There's a massive tangle of dead vines/branches whatever it has, I imagine it's somewhere in there, I'll try and get another photo if I find it, but I doubt I'll keep it, there's more than enough green, I'm trying to introduce some colour.
My mint turned out to be lemon balm, I was sure it was mint, but then I found a minty thing right next to it which is probably what I was smelling. I think it might be peppermint.
I also found this thisafternoon;
I think this is my favourite mystery plant! I found it wrapped around a small bush in a very honeysuckle-like manner.
Don't need to get photos of the roots to the shrub, looks like you have a lot of pruning and tidying up to do in the next few days. That new find looks like a Clematis to me, and there are many types, but that's a nice find!
There's a good chance that if you cut the elder tree down, it will reshoot. If not, not to worry too much. They shoot all over the place, especially where an old compost heap might have been sited.
Enjoy the process of discovery, archaeology and renovation. If you are tackling weeds at some point, weed membrane and wood chip will be your friend, to keep hold of all your hard work in clearing. I wouldn't recommend clearing the ground and then leaving it for a month or more as all the weeds will come back and it's easy to get disheartened. Wood chip is often to be found free on gum tree, from tree surgeons or neighbours with a chipper.
The elder needs to come out completely, the estate agent was concerned about it being so close to the conservatory. If I cut it right back to about half a foot and then dig up the roots and re-plant elsewhere will it recover and spread out a bit?
So many weeds. Mostly some sort of weird prehistoric feathery grass thing that pops up everywhere looking like creepy asparagus. Will wood chips affect anything else planted in the bed? I've put in a lot of bulbs around small shrubs and roses.
Silver surfer, the Griselinia ID was never solid, not that I could see the leaf arrangements. Without knowing the scale, it definitely looks like a Honeysuckle.
If you are spreading wood chip over the beds, it's best for the ones that have been stored for at least 3 months before using it, but they should not affect your plants. They tend to suit long term plants where you are unlikely going to disturb for months.
Cutting down Sambucus and replanting elsewhere should be fine, but you will need to water in well in the next month as the weather warms up.
There's a massive tangle of dead vines/branches whatever it has, I imagine it's somewhere in there, I'll try and get another photo if I find it, but I doubt I'll keep it, there's more than enough green, I'm trying to introduce some colour.
My mint turned out to be lemon balm, I was sure it was mint, but then I found a minty thing right next to it which is probably what I was smelling. I think it might be peppermint.
I also found this thisafternoon;
I think this is my favourite mystery plant! I found it wrapped around a small bush in a very honeysuckle-like manner.
That looks very like a Clematis 'Nelly Moser' to me.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I would just lose the elder and not worry. Bulbs will be fine with wood chip, but not membrane (should you choose to use over an area). Woodchip alone won't probably be much good for putting off strong perennial 'weeds' like bindweed, docks or dandelions. I think most people try and weed an area thoroughly and have a good idea what is in the soil before covering it over... A thick layer of chip probably won't be enough on its own to stop all weeds, but cutting out all light will stop some, slow down others and make things that seed into the chip, easier to pull out. Make sure you have very long term plans to stay before embarking.
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My mint turned out to be lemon balm, I was sure it was mint, but then I found a minty thing right next to it which is probably what I was smelling. I think it might be peppermint.
I also found this thisafternoon;
I think this is my favourite mystery plant! I found it wrapped around a small bush in a very honeysuckle-like manner.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griselinia_littoralis#/media/File:Griselinia_littoralis.jpg
So many weeds. Mostly some sort of weird prehistoric feathery grass thing that pops up everywhere looking like creepy asparagus. Will wood chips affect anything else planted in the bed? I've put in a lot of bulbs around small shrubs and roses.
If you are spreading wood chip over the beds, it's best for the ones that have been stored for at least 3 months before using it, but they should not affect your plants. They tend to suit long term plants where you are unlikely going to disturb for months.
Cutting down Sambucus and replanting elsewhere should be fine, but you will need to water in well in the next month as the weather warms up.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.