Big change in the garden

Our garden is a dreadful mess and very out of control. I have had real trouble with planning what to do with it, especially as all the boys are going to want from a garden is somewhere to play football etc. It is the football obsession that has ruined some of my window box vegi growing efforts last year.

I now realise that one of the reasons I have not been able to get on with planning the garden is the overgrown trees. It is these trees which have actually made the garden look small, dark and depressing - at that is all very off putting if you think that the toil involved with anything you do will make little difference to how the garden looks.

Our neighbours came round; and rightly so as they are fed up with the trees too. They want something done as they are not getting light in their garden in the morning (plus the trees were attracting a lot of pigeons and their poo!) Sometimes you just need the right kick up the backside to get things done.

I don't like conifers at the best of times so I got some men with chainsaws etc to take them down. Wow what a difference it makes just take a look at the before and after photos! I realise that one of the trees is taller than the house. We have light. You could not see our neighbours houses at all before.
I want to put a little tree back in their place because of the birds. My favourite tree is a Rowan but I think this may get too big so I'm considering a Magnolia.