Primula elatior (Oxlip)

I sometimes get ideas about a garden full of natives...but I think it would be tricky.

stop weeding and you'll soon achieve it :o))

I spend hours digging out some, dandelions, hairy bittercress, bindweed, sowthistle, cleavers etc etc

Oh...I just had a minor attack on the cleavers. They are the worst thing...so many seeds! And ground elder...that's the other bane of my life. I went all around the perimeter with my weed gun. But they seem to have a knack of seeding among the roots of precious plants! I will get on top of them though...one fine day!

I cleared a border of ground elder by digging it and sieving the soil, twice! it was a 5ft x 40ft border too. it took me ages, weeks if memory serves.

Oh my! Well done, that's dedication! The farmer is happy for me to do whatever it takes to keep the weeds at the field edge u dear control. He is limited in what he can do without destroying my plants. Between us, we'll get there. I just germinated a whole tray of native achillea which I intend to plant under the hedge next year.

That will look lovely when it flowers. I really like the wild one. There used to be a clump near my mum's that had a pink edge to the flowers.

Yes, it does grow naturally in parts of the hedge, but the cleavers are rampant and they gnarl up the hedge cutter....even the farmers one. So we really need to tackle that. The seeds last five years. It's a pity ground elder is so invasive, As it is very pretty!

Sticky Willie (as cleavers is known in Scotland) is an annual and if you can hoe seedlings that should help cut down on the seed available to keep it going. The ground elder or Bishopweed is a perennial and because it is growing through the hedge it will be through the roots of the hedge plants. It will be impossible to dig out. You can use a weedkiller with glyphosate in it which will eventually kill it down through the roots. Because you are next to a field both weeds will creep back in again. Now you are a country girl cutting both back as soon as possible after they emerge is your best option. We took out all our hedges and replaced them with walls but birds drop seeds and the wind blows others in.