Need ideas/advice
sjm1983
Posts: 2
Hi all. First time poster and quite a novice gardner in terms of hands on experience, but know my way around a shed and the items in it - I've just never owned a home with my own garden before until now, so never had to do it myself. I will apologise now for the lengthy post!!!
Anyway, I want to really tidy up my garden and have a lot of plans for decking and pergolas etc. but I am struggling with the existing borders. the Garden is, by my standard, "modestly big". I would say at least 8-10 meters wide and about 30+ meters long.
Along each side of the garden (running about 15 meters in length each) is a border which is roughly 4 to 5 feet wide. The borders have become heavily overgrown. When we moved in, they had been tidied a little, but had lots of bushes and small trees in there which grew at low heights making maintenance under them dfficult.
As time has gone by, weeds have grown in the borders which I can only describe as 'knee high grass'. No idea what the actual terms is. Recently I decided eough is enough. I always wanted the bushes and trees out to make way for a more well thought out landscape (and lower in maintenance). I had a week off work recently and I have managed to get out all of the bushes and trees, but only to a level above ground.
Now this is out of the way, I wan't to takle the 'grass' element to the borders - it is so bad that on one side of the lawn (where the lawn and border is not separated by a paved path) I cant tell where the lawn ends and the border begins. So I have a few questions:
1. What is the best way to go about this, making sure that it won't come back? The grass/weed is too thick to pick, it would essentially be like trying to mow a lawn by pulling the grass up by hand. I have already made a start by essentially using a spade to "scrape" the top layer away which is looking good, but only a few weeks later I can see it starting to sprout again. Is there anything I can "treat" the soil with after I have taken the top layer off to make sure that it won't come back? Interspersed amond this grassy/weed is also some thistle weeds, though not a lot at all in the grand scheme of it.
2. As I mentioned, a lot of the bushes and trees I could only take off above ground level. Much of this is viny bushes and small trunk trees (no bigger than 150mm / 6 inches). Can you recomment anything I can apply to these stumps and roots from above the ground that would cause them to die off and just rot under the ground?
Ultimately, I would like (once cleard) to lay a membrance and then gravel on the border and put down plants that can grow and be maintained in pots. I have added a couple of pics to give a general idea of what it looks like, and one shot shows where I have started to clear the weeds back to the soil. All of the bushes and plants you can see in the pics are now gone.
Also, I am aware of the dead patches on the lawn... I intend to address that once I have finished the back breacking work in the borders 
Thanks in advance for any words of advice.
Posts
Bumping up to the front page for you, I'd love to answer but just haven't got the time today. ?
Roundup stump killer should do for the roots of bushes and trees. It can take a few months to do the job). Weed membrane would kill of most of what remains, I would have thought. It would certainly be a good idea to cover over the areas you have cleared to stop weeds resprouting between gardening sessions if they are sporadic. Weeds re-grow in no time.
It might be an idea to ask in a green friend or a neighbour to help you identify some of the plants in the garden - to spot what might be a 'noxious weed' and what you might want to keep. If you put membrane and gravel on top, can still plant through that into the ground (less maintenance than pots which you would need to keep watered in the summer). You just cut a slit or a flap in the membrane.
There is probably a great deal living in your wild borders - small mammals, birds, insects, maybe toads and things. It sounds like perfect habitat for them. When clearing, give some thought to possible nests and creatures hidden away, esp if going in with power tools (strimmers etc).
One way to do a big job is to go in manageable chunks. Clear and finish one bit of border to your satisfaction before moving on. Experiment in a small patch to find what works best for you. Trying to get it all sorted at once (without a lot of help) might get frustrating or overwhelming. It also helps to try and enjoy the process - or find things that you love in it. If it's all just one sweaty chore, the work will seem all the heavier. As they say, a garden is never finished, more an exercise in patience and planning.
This is just my two cents. I'm sure others will have other ideas.
Good luck.
http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/roundup-tree-stump--rootkill-weedkiller---250ml-353270
Thanks Firefly, certainly all good points. I think once the overgrown parts are cleared, I will certainly enjoy making it my own. It's more the front end frustration of the previous owner letting it get so out of control.
The bulk of the work is now done and its the simpler aspect of clearing which I could enjoy doing over a weekend in the near future.
I was also conscious to check for nests etc. and don't believe I have taken the home of any widlife other than woodlice... who I'm pretty certain have commute to the skip with all the waste!
I think the best plan of attack is now going to be clear all of the grassy weeds and then treat the tree/bush stumps with the Round Up. I will then give it until autumn time to work in and make sure no straglers start to spout in the meantime. In autum I will then look to lay the weed membrance and gravel and work from there.
Thanks again for the ideas and guidance.
Bulk wood chip can be often be got for free from local tree surgeons. I can look lovely and works well over weed membrane. Put on thickly, it helps suppress weeds on its own.
The patches on the grass might have come from where a dog has peed. You can buy grass plugs to pop in or re-seed it. Or get some new turf.
http://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/lawn-care/start-a-lawn-with-plugs-sprigs