"louisxiv" wrote in message
...
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?

Yes. For two main reasons -

A You are probably going to be far too busy sorting out your new home to get
as much done in the garden as you would wish, and

B. Lots of stuff will come up that you can't see now, ie the ones that die
down for winter, and it may be wonderful. Best to see what you get and
decide what you want to keep, what you want to get rid of, and what you want
to add. Talking to your new neighbours may help, especially if they are
gardeners themselves, they may know what's about to show its head.

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?


It's worth using for soil improvement, ie adding humus, rather than for its
nutritional value.

HTH

Steve