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Awkward spot behind greenhouse

Hello I was hoping for some advice please.

We moved into a house a while ago with a greenhouse which has been positioned about half a metre away from the back fence. With years of neglect, many weeds have grown in this gap. The fence backs onto council land, so it is pretty weed heavy as well.

I realise we will be fighting a losing battle to keep this spot completely clear, but it really looks terrible at the moment. I would also like to know what specific weeds I am dealing with, so having fewer would be great. 

My current plan is to clear it, see what we are dealing with close up and then maybe pop in a few sturdy plants to fill the gap that have a fighting chance of keeping weeds out. There are no other beds nearby, so am I right in thinking a brute like vinca could be an option? There is some Virginia creeper coming over the fence that I will keep if I can. Another option could be a narrow hedge of some sort but I don't know if it will be happy squashed between a greenhouse and a fence.

Any suggestions or ideas welcomed.


Posts

  • hatty123hatty123 Posts: 125
    Hello I've got similar situation although with a little more room than you. Still deciding with mine because there is room to walk behind the greenhouse and have a small flower bed against the fence. But if you've only got half a metre then I think it's going to make it difficult to get in there and weed/maintain it,you could have all sorts of weeds taking over before you notice. Personally I would lay some weed membrane and gravel it, then you can use pots on top which you can move out the way to access any weeds coming up the edges. Not a very imaginative solution but practical
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I think you'd struggle to get in and trim a hedge. Vinca is good ground cover once it's spread out to fill the space, but in my experience that's a slow business so you'd need to weed in the meantime, and membrane would stop the vinca spreading because it roots from long stems where they touch down. Membrane and gravel (coarse not fine or you'll have a cats' toilet there) might be the most practical solution. If it's sheltered in the gap it might make good standing room for hardening things off when they come out of the greenhouse. In my garden such a space would probably become a storage area for empty pots and suchlike.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    These out of the way spots are good places for builder’s yards - a place to store unused bricks, plant pots, garden incinerator etc so if you have such detritus ... sorry, potentially useful things worth keeping I might put down a weed inhibiting membrane and use it for that. However, noticing the strip is only 50cm wide that idea is probably a non starter.

    Or maybe you could cultivate a clump of comfrey and set up a plant fertiliser station where smells would not be troublesome.

    For recommendations of plants to grow a photo would be beneficial.
    Rutland, England
  • so.phieso.phie Posts: 20
    These are all fab suggestions, thank you.

    I hadn't thought of gravel!
  • KiliKili Posts: 1,104
    so.phie said:
    These are all fab suggestions, thank you.

    I hadn't thought of gravel!
    Yeah gravel it. I have a half meter space around two sides of my greenhouse and put down some weed suppressing fabric then put gravel over it. No more weeds for years now

    'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.

    George Bernard Shaw'

  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    With some salvaged toughened glass and a few bricks you could make an impromptu cold frame.
    Rutland, England
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    We have a metre behind our greenhouse.  Originally we had some Spirea there (which I had completely forgotten about till I saw the photo below).



    We now have Privet, and it is a pain to trim it, but we like that it is evergreen and doesn't usually need watering.

  • borgadrborgadr Posts: 718
    I have a tricky patch behind an oil tank that sits behind the greenhouse in my garden.  I just let a big nettle patch do its thing there which provide shelter/food for insects such as butterfly caterpillars.  It's not to everyone's taste, I understand, but if you are inclined that way it's as good a place as any for a nettle patch.
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    I would strim down the weeds as short as possible, pile on multiple layers of cardboard, then top with a quality weed membrane and gravel.  The thick layers of cardboard should kill off the majority of weeds.  If you're not opposed, perhaps strim and let it grow for a few weeks before applying glyphosate across the area.. letting everything die back for a few weeks.. then spray any tougher weeds that spring back up.  Depends on whether you want a weekend project or a summer long project.  I do find four or five layers of cardboard stops anything I've ever encountered.. with the exception of occasional mares tail mazing it's way between layers if I use smaller boxes.  

    Then use that space for pot storage, for bulbs in pots that need to die back and be stored, etc.  You can even put a nice bushy potted plant near the end to block the view of the stored items, if you think you'll have the time to water it.  
    Utah, USA.
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