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Border Control
DYL
Posts: 67
My new house has quite a few borders that have not been maintained for a while.
They have become a little overgrown and some nettles have taken route in various places.
I have added a couple of pics to show the type of thing I'm talking about.
Now I'm thinking I need to thin things out a little, weed the soil, and get those border edges back, but what should I do with the nettles? Is it just a matter of pulling them out, do I need to dig below to get to the route? If anyone can explain the best way of dealing with them, that would be great.
And is it ok to start thinning the borders now, or should I wait for Autumn? I will probably soon have more questions about what I should be removing, but the nettles is a good starting point!
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don't mention " border control" the daily ( hate ) mail readers will start to hyperventilate.
It is autumn here, so I'd start now. You need to make a start before the weeds die back and disappear. There's a bit of hard work, but that's why we have gardens!
If I use a weedkiller on the nettles, is it best to cut them at the base and then spray?
Dig out as many nettles as you can, following the runners as far as possible, then next spring dig the new shoots out again, then later treat any further regrowth with glyphosate when it's got plenty of leaves.
That's what I'd do Joe
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
If you spray the nettles, leave the leaves, that is what absorbs the weedkiller. However, I'd do what Joe suggests. Nettles have thick yellow roots, easy to pull out, you can perhaps just grip the base of a nettle stem, and pull it out, along with the roots.
Don't forget, you'll need stout gloves!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
As for the other plants in the border, if you recognise a weed or a 'legitimate' plant that you don't like, you can certainly pull them out now but take time over the rest. You may find that, as the seasons pass, all sorts of lovely things emerge that you didn't know were there and that you would have killed off by clearing everything now. This is especially true of spring bulbs and flowers. Large clumps of perennials can be lifted and divided - throw away the manky bits and replant healthy young pieces - and overgrown shrubs can be thinned and reduced a little, though most aare best pruned in spring or after flowering, so that you can tidy up. That would allow you to sort out the edging.
Thanks Posy, you make a good point. I think it's a good idea to be conservative removing things at the minute unless I know it's a weed or definitely unwanted. As you say there is probably a lot very nice things ready to emerge when the time is right.