Hi there, I'm in the UK, have a 2 acre strip of completely overgrown land by a river, will be looking for advice on how to get it under control legally (regarding weed control next to a waterway) and environmentally (do I eradicate the nettles or leave them for butterflies....) Complete novice!
Hello from Somerset, England
- Thread starter ClaireLS
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Bonjour, ClaireLS! There is a lot to learn about flowers. 
Ian
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Welcome Claire.
My advice - leave the nettles, in fact most of the vegetation - sheet mulch the areas (if first available, cover vegetation with soil/compost/old manure and then cardboard/newspapers to block out the light, followed by more mulch/old straw on top).
Create a few holes in the area (may require using a knife to poke a hole in the cardboard), and then put in your plants.
Create a few holes in the area (may require using a knife to poke a hole in the cardboard), and then put in your plants.