United Kingdom 
The narrow lane passing my drive has a 1000mm high bank opposite, heavily stocked with weeds. How can I improve this constant view.
14 May, 2011
Answers
I would presume that Chris doesn't own the bank! In which case you should ask the owner for permission to strim it yourself. If there is no known owner or it belongs to some huge organisation then just go and strim it anyway, it will be years before they notice.
14 May, 2011
The roadside verge outside our property obviously belongs to the Local Council. We mow it as part of the normal garden operations. Have been keeping it down to grass instead of Cow parsley for 15 years and they have not complained yet.
14 May, 2011
The trouble with some council owned areas is that they do nothing till you do then they get difficult and all because you didnt ask first and someone made sure they knew, shame buts that's how it can be sometimes.
14 May, 2011
putting the ownership aside, if its yours make a rockery with tumbling plants, ground cover and heathers. put in bulbs for spring show and graduate the slope so that its safe.
grab a gardening book to help with the type of flowers you might like and think about whether it is full sunlight or not.
alternatively depending on the depth of the ground it may be possible to step it and put raised box beds.
If this successful I would love to see a piccy of it.
good luck what ever the outcome.
14 May, 2011
I'd vote with Bulbaholic. If there's no known owner just go ahead and tidy it up.
14 May, 2011
The rule about Council property like that is simple, if it is going to cost money then it is not theirs. If you want to do something to it then it is.
Not sure what happens elsewhere, but here the farmer whose fields are adjacent to the verge cuts the verge at the same time as they cut the hedges. Sometimes, if the visibility on the road is reduced they come and mow the verge. By tidying it up you are saving either the farmer or the Council the job. Planting things on it is another matter altogether.
14 May, 2011
The same here with farmers OB, and very good at it most of them are they take a real pride in it.Mind you the lanes around here are so narrow that if they didnt!
14 May, 2011
I presume you own this? so if it was grass originally then regular cutting will improve the look but this sounds too steep?. So is it an area that could be converted to wild flowers which would only need cutting once a year? The other thing that comes to mind is ground cover such as Hypericum or Camamile (which can be grown from seed) but you would have to clear the weeds first.
14 May, 2011