Trying to grow gentian sino ornata (sp?),. Every year, I see plants for sale, and see the ones in the botanical gardens - all look beautiful. And every year I plant them having read advice in books on growing conditions etc. They all die or completely disappear.
i have some wretched things to contend with, but no horsetail, japanese knotweed. And nor do I have varicose veins, so I am calling myself a lucky woman this morning!
Although I have horsetail in my garden I dont find it as bad as others do. It tends to be restricted to the poorest parts, doesn't grow very big [6" max height] and other weeds out compete it if left. In good soil it does not compete at all with my garden plants or invade the lawn and the tops are easily removed by hoeing or pulling so I dont consider it a mjor problem. The worst area I dealt with by planting spearmint which has suppressed the horsetail. The garden had a limited amount of bindweed when I took over which was eliminated in two years by painting leaves with roundup. With Creeping buttercups I wage constant war as I have heavy acid soil which they love.
It depends which bit of the garden I'm in. Out the front I have horsetail and bitter cress and thistles and nettles. I pull the horsetail regularly and put in the waste bin. The others get pulled or dug up and go on the compost heap.
Out the back I have thistles, nettles, couch grass, sticky bud and creeping buttercup plus bindweed in one big bed around the natural pond and now trying to invade the big bed above the lawn. I get bird sown brambles and bird sown wild roses too. Every year I work my way round clearing them all and every year they come back with a vengeance because we are surrounded by arable fields and pasture so they creep in from the edges or fly in as seeds.
I have now given up trying to grow fancy plants and stick with good doers that can cope but so far I have had to rescue 2 hydrangea paniculata planted last year and not doing well plus 3 new roses from last year - all now in pots to be nurtured till next spring in the hope they will get bigger and stronger so they can survive out in the borders. Fingers crossed for this year's new perennials.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Next door neighbours ivy, do like ivy and appreciate its plus points but not my next door neighbours as it takes over and I have to fight it tooth and nail or will strangle my garden ... Boooo
Bindweed it is endemic in the allotments and when I took my plot over this year it wasn't noticeable, but as the year has developed I have been constantly at war with is pernicious weed. I have found that the best way is to spray it with root killer when I see the first shoot. Cover it with a plastic bag with a spray of weedkiller in the bag and tie up the bag at soil level and leave for a couple of days when the bag can be reused on yet another shoot. I know that persistence is the best way as each time you kill the shoot it will weaken the weed. UNTIL......eventually RIP weed.
I've got pretty much every weed, and the garden is full of tree roots in flinty stony soil, so is really really hard to dig.
For now I am going heavy with the glyphosate weedkiller until I kill off the ground elder and the worst of the weeds. Then I will start digging and planting.
First priority is to clear an area where i can plant my apple tree this autumn so it can start to get established while I'm working on the rest of the space.
Posts
Trying to grow gentian sino ornata (sp?),. Every year, I see plants for sale, and see the ones in the botanical gardens - all look beautiful. And every year I plant them having read advice in books on growing conditions etc. They all die or completely disappear.
i have some wretched things to contend with, but no horsetail, japanese knotweed. And nor do I have varicose veins, so I am calling myself a lucky woman this morning!
Although I have horsetail in my garden I dont find it as bad as others do. It tends to be restricted to the poorest parts, doesn't grow very big [6" max height] and other weeds out compete it if left. In good soil it does not compete at all with my garden plants or invade the lawn and the tops are easily removed by hoeing or pulling so I dont consider it a mjor problem. The worst area I dealt with by planting spearmint which has suppressed the horsetail. The garden had a limited amount of bindweed when I took over which was eliminated in two years by painting leaves with roundup. With Creeping buttercups I wage constant war as I have heavy acid soil which they love.
Just found horsetail
It depends which bit of the garden I'm in. Out the front I have horsetail and bitter cress and thistles and nettles. I pull the horsetail regularly and put in the waste bin. The others get pulled or dug up and go on the compost heap.
Out the back I have thistles, nettles, couch grass, sticky bud and creeping buttercup plus bindweed in one big bed around the natural pond and now trying to invade the big bed above the lawn. I get bird sown brambles and bird sown wild roses too. Every year I work my way round clearing them all and every year they come back with a vengeance because we are surrounded by arable fields and pasture so they creep in from the edges or fly in as seeds.
I have now given up trying to grow fancy plants and stick with good doers that can cope but so far I have had to rescue 2 hydrangea paniculata planted last year and not doing well plus 3 new roses from last year - all now in pots to be nurtured till next spring in the hope they will get bigger and stronger so they can survive out in the borders. Fingers crossed for this year's new perennials.
Brambles, I hate the things, but have iradicated most of it by sowing grass seed.
Next door neighbours ivy, do like ivy and appreciate its plus points but not my next door neighbours as it takes over and I have to fight it tooth and nail or will strangle my garden ... Boooo
Bindweed it is endemic in the allotments and when I took my plot over this year it wasn't noticeable, but as the year has developed I have been constantly at war with is pernicious weed. I have found that the best way is to spray it with root killer when I see the first shoot. Cover it with a plastic bag with a spray of weedkiller in the bag and tie up the bag at soil level and leave for a couple of days when the bag can be reused on yet another shoot. I know that persistence is the best way as each time you kill the shoot it will weaken the weed. UNTIL......eventually RIP weed.
Bindweed, horrible, evil, ARGHH
Bindweed is a real pain in my garden too.
I've got pretty much every weed, and the garden is full of tree roots in flinty stony soil, so is really really hard to dig.
For now I am going heavy with the glyphosate weedkiller until I kill off the ground elder and the worst of the weeds. Then I will start digging and planting.
First priority is to clear an area where i can plant my apple tree this autumn so it can start to get established while I'm working on the rest of the space.