What to do - heavily weedy/grass area

I have a large bed at the back of my garden

It has quite a few established plants such as a rhodedendron, a couple of hydrangeas, a couple of phormium looking things and a couple of azealeas

It also has large areas which have been neglected and I really what to do something with them this year and get them planted up nicley

The question is how am I going to clear these areas?

I have taken some pictures of the worst bit - the bit which I want to tackle first, I will add these shortly as my pc is busy doing some disk check

I dont know what to do to get rid of these weeds and grass fairly quickly!

I made an attempt at digging them out but they seem very attached!!

My husband suggested covering the area with black stuff we have but on reading up on that it looks as if it could take a year and really want to do something this year!!

I am wondering about weedkiller but I am concerned about the other plants and what about replanting the area?

I dont want to burn it coz I dont want to harm little beasties

Hope someone can help!!

Kx

 

Hi Ginger,

Unfortunately you just have to face up to it and hand weed thoroughly. If you put weedkiller down you'll kill the plants you want to keep, it doesn't discriminate.


You may get some people recommending weed prevention membrane, but it's a waste of time and money because it just doesn't work.



They are very attached-by the roots so those have to go, there is no easy way out of it, I'm afraid. Hand weeding is actually a very relaxing and enjoyable part of gardening-and essential if you want rid of them completely.

 

We had an large flower bed here which had been "let go". We lifted all the big shrubs out last Autumn, and transplanted them to a new bed, and this Spring we lifted all the herbaeous as they came up. Those that seemed reasonably clean I moved in clumps to the new bed, the rest I crumbled-apart with my hands, and planted in pots with potting compost - many of the "bits" are quite small and I will nurture them for a bit and then replant them.

So if you could extract what you want to keep, pot them on, then clear the ground - weed killer, whatever takes your fancy, rotavate, then you could put the plants back (or just plunge the pots into the bed for this year - that will enable you to take them back out in the Autumn and do further rotavating / weed killer if necessary)

I bought a job lot of plastic pots off eBay - from a nursery that was closing down.

 

Following on from Kristens idea keep an eye open on http://www.uk.freecycle.org/ for any plastic pots there for free.

 

Hi Ginger 1880

I'm also a confirmed hand weeder, like Claire. I find that digging the soil over helps you to get acquainted with it and you can check its condition, how the worm population is doing, etc.

Some plants just do not want to come out, though! So I recommend the purchase of a pick axe, if you don't already have one. You don't have to use it like the convicts do in old films about chain gangs! But it's just great for levering out old roots or clumps.

I've spent the whole day getting rid of some old tree roots using my trusty pick axe. I won't be able to move tomorrow morning!

 

Photo's now added to top of post

Kx