How would you rescue these plants?

Hi folks,

My plants are doing battle with bindweed (and other weeds) and seem to be losing the battle. They're being engulfed. Please see attached images. How would you rescue these? (Imagine explaining it to a 4 year old.)

Many thanks.

 

Hi @tommyrot well the plants are fine - you've just got to do a lot of weeding! I'm afraid it's a never ending task. The bindweed is close to the plants, so I think for now the simplest thing is to just keep pulling out all that you see. You can do what @Loofah said, but you will still get other weeds just from seed in the soil.

 

Just dig out and pot up the first one, and then clear the site of all the weeds - which may mean digging out, or using a targeted weedkiller, depending on what they all are. Dandelions, which you have in the 2nd pic, are very persistent, and so is bindweed. You may find the latter particularly difficult to eradicate as it spread below ground very easily. One of the ways people find that works, is to put a cane in, and let it go up that. You then apply weedkiller, which then has plenty of foliage to work on, and if you can, enclose it in clear plastic. It would take several applications probably, and you'd still need to check regularly, because it can appear very readily somewhere else ddue to it's growing habit.

You can then replant, depending on quickly you clear the site, but add a good covering of compost, gravel or similar, to help delay their return, or plant some additional ground covering plants which will help to prevent too many weeds coming through until the plants youwant to keep have fully grown.
The 2nd pic is largely just weeds, but it also depends on your perspective about them. For example, I actively grow daisies and clover in part of my back garden.

 

Hands and knees with a trowel

Rotten job but someone has to do do it.

If you're going to keep digging plants up just to remove weeds they will never get established because even if you do that I'd like to bet it will look the same by this time next year.
It's just part of gardening.

 

Given that the area shown is adjacent to the fence, what is beyond it?
If as likely, it is containing bindweed, then you will not succeed until both areas are freed of this pestilence.

 

I actually like weeding, I find it very meditative and it gives you plenty of time to observe your plants and what is going on in your garden. I sometimes use bluetooth headphones with a good podcast or music whilst I'm doing it. When you manage to pull out a dock root the size of a parsnip it's very satisfying!

I'd hate it if I went out in the garden and there was nothing to do.

 

When are you coming round?
My garden would have you in a zen like state in no time!

 

I have a look around every morning about 8am, its just a look around but can be 9.30am before I go back in for a cup of coffee, its just crazy all the things I end up doing in that time.

Ask me what I've done in the garden and I haven't got a clue, things just happen and only big jobs get planned.

 

If that was my bed, I'd do some weeding then put some cardboard and then barkchippings/shredding/lawn mowings mulch down, (leave a small space around your plant stems) then I'd have to do less weeding in the future.