Weeds be gone!

“Three-and-a-half hours weeding?” my sister-in-law queried in horror.  “Well, yes, but you see I’ve been supervising the paving and digger and…” I trailed off, knowing she wouldn’t understand. She shook her head in despair. The truth is that tearing up a whole garden which coincides with the worst storm in decades, tends to leave muddy mounds and stretches which, in turn, become happy hosts to every tiny weed cell out there. This, coupled with alternating days of rain and sun encourages the little monsters to grow and, having been doing some redecorating inside, it all got away from me. However, I’m making triumphal progress while suggesting things which will be attractive and simple to maintain for my family whose interests lie elsewhere.

Creative solutions

• Actually, I have been doing something of the sort in my front garden. I’ve just had some paving put in. The square paving stones forming a pathway to the door have been staggered, giving a jagged look and leaving small open areas for planting with lobelia, alyssum, feverfew and other creepers/spreaders. Since each has its own enclosed area, weeds will not inch their way in easily. The small semi-rectangle in the centre of the garden (also jagged, I don’t care for straight lines) covers a good area but showcases several pots full of flowers. Easy weeding again.

• I had some steps cut into the sloping ground leading from the road where people will park their cars and have planted golden oregano at the base of the risers so that it will spread and choke out anything else that wants to find harbor there. Thyme and oregano create wonderful cushions in many shades and a few dozen small pots of each, planted into the ground, will soon join hands and create a dense mat. I’ve put in campanula, erigeron and aubretia and intend to add ajuga and veronica. By next year, weeds will have a hard time finding any light or space and the plants will more or less take care of themselves.

• The shrubs I planted last year are burgeoning out, taking up ground: ceonothus. deutzia, spiraea, weigela, cornus, virburnums and myrtle–all looking very comfortable around the middle…  and the sedums, thymes, salvias, phlox and geraniums are all stretching and looking for more space. The open ground I broke in the front garden last year is now mainly covered, and not with weeds…. but the back garden still has to be reckoned with.

You have a choice!

I have planted several pots of saxifraga, mostly close to each other where they will form a large mat, and shall add to the salvias and penstemons, both of which make wonderful clumps, but they do need deadheading. Rhododendrons and azalias, on the other hand, grow wide and keep their flowers intact for some time and you need only run your hands over the browned heads to clear the dead blooms, and then sweep them up all together.  And, of course, pruning them is so minimal, one hardly thinks about it, as with my other shrubs.

Design for simplicity
The above may look anything but simple, but it really didn’t take me long last year to plan and the design is working out. If you feel you have more space to deal with than you desire, think about paving over, herding out with dense creepers, using really large pots or covering space by creating some winding paths with gravel or stepping stones.  Cut the growing/mowing area down and have fun with the design on the way.

Watering made simple

Watering can take quite a bit of time but there are ways around that. If you don’t have a sprinkler system and don’t want to be bothered with all the other feeder hoses available on the market now, a single, wide-reaching, circulating spray unit is useful. Once fitted to a normal hosepipe, it can be moved to different parts of the garden and left for 15-20 minutes. I had one once (we called it a ‘whirlygig’) and did not find it arduous to move its position every now and then. It was much faster than using a watering can and did a very thorough job.

Enjoy!

Stroll into the garden, find a comfy seat, sip a cool drink, chew on your pencil and make notes on where you could simplify things.  Then take another sip, review your list, and….take another sip.

More Tips

• Floating small bales of barley straw in your pond will keep the water free from weeds.  These can be obtained from shops or companies supplying pond products.  They really work, but must be barley straw.
• Spreading a thick coating of natural flavoured yoghurt on new flower pots, urns, statues, etc., will encourage a gentle patina of lichen to form. They will look as though they have been mellowed by the years and, therefore, will be much more attractive.