It looks like we all have different ways of doing things, and it's probably down to local climate. I was wrong when i said i do nothing, as i was out in the garden just now, and pulled up grass that had invaded into the beds. That's probably the only thing i will pull. Perennials like hardy geraniums and anemones get chopped down in situ and spread around. Things that need winter pruning obviously get done if needed.
Round here the weeds have taken to growing 12 months of the year so if it's fine, and the ground isn't a quagmire, they need to be pulled up. The trick is to reclassify them as wild flowers, which is what they are, then they can stay and mingle with the cultivated stuff.
Weeds don't stop growing in winter down here, if we leave them there will be twice the work in spring.
Same here in Dordogne.
Last year I weeded and cleared up my French garden end of December, early January so that I could give it a good mulch as I was going to be in England for 3 or 4 months for English resident OH's hip replacement. It paid off and there were far fewer weeds than I expected when we came back to France.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
I don't have a lot of weeds, mainly because I don't have a lot of empty spaces - lots of ground covering planting. There's the persistent dandelions and buttercups, but they're generally in the grass, and only in one area because of them seeding in from across the road. I can't get too excited about them though - I just make sure I deadhead them. If I can be bothered, I dig them out when small, or use the odd squirt of weedkiller.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I usually try and do an Autumn/Winter weed just focusing on removing the unwanted (couch, brambles) and controlling numbers and some no-go areas for the thugs (alkanet, woundwort). It gives me some gardening to do and a helps keep things manageable. I have a very relaxed attitude and most wildflowers/weeds are allowed but I prefer a feeling of romantic abandonment aka managed chaos and unless edited occasionally it can all tip over into a weedy mess 😳
I don’t cut anything down, all stems etc are left overwinter for wildlife. Any that are still standing (surprisingly little) are trimmed down when needed (e.g. if fallen growth is smothering cyclamen, Spring bulbs etc) or around mid -April when temperatures have risen.
I’ve yet to experience a winter here when everything dies down. I usually do another early Spring weed despite the Winter one.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
I don't have any weeds which I know is a very bad sign! It is a combination of dry shade, sandy soil and large shrubs that seem to outcompete the tiddlers.
Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus
Last year we dug plants out from one of our beds, not big about 24’ x 6’ because of the grass and weeds growing between the roots, I posted up what I wanted to keep while we did a really good weeding of the bed, then planted them back, it’s not much better this year, they’re back, I don’t like weed killers , I did buy SBK for the ground elder but haven’t used it much, where I did, it’s all back this year.
Oh well, press on, I expect insects like the weeds more than the plants.😀
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Posts
I was wrong when i said i do nothing, as i was out in the garden just now, and pulled up grass that had invaded into the beds. That's probably the only thing i will pull.
Perennials like hardy geraniums and anemones get chopped down in situ and spread around. Things that need winter pruning obviously get done if needed.
Last year I weeded and cleared up my French garden end of December, early January so that I could give it a good mulch as I was going to be in England for 3 or 4 months for English resident OH's hip replacement. It paid off and there were far fewer weeds than I expected when we came back to France.
There's the persistent dandelions and buttercups, but they're generally in the grass, and only in one area because of them seeding in from across the road.
I can't get too excited about them though - I just make sure I deadhead them. If I can be bothered, I dig them out when small, or use the odd squirt of weedkiller.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I don’t cut anything down, all stems etc are left overwinter for wildlife. Any that are still standing (surprisingly little) are trimmed down when needed (e.g. if fallen growth is smothering cyclamen, Spring bulbs etc) or around mid -April when temperatures have risen.
I’ve yet to experience a winter here when everything dies down. I usually do another early Spring weed despite the Winter one.
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham