its first trimming and cutting back service a few days after moving in.  I couldn't wait to get started. The cutters were sharpened and off I went complete with thorn proof gloves. The results (below) show a bit more light coming in as well as the beginnings of a neater look.

Sasha in the garden

Sasha is a 7 year old golden retriever and to me she looks like she is wondering why I don't do any gardening.  She visited soon after we moved in.

The front garden

The front garden looked like a jungle when we moved in.  The rose bush was completely overgrown and the shrubbery looked unsightly.

The task will be to make it look and feel neater whilst retaining the boxed hedge. 

Our new garden in South East London

Welcome to my London Garden Gardening Blog. As you can see from the attached photos we inherited a messy and overgrown garden.  It is my intention to chart the progress of the transformation of the garden from a suburban mess to a place that looks cared for.

The garden is located in Sydenham,  South East London, with views towards the famous BBC television tower at Crystal Palace.

The garden is west facing so the sun potentially shines over it for most of the day from late morning to evening. I say, potentially, as the sun is restricted due to neighbouring trees.

I am not an experienced gardener and, therefore, would welcome any suggestions or tips on improving the garden. I had previously lived in a raised ground floor flat in SW London so it is really exciting to have a 70 foot garden to play with.

The garden had benefited from a previous owner's love and care and there are quite a few plants planted but had fallen into a period of disrepair in more recent times. It is my intention to plant a herb garden, create a path along the grass towards the shed, relocate some of the plants and cut back some of the bushes and plants to give a more airy feel.

The photos were taken in September, 2013 on the day we moved into the property.  This gardening blog will chart the progress of the garden as work is carried out to improve the appearance and layout of the outdoor space.

This was what we inherited after moving in.