My Jungle
By dioritt
23 comments
I thought I’d post some photos of my garden as it stands today. It really is an untidy, unruly mess that depresses me every time I look at it. I just don’t know where to begin. I put weed killer over a lot of it last year but it’s all back again this year… at least the weeds that the killer actually shrivelled are, some of them didn’t seem upset by it at all.
There are brambles (have no idea where they came from), cleavers, huge dock, and all sorts of other weeds, including the inevitable dandelions. I don’t have the muscle power to dig through the hard packed clay soil so I’ve no idea what to do.
My daughter and son-in-law are coming to stay during late august and have said they’ll try to clear as much as possible but what do I do then to stop the weeds taking over again next year? I can’t just put membrane and gravel down as it is because the garden slopes down slightly in the middle and becomes water logged in winter so clearly something more needs to be done. What makes it more difficult is that there’s a man hole in the dipped down bit so I can’t just fill it out. Oh the joys of a difficult garden.
Anyhow, here’s what it looks like.
This is the bottom of the garden. There’s a huge Field Maple growing there that shades most of the garden. I’ve asked the housing association to cut it back but they won’t because the hospital at the back have trees growing along the fence too and although several letters have been sent to them, nothing is ever done.
One part of the garden that had actually been worked on before I became ill and had to give up for a few years. Even though it’s been badly neglected, the peony, poppies, geranium, geum, crocosmia, jasmin, lenten roses and aquiligia all keep flowering and improving. Ivy and periwinkle have invaded it now though. Ideally I’d like to make a patio area here though, as it’s the only part of the garden that gets any sun during the day.
This is the full length of the garden looking from the back door down the left hand side towards the Field Maple. A lot of the pots have been emptied and taken to Mum’s house ready for cleaning and refilling but there are still loads left (from where I originally started gardening in pots to fill up this side).
The right hand side of the garden. I originally started making a gravelled area here with a table and chairs. It actually looked nice with clematis growing on the walls and lots of hebes and eunonymus around the edges with pebbles and things, but there was no membrane beneath it so the weeds have taken over again.
So there you have it. A wild mess that has me pulling my hair out.
14 Jun, 2010
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Comments
I think maybe I sound a bit too negative in this blog entry. There ARE some lovely shrubs out there and I've been using this site to identify some of those I was uncertain of and believe it or not, I still prune and feed them because I do want to save what I can. It just all the weeds that are getting me down, and the fact that I can't dig and do other heavy work so I seem to be stuck with this mess. And it really is a mess. I have to keep battling with weeds to be able to use the washing line (there's a huge dock type weed that grows up right under it and loads of sticky cleavers that get all over the clothes and bedding) and there's nowhere to sit properly anymore :-(
14 Jun, 2010
Is the weed area where a lawn use to be in the middle Dioritt? If so would it be possible for someone to dig it over and turf it for you perhaps with camomile? then if your relatives dug out the weeds it would make that side of it more manageable? Stick a nice container on the MHC?
14 Jun, 2010
I don't know whether there's ever been a lawn there. When I moved in here it was even worse than it is now! It had weeds that were taller than me! Lots of thistles, which oddly enough have never come back.
I really don't think there's any point in laying any kind of lawn while the dips there because of the waterlogging. It's like a bog there in winter and early spring (that area also has far less weeds than the rest). If I could just work out what to do about the dip then I'd feel a lot more inclined to actually try doing something about it all. Alas, I'm stumped.
14 Jun, 2010
Btw, what does MHC mean?
[Edited because as soon as I wrote it I realised it meant man hole cover... doh]
The MHC is in the dip which really has to have something done about it. I'm thinking it might be possible to build something around it, fill in everything else and have a lid on the MHC. Not sure how I'd go about that though. It's also right where I'd like to have some chairs for the bit of evening sun that gets on that part of the garden.
14 Jun, 2010
Ah MHC thats given me an idea! The dip and the water ?is it perhaps a collapsed drain???
14 Jun, 2010
I doubt it as the house was only a couple of years old when I moved in. I think it's just the way the garden's been "leveled" :-(
14 Jun, 2010
Hi Diorrit - I know this probably is a lot easier said than done, but could you just choose a little section of your garden and give it a makeover - just concentrating on that one small bit until you are happy with it? This is what I do in spring. I'm a fair weather gardener and my garden is more or less left to its own devices during winter as I can't stand the cold and lose interest. When spring comes and I start to feel like doing something out there again, I just do a little bit at a time and it eventually comes together. I know you have more of a problem than this, but perhaps this might be one way of tackling it? Looking at it as a whole can be so overwhelming that you can't face doing anything at all. Would this be possible for you do you think?
14 Jun, 2010
jan65 has just put what i was about to,decide which bit you like concentrate on that then when your happy with it say"right im going to add anothere foot to that" and go from there,it may take years or months but once that bit is free from weeds leave it and then go back and check and weed again,hope that helps
14 Jun, 2010
by the way i like your garden
14 Jun, 2010
I think once my daughter and son-in-law have cleared the worst of it away I'm going to have to do as you suggest, and try tackling a bit at a time but I still have to decide what to do about the dip. That's the biggest problem really, because of the man hole cover. It isn't a huge dip, but enough to gather water and turn it into something of a bog during winter. It stretches across the whole width of the garden too and takes up part of the area that I'd like to be a patio. Why did I have to get the house with the dodgy back garden? Lol.
Btw, I'm a fair weather gardener too. The cold makes me ache too much to be outside more than I have to be.
14 Jun, 2010
I like your garden too dioritt. As Drc says, there are some lovely gems there. A little at a time and you will soon have it looking as you want it. Is there nobody to lend a bit of "muscle" to help with the heavier work? Any kind relatatives available to do a bit of work for a free lunch would be great for you....:o)
14 Jun, 2010
Another thing you might consider, is to go with what you have. Rather than trying to fix the boggy bit, why not make a bog garden in that area? I know nothing about how to go about this, but perhaps you could do a bit of research. I dare say you'd have to somehow protect or cover the man hole cover, but as long as you can retain access to it, perhaps this is a possibility?
14 Jun, 2010
I've thought about that possibility but it's only boggy during winter. In summer it dried up and the clay goes rock hard (it's the only part that the weeds don't seem to like as much as the rest though). Tufts of grass grow there and a few other weeds but that's about it. Perhaps I'll just get started once it's cleared and use the winter to decide how to move forward and tackle the man hole. If that wasn't there, I wouldn't have a problem; I'd just fill in the dip.
14 Jun, 2010
Sorry, Dylandog, you posted as I was posting so I missed you.
Unfortunately the only family I have here are Mum (who can't even keep her baskets watered let alone dig up my garden... lol) and my daughter, who isn't interested in anything that sounds like hard work. My other daughter, who would help, and her partner, live in Norway so can only help out when they're visiting. No friends who are willing, either :-(
My son's happy to do as much grafting as he can, but he has severe learning difficulties so there's a limit to what I can expect him to do. He does the heavy lugging around for me though :-)
14 Jun, 2010
Oh bless Dioritt, looks like a bit at a time then eh? I'm sure you'll get there!
14 Jun, 2010
I suppose it's just a matter of getting started. I did empty all the pots that didn't contain anything useful though (which was all but two... Lol), so that's a start. And next time the weather's fine the cleavers are coming up. I can't be doing with them sticking to my washing anymore. I shall update as I go along.
14 Jun, 2010
In our area,there used to be help for people who were unable to tackle their gardens for various genuine reasons,such as ill health,age etc.I can't remember which organisation supplied the helpers,but an aunt of mine was helped greatly by them.Maybe you could find out if there is any such help in your area.The library,age concern,or some other organisation may have some information .Worth a try,maybe.? I hope you can solve your problem,Dioritt,as it sounds so frustrating for you.
14 Jun, 2010
That's a great idea Bloomer! Think we have something similar here.
14 Jun, 2010
Oh, I hadn't thought of that possibility. I'll ask around and see what I turn up. Thanks :-)
14 Jun, 2010
Please don't pull all your hair out ! Leave some there. I'm sure you'll get it done one day. It all takes time, and a bit of help helps. I think Bloomer has made a good suggestion.
15 Jun, 2010
You're right about the hair. I'd look a bit silly with a bald patch and wigs just aren't my thing ;-)
15 Jun, 2010
lol :o))
16 Jun, 2010
Recent posts by dioritt
- How Do I Get Out Of This One?
22 Jun, 2010
- Mum's Front Border
18 Jun, 2010
- Just Saying Hello
13 Jun, 2010
Its funny how we perceives things? I look at your garden and see some real gems! Shrubs that are expensive to buy and take time to establish are there in your garden! If it were me i would take the trouble to identify them and there needs and set about caring and feeding them. Then I could see what I have and build on it along with those lovely pots too. So cheer up and look again!
14 Jun, 2010