Here are a few picks as promised. Although it was a bit cold and damp for weeding last night. I have removed the speedwell to reveal the lesser celandine, and then I lifted a plant section to reveal the bulbils.
strangely enough there are still no flowers
Here is is the other section I have partially weeded...
and the the rest of it which is rather daunting I'm afraid....where to begin? I reckon I need some help.
Oh my goodness you do have a problem but don't give in.
I think you do need help, others my disagree though. I think if I was tackling this one on my own without help from others I would break up the garden into much smaller sections and tackle each section one at a time until complete rather than try to do a bit here do a bit there. Remove as much as possible and cover with a serious membrane as you go to stop weeds from re-growing. Can you afford and or get a mini jcb in, scrape off the top few inches into a skip or two then buy in some new topsoil. just an idea.
How about trying to get help from within your neighbours, facebook, streetlife, open gardens group, local allotments, the local gardeners club and family. Try to organise a series of work party's with the promise of an endless supply of bacon butties, cakes, beer, tea or coffee. I have helped others in this way before and it does work and it's most enjoyable.
Breaking it down into sections is the only way to retain sanity. But first - are there any jobs you can do which will have a big impact such as cutting back big shrubs, trimming hedges?
Personally, I would want to cut the grass - that will make it look tidier - and then just concentrate on a couple of beds for this year.
Don't get too disheartened with the celandine - it will disappear soon. Dig out any big clumps and just pull the leaves off some of the others - yank great handfulls. As you dig to plant you can remove some more but you may just have to accept it's presence. If you keep removing clumps and leaves each year it will eventually become more manageable.
Good luck.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
This was my husband's cottage garden and we had been trying for many years together to tackle it. we had tried to focus on the sections near the house and I had a man lay a lawn and create a proper path. At one point we even paid a group of men with a small digger, (access only possible thro next door's field), to clear the blackthorn and brambles from the far section. After that we used to strim it to just keep it under control. There was a point when we used to grow veg and soft fruit in the foreground section that you see in the pic.
Sadly my husband died 2 years ago now and I have been struggling to deal with it and my own garden and work too.
The first year I had a lad strim for 2 days and that cost £400. More than I could earn in 2 days in my own profession. And I helped him for those 2 days as well. Last year I had to focus on my own work and so the garden has suffered. Now I have turned down work to try to get on top of this problem.
I do have someone who cuts the ordinary hedges and the "lawn", which is mainly moss and weeds now. But I do the box myself due to the topiary factor.
Getting help with gardening in this area seems to be difficult. There are lots of mowers and hedgers out there. But someone to regularly hand weed, who actually knows their plants, is a rare thing.
It doesn't help me that the ground is clay and is either cloying and sticky or rock hard. It doesn't help that I only have a narrow access path, so everything has to be barrowed out.
I also need to get the two outrageuously huge conifers down....estimate approx £800...as they take all the moisture out of the area.
It's an exhausting plot....it was when there were two of us...but now it's demoralising and sad.
Posts
Here are a few picks as promised. Although it was a bit cold and damp for weeding last night. I have removed the speedwell to reveal the lesser celandine, and then I lifted a plant section to reveal the bulbils.
strangely enough there are still no flowers
Here is is the other section I have partially weeded...
and the the rest of it which is rather daunting I'm afraid....where to begin? I reckon I need some help.
Oh my goodness you do have a problem but don't give in.
I think you do need help, others my disagree though. I think if I was tackling this one on my own without help from others I would break up the garden into much smaller sections and tackle each section one at a time until complete rather than try to do a bit here do a bit there. Remove as much as possible and cover with a serious membrane as you go to stop weeds from re-growing. Can you afford and or get a mini jcb in, scrape off the top few inches into a skip or two then buy in some new topsoil. just an idea.
How about trying to get help from within your neighbours, facebook, streetlife, open gardens group, local allotments, the local gardeners club and family. Try to organise a series of work party's with the promise of an endless supply of bacon butties, cakes, beer, tea or coffee. I have helped others in this way before and it does work and it's most enjoyable.
Oh - you do have a job on there CD
Breaking it down into sections is the only way to retain sanity. But first - are there any jobs you can do which will have a big impact such as cutting back big shrubs, trimming hedges?
Personally, I would want to cut the grass - that will make it look tidier - and then just concentrate on a couple of beds for this year.
Don't get too disheartened with the celandine - it will disappear soon. Dig out any big clumps and just pull the leaves off some of the others - yank great handfulls. As you dig to plant you can remove some more but you may just have to accept it's presence. If you keep removing clumps and leaves each year it will eventually become more manageable.
Good luck.
Thanks for the support Topbird and CC.
This was my husband's cottage garden and we had been trying for many years together to tackle it. we had tried to focus on the sections near the house and I had a man lay a lawn and create a proper path. At one point we even paid a group of men with a small digger, (access only possible thro next door's field), to clear the blackthorn and brambles from the far section. After that we used to strim it to just keep it under control. There was a point when we used to grow veg and soft fruit in the foreground section that you see in the pic.
Sadly my husband died 2 years ago now and I have been struggling to deal with it and my own garden and work too.
The first year I had a lad strim for 2 days and that cost £400. More than I could earn in 2 days in my own profession. And I helped him for those 2 days as well. Last year I had to focus on my own work and so the garden has suffered. Now I have turned down work to try to get on top of this problem.
I do have someone who cuts the ordinary hedges and the "lawn", which is mainly moss and weeds now. But I do the box myself due to the topiary factor.
Getting help with gardening in this area seems to be difficult. There are lots of mowers and hedgers out there. But someone to regularly hand weed, who actually knows their plants, is a rare thing.
It doesn't help me that the ground is clay and is either cloying and sticky or rock hard. It doesn't help that I only have a narrow access path, so everything has to be barrowed out.
I also need to get the two outrageuously huge conifers down....estimate approx £800...as they take all the moisture out of the area.
It's an exhausting plot....it was when there were two of us...but now it's demoralising and sad.
Hey ho...at least I'm learning about weeds.