‘Wildflower’ garden disaster

RosieBee · December 2023

Four or five years ago I cleared an area of the garden, about 15’x 10’ that was lawn and three incredibly dull evergreens - there was zero sign of wildlife and I wanted to reintroduce some. The ground is solid clay - the very thin layer soil there was went with the grass (which I put in a big builders’ bag to rot down and still have).

I sowed some wildflower seeds and for the first couple of years, all was well.

Unfortunately events (my parents’ deaths) has distracted me from gardening and the area is now a disaster zone. The world’s most vicious bramble has gone nuts (most of its roots are under the grumpy neighbours fence), and the area is thick with serious (very boring, no flowers, nothing) weeds and thistles (which are pretty for some of the time but not ideal). What to do!!?

We’re hoping to move house next year so part of me says just clear it to make it more presentable - although I’d be loathe to disturb any wildlife that is living there in this cold weather… Suggestions extremely welcome! Thank you.

Dovefromabove · December 2023

Hello @Rosie Bee and welcome to the forum 😊
Can you show us a photo of the area please … don’t worry, I’ll guarantee we’ll all have seen worse … some of us in our own gardens due to just the sort of hiatuses as you’ve had. 😊

Plantminded · December 2023

RosieBee said:

We’re hoping to move house next year so part of me says just clear it to make it more presentable - although I’d be loathe to disturb any wildlife that is living there in this cold weather… Suggestions extremely welcome! Thank you.

Depending on when you are planning to move, I'd wait until winter is over and then tidy up to make your property presentable for sale. An untidy garden could put potential buyers off or encourage them to make cheeky offers! You could also add some colour with some containers of spring bulbs, often available ready to flower in garden centres from January onwards and then take them with you to start a new garden in your new property.

RosieBee · December 2023

Dovefromabove said:

Hello @Rosie Bee and welcome to the forum 😊
Can you show us a photo of the area please … don’t worry, I’ll guarantee we’ll all have seen worse … some of us in our own gardens due to just the sort of hiatuses as you’ve had. 😊

Thank you Dove…. I’m not a complete newbie - but obviously been a long time since I logged in last that my old password came up as a page 404!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/x2/4upa9aqdcp55.jpeg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/qj/a8ouszo9ws5t.jpeg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/2j/k5v4d4d8jcih.jpeg

I said it was bad and it doesn’t get much worse than a wet, grey day in December…. There was /is a lot of shingle mixed into the clay so you can at least stand on it… (there’s a spring a few feet away though!). Garden faces south west, couple of miles from the south coast.

Ergates · December 2023

I’d swap you your bramble for some of mine! I’d start gently, by moving the non organic stuff, one at a time to check for any wildlife. Then I’d get rid of as much bramble as I could. The main roots may be next door, but I’m always surprised at how far they can throw out runners, and it’ll be much easier to put them out of the ground while it’s softer after all the rain we’ve had.
Was there a rockery or a wall there? I’d perhaps do the occasional half hour weeding, and work back from the edge towards the fence. My aim would be to get it as tidy as you can as you’re planning to sell, and follow the suggestion of some pots of flowers for a quick spruce up. Maybe pop a few smallish shrubs in the ground to fill a bit of space, nothing too pricey but would make it look tended.

‘Wildflower’ garden disaster

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