Welcome to the jungle...

[flashdoggy]

Long story short, I just relocated from Indiana to North Carolina. I am an avid hunter and fisherman but admittedly am not a great gardener/harder/horticulturalist. The house I'm in needs some serious attention outside. It has been neglected for years. There are some HUGE trees that are just gorgeous but plainly need an arborist to give then some attention. There are also a lot of dead or half dead trees and "small" ornamental plants that have gone totally batshit crazy over the decades and need to be removed.

What kind of trees are these?

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/HuBPeba
https://m.imgur.com/gallery/dZnSvjz

What am I supposed to do with the "grass"? If you can even call it that. I'm thinking like a big yard vac and dethatcher or something maybe?

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/6SLHEiF https://m.imgur.com/gallery/miXzoBh

There is a lot of ornate flagstone walkway I am finding buried under the carpet here. At one point, somebody put a lot of money and effort into the landscaping here.

http://imgur.com/K9dOi2w

These are some more of the dead and dying trees I'd like to yank. They are on the West side of the "U" driveway.

http://imgur.com/7CDgJLF

Another view of the front yard. I believe at one point these bushes lined the entire front. Not sure if should embrace the survivors or remove them to make it uniform.

http://imgur.com/7C7wj0K

There is a pasture of some sort behind the house that swallows up an old (hog?) barn that is in very poor condition. This pasture is wildly overgrown with saplings and trees to the 4" diameter range.

http://imgur.com/IswSXfc

Another view:

http://imgur.com/AoNAQg3

From the East side of the property, behind the house and next to the pasture, looking towards the road. Ughhh...

http://imgur.com/VBIUYhq

Part of the orchard area I've already cleared. I started pruning some of the dead branches and cutting the really low ones that made mowing hard.

http://imgur.com/sHAtBp9

More area I've yet to get into:

http://imgur.com/63qGBKm

Suggestions?

 

[BC WetCoast]

Do you own this place or renting?

If you own, then I would suggest you pay to have a consulting arborist/landscape architect/garden designer go through your yard for a couple of hours and give you suggestions. Being on the ground gives a better perspective than from pictures. You don't need a full blown landscape plan, just some suggestions to focus your energy. Shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred bucks.

If you're renting, hack and whack to your heat's content until your landlord says stop.

 

[MzHopsing]

Excellent pictures! Those shots took me way back to a time I lived with my folks on a large-ish property with an edge to the "wild lands." (That pic with the tin-roofed building and the extreme vegetation reminded me of the first season of that TV show, True Detective, where they found that... where they.... um... nevermind.) It really gives a sense of the piece of land you have, but I'm not certain how far out in the boonies you truly are. From the shots of the medical place with the ambulances out back there, I'm thinking semi-rural?

BC gives some excellent advice on consulting with an arborist and/or landscaping person, depending on how much you want to tame your property. The reason I asked about how far out rurally you are, is because I get the impression that you really want to get it into shape, which is great. I've been an avid gardener/amateur horticulturist for over 20 years. Personally, I prefer some "wildness," and honestly, unless you're going to regularly, and strictly, keep up what you've trimmed, cut back and tamed, that kind of work is a major full-time gig. Especially for the size of property it appears you have. We've got several acres of mostly woodland in the country, and I can assure you, unless you've got a house full of kids you can use for slave labor, or you're going to hire it out regularly, it's near impossible to keep it how you want it.

I love those flagstones, and I'm betting those would be neat looking cleared off. As far as the grass goes... and here's what I mean about the "wildness" aspect. There's only so much you're going to achieve, unless money is no object. If you have a heavy tree canopy, grass is just not going to be very thick. In that picture, it looked like someone had put mulch or something down, unless all that was just tree litter. Sometimes you just have to leave that alone, or fill up those shady areas with something like slow-spreading, shade-loving hostas with their big leaves and showy flowers.

You have done a lovely job clearing that orchard in those pics. That pasture is definitely going to be a chore, as you suspect. I want to urge you, as you are doing your cleanup, to take a close look at what plants and trees are important in your new state's ecosystem. While Indiana and NC aren't terribly far apart, NC has harmful invasive plants/trees that should be removed, and plants that are native and very important to keep for the wildlife there. (See: NC State University's native and invasive page here)

Sorry for being so long winded! The only thing I can suggest is to keep in mind the end game. What do you want to achieve? Just remember to balance how much that achievement is going to cost in upkeep, and benefit you and the wildlife around you. Which is why a good portion of our time and efforts here go toward leaving as much to the wild as we can (but removing the harmful!), as the creatures that live in it need it as untouched as possible.

 

[TNTreeHugger]

Seriously, reminds me of my place... been here 22 years and it's a never-ending battle.
Welcome to the country.

 

[buzz sawyer]

The first photo showing the trees looks like pin oak. The second photo showing the leaves looks like a willow or maybe willow oak if these are from the trees in the first photo. Otherwise, I agree with MzHopsing, nice work so far.

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

if I was in that situation, I would keep immediate areas already in shape in shape and let the rest of the wild jungle remain wild... and enjoy it. if u feel so motivated to clean up the overgrowth that obviously has not been too important to landlord, I would not do it for free. live up to ur agreement in writing, be careful of any verbal offers or promises.

 

[unclemoustache]

The first photo showing the trees looks like pin oak. The second photo showing the leaves looks like a willow or maybe willow oak if these are from the trees in the first photo. Otherwise, I agree with MzHopsing, nice work so far.

I was thinking the same on those IDs.

However, as a landlord myself, I'd be pretty upset if you started whacking trees without my permission. But then, I do my own tree work and I keep them looking good. A slum lord probably doesn't care, but always ask first.

 

[ropensaddle]

Quercus laurifolia laurel oak