Life has a habit of getting in the way. Work becomes busier, family commitments take over, holidays come and go, or perhaps health simply makes gardening more difficult than it once was. Before you know it, the lawn is longer than you'd like, the borders are full of weeds and the shrubs seem to have doubled in size. If this sounds familiar, you're certainly not alone. Many of the gardens I work in didn't become overgrown because the owners stopped caring. Quite the opposite.

One of the most common enquiries I receive starts with the words, "My garden has got a bit out of hand." Life gets busy. Work, family commitments, holidays, poor weather or simply not being able to keep up with the garden can all mean that jobs are left for another week. Before long, lawns are overgrown, borders are full of weeds and shrubs have grown far beyond where they should be. The good news is that most gardens can be brought back under control. The next question is wh