Hi there

Just moved into a house during the winter and have no idea what to expect
from the garden come spring. At the moment there are a few dead looking
things which i'm presuming will grow again. I've a couple of questions:

1. Does it make sense to just wait and see what happens in the first year? I
mean rather than planting loads of stuff, should I wait and see what it
looks like and plan for spring 2007?

2. There is a very old compost heap at the back of the garden which I don't
think has been touched for years. It has roots (Privet and Elder) growing
all the way through it. Doeas this mean it will have no nutrients or is it
worth spreading it anyway?

Thanks in advance

xiv