Helllo from East Midlands garden and my first problem area...

[peely]

Hi All,
Introducing myself and my garden. I'm an inexperienced gardener with lots of problem areas (problems to me anyway) in my garden in the East Midlands of the UK. I've been here for 8 years now and feel like my gardening mainly involves managing chaos with hedge cutting, grass mowing (I hesitate to use the word "lawn") and weeding.
I really want to start to transform it. I look at other gardens and love what others have achieved and would like to try and do the same. I've had a read around and noted that just saying that "I need help" isn't the way forward. So I'll start by focusing with one area and hopefully move on as I develop a plan.

This is a photo of my first problem area. A thin strip along the driveway with gravel and some large stones. The lady who lived here before me planted grape hyacinth along it. When I fi

When I first moved in and started pulling them up the lady next door said " You'll never get rid of them!" How right she was. They just keep coming. I understand they seed and produce little bulbs. I go out and pull them up and due to all the stones along that little strip mainly end up pulling off the tops. So last week I spent a morning digging through the stones and getting the bulbs out too.
I just wondered if anyone had any advice or ideas about what to do with this area. There are 3 areas like this with concrete posts and chain link fencing. The only thing I can think of is digging all the stones and gravel out and putting weed control fabric down and some nicer stones along it.
Many thanks for any help or ideas.

 

[blenor]

Hi All,
Introducing myself and my garden. I'm an inexperienced gardener with lots of problem areas (problems to me anyway) in my garden in the East Midlands of the UK. I've been here for 8 years now and feel like my gardening mainly involves managing chaos with hedge cutting, grass mowing (I hesitate to use the word "lawn") and weeding.
I really want to start to transform it. I look at other gardens and love what others have achieved and would like to try and do the same. I've had a read around and noted that just saying that "I need help" isn't the way forward. So I'll start by focusing with one area and hopefully move on as I develop a plan.

This is a photo of my first problem area. A thin strip along the driveway with gravel and some large stones. The lady who lived here before me planted grape hyacinth along it. When I fiView attachment 104914When I first moved in and started pulling them up the lady next door said " You'll never get rid of them!" How right she was. They just keep coming. I understand they seed and produce little bulbs. I go out and pull them up and due to all the stones along that little strip mainly end up pulling off the tops. So last week I spent a morning digging through the stones and getting the bulbs out too.
I just wondered if anyone had any advice or ideas about what to do with this area. There are 3 areas like this with concrete posts and chain link fencing. The only thing I can think of is digging all the stones and gravel out and putting weed control fabric down and some nicer stones along it.
Many thanks for any help or ideas.

How about a row of pots and tubs? Autumn is a good time to plant bulbs which can be more showy than grape hyacinth and provide a splash of colour in early spring. Perhaps you could stand these on the ground cover and pebbles interspersed with some chunky rocks or stone. We have loads of pots at home and you can grow almost anything such as perennial or evergreen shrubs, depending on your climate and frost exposure. Frost proof pots might be best as we have learnt to our cost. Even a small pond in a watertight pot with a solar powered fountain will attract the birds and other wildlife.

 

[Anniekay]

How about a row of pots and tubs? Autumn is a good time to plant bulbs which can be more showy than grape hyacinth and provide a splash of colour in early spring. Perhaps you could stand these on the ground cover and pebbles interspersed with some chunky rocks or stone. We have loads of pots at home and you can grow almost anything such as perennial or evergreen shrubs, depending on your climate and frost exposure. Frost proof pots might be best as we have learnt to our cost. Even a small pond in a watertight pot with a solar powered fountain will attract the birds and other wildlife.

This is what I would also suggest. If the problem is that the plant will still come up between the pots, you could even concrete those narrow patches over, then put pots or planters over the concrete. That should stop the new growth completely.