I allow pretty much anything to grow in the grass, though I plan to dig out the raspberries that have crept into it. I'm currently developing a rainbow border, it has lots of speedwell coming up so I'm leaving it in peace in the blue zone and hoeing it elsewhere. I have neighbours on one side who use their garden as a dustbin and it's overrun with bindweed and goosegrass so I'm constantly battling those. I'm trying to grow nettles in compost corner, I have a well-established comfrey plantation. Every year I dig hundreds of buddleia and escallonia seedlings out of the block paved drive, they don't grow anywhere else. I'm also waging war on Spanish bluebells. I have foxgloves and a little Rowan tree that arrived uninvited in just the right place, and now a tiny Holly seedling which I will move when it's a bit bigger. Nothing is allowed in my veg beds that I haven't planted, but elsewhere I have Welsh poppies, geum, forget-me-nots, mind your own business and herb Robert. I love celandines, but there's a thread all about them which makes me think maybe I won't get any.
I try to keep all 'weeds' out of the veg patch (I fail). I dig out bindweed where I see it (there's not much - I bought some top soil to fill some raised beds and ended up with bindweed ).
I try to stop buttercups, thistles, nettles and couch grass taking over the small areas I like to think of as 'borders'. I strim the docks in areas close to the house and dig them out in the 'borders' and veg plot.
Everywhere else I leave them all to it, along with cow parsley (a lot of cow parsley), hogweed, thistles (all sorts), forget-me-nots (escaped from next door), brambles (I love blackberries), ivy (from next door), persicaria, wild sorrel, ox eye daisies, primroses, foxgloves, campion, blackthorn, hawthorn, elder and quite a lot of things I've not worked out what they are yet. A few 'milk maids' have come up this year for the first time. I have a patch of orange hawkbit that must have come in with a plant I bought as I've not seen it wild around here. I'm slowly establishing a patch of native bluebells.
My garden is about 85% weeds.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
In the garden I’m battling ground elder. Dock, nettles, buttercups, pineapple weed, thistles, bitter cress all have to go, though I have wild areas with lots of nettles and thistles. My local garden centre has a wildflower section, and one I love and have introduced is fox and cubs. Beautiful! I like herb Robert and would keep some geum. This one may be controversial but I detest myosotis and can’t belive it when monty goes on about it. It has to get pulled in my garden. It has no period at all of looking fresh and grows all mildewy straight away.
I have a patch that I seeded with self seeding annuals and just left it to do it’s own thing. Ox eye daisies dominate, but I get alliums, borage, foxgloves, forget me nots, teasel and a whole host of other bits and bobs popping through. It’s my favourite part of the garden.
I've stopped fighting them and just embraced them all 😃 I've had some wonderful things arrive each year from 'nowhere' but little buzzy things love them. This year, the front lawn is filled with blue violets! I've never planted any, so a welcome arrival. I have dandelions, clover, bird's foot trefoil - all of which are colourful and bee friendly. There's also plenty of others that I have no idea of their names but they are pretty, and no effort to grow!
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I try to stop buttercups, thistles, nettles and couch grass taking over the small areas I like to think of as 'borders'. I strim the docks in areas close to the house and dig them out in the 'borders' and veg plot.
Everywhere else I leave them all to it, along with cow parsley (a lot of cow parsley), hogweed, thistles (all sorts), forget-me-nots (escaped from next door), brambles (I love blackberries), ivy (from next door), persicaria, wild sorrel, ox eye daisies, primroses, foxgloves, campion, blackthorn, hawthorn, elder and quite a lot of things I've not worked out what they are yet. A few 'milk maids' have come up this year for the first time. I have a patch of orange hawkbit that must have come in with a plant I bought as I've not seen it wild around here. I'm slowly establishing a patch of native bluebells.
My garden is about 85% weeds.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
This one may be controversial but I detest myosotis and can’t belive it when monty goes on about it. It has to get pulled in my garden. It has no period at all of looking fresh and grows all mildewy straight away.