Gardening Help please.

Hello,
I wonder if anyone could help me please. We have a fairly overgrown garden, the lawn is fairly ok, but the borders have all sorts of weeds, and there are some lovely establised trees and bushes, but I don't want to remove or kill the trees or bushes but I would like to get rid of the weeds, I have been trying for over 1 week to get rid of them by hand but I would like to know can I put weed-killer down without damaging or killing the trees and bushes.
Many thanks.
Alex.

 

Hi Alex,Welcome to G-Corner

I would use Roundup. Be careful not to over spray your shrub and Tree foliage and you'll be fine.
I have just treated the Bindweed in my heavily flowered borders and they will come to no harm.

 

Thanks I will go and buy some tomorrow.
Alex

 

Whoah there!


I am sorry to contradict Nick-he is an experienced and very very good gardener, but wait before you start spraying herbicides around.


I killed an entire garden the first time I used Roundup-including part of my neighbours hedge-all it takes is a light breeze and you rue the mistake. You have only been weeding a week.


I learned my lesson-and then went to learn a few more-I am now a confirmed organic gardener, and this is my first year as a peat free gardener ( it has it's up's and downs ).


What weeds are they?

 

Sorry haven't got any pics, the garden is 21foot wide by 38 foot long, it took me a week to do about 17 foot by 2 foot, but I am still doing a little with the help of the weed killer as well, I think that you have to do both, what I did around the trees that are OK, (not getting choked by the ivy and something else) was I had some plastic crinkly stuff, you could use it as a roof on a cold frame, around the base of the trees about 9 inches away from the trunk and sprayed up to there and got the weeds out by hand by the trunk, some of the weeds really hurt, the stalks and branches are really prickly. I will keep everyone informed of my progress, I do the garden when I come in from work.
Alex

 

You would do well with a good pair of gardening gloves for this sort of work. Only now after years of doing it can I pull out nettles with my bare hands-but I wouldn't even try to get rid of brambles without gloves. Crikey-you must be tough!.


I like the cheap gloves that are like fibre dipped in rubber-they are only about a £1 a pair, I have a pair of leather ones for anything too serious-they cost me a fiver from B&Q, as long as they are oiled they stay supple.

 

Wilkinsons sells thorn proof suede gloves for £2.99.:gnthb:

 

Yikes, don't mess with her ! :D

 

A little trick I have with round up and their kind. I need to use them as I am surrounded by fields. Spray the weed killer onto your gloves. I use rubber gloves with cloth ones on top so the cloth is fairley wet. Just rub the offending weeds with your hands in sensitive areas of planting. Works a treat. PLEASE don't forget to use rubber or plastic gloves to prevent your skin coming into contact with the stuff

 

I have been using at first a pair of gardening gloves but the thorns quickly went through them and then a pair of rubber gloves and now I'm onto the thorn proof ones from wilkos but I still get spiked on my arms, getting one weed up, well I think it was a weed, it had a very long root, the root caught on a loose branch/twig and landed full belt on the leg now I have an egg shaped lump and a brush the size of a cricket ball, but it won't stop me trying to beat the weeds.
Alex.

 

Hi Alex if you do want to go the weed killer way then one little trick that will kill the weeds you want to kill and save the plants you want to save is to paint the weed-killer (Roundup is best) on the weeds with a paint brush.

Just use a small sized brush and paint away onnthe leaves not only will you save the plants you want to save but you will also save any waste with the weed killer which can be quite expensive for even the smallest amount of Roundup but is the best weed killer by far.

Good luck.Hel.xxx.

 

Alex: Not wishing to state the obvious, but it's worth making sure your anti-tetanus is up-to-date :D

 

Thanks Doogle, I work in a doctors surgery and the last tetnus I had was a booster one which was about two and a half years ago and now once you have had 5 boosters in your adult life you are usually covered, I checked with the practice nurse and she said I was covered, It didn't break the skin, just a lovely shiner on the leg.
Alex