Renovating border

[TheSilveryPussycat]

After my divorce 2 years ago, and the two winters we've had, my border has been infested with buttercups, and with the aquilegia which have seeded everywhere, and I'm thinking complete renovation may be the way to go. Plus it's raised, and a couple of yards wide, but with a slope, so working on it involves teetering about in a somewhat hazardous way. So perhaps it needs kind of like terracing, but with one terrace iysim.

I am not much of a gardener tbh, and old gimmer so wouldn't manage heavy work. And rather daunted by the whole thing.

Wondered if anyone had any experience of employing someone to do this kind of thing. When we moved in, we did employ someone, but it was more landscape gardening, ie making the bed, and putting lawn and patio in. We got a selection of clay border plants from Crocus which Ex put in.

What I have in mind this time is kind of a cross between a redesigner of physical border, and wise adviser on planting. And am also wondering what the cost might be. Can it be done now, as googling says should be autumn/winter, but of course stuff is going to go on making itself at home over the summer?

I love my garden, but the feeling of worried guilt when I'm out there is spoiling things a bit...

Can you post some photos so we can see what it looks like?

Resurrecting my thread, haven't been too well. Camera on charge so will post pix tomorrow.

Feeling very daunted. The border is a sloping bed about 2m wide, sloping down from a fence, with a field beyond that. It's retained at the bottom by railway sleepers.

I decided to tackle it myself in a fit of hopefulness, bit by bit. It's overrun with weeds including buttercup and brambles, there are some plants like hardy geraniums I'd like to move, but can't do that till spring, can I? I've got some old tiles to make a path along the back next to the fence, and some sort of steps/kneeling areas so I'll be able to get to it more easily for future maintenance.

I have dug a small area, but am now alternating between wanting to nuke the lot with roundup and trying to preserve what I have. It certainly needs replanting with plants more suitable for a bank.

Every time I try and do something, I work for a few minutes then wonder if I'm just wasting my time. Do I do one bit at a time thoroughly, and just forget the rest of the 'orrible mess?

I'll need to cover the bits I've done with the proverbial old carpet, won't I? Except I haven't got any old carpet.

Will wait to see your photos. Are you ready for all the work involved or would it help you to pay someone to come and clear it and do the basics to get you going?

I wonder if it is too big a job for you at the moment.

I think if I know I'm doing the right thing, I can manage the physical bit. The fact that it's a slope means it looks more covered than it is - the drooping plants kind of protect the bit they droop down over.

All the gardening services I contacted were fully booked. I could look again and contact more, I suppose. I got a quote of £200 but then had my moment of resolve!

Oh look, old carpet and roundup sound too depressing for words.

Plant some cheerful pots up first in organic compost and arrange in your outdoor seating area with a suitable chair/seat and table so that you can sit and enjoy the sunshine and ponder.

If feeling energetic, weed and dig and then spread compost around the weeded and dug area. Do a bit each day whenever.

If feeling like retail therapy go to lidl/poundland/b and q/ local nursery bargain shelf and plant some flowers in the weeded dug up composted area and water regularly .

If feeling studious get some gardening books from the library and read them

If wanting to go on the internet do so and order some plant catalogues for the autumn.

When you find someone to do your garden please tell them you don't want decking and artificial grass.

Pay a nice local gardener to come and sort it out for you and to tell you how to look after it. With respect you are clearly struggling, may make a horrid mistake, and it's all a bit depressing. Whereas one person could probably transform it for you in a day or so and it would be lovely.

As I said, have been struggling to get nice local gardener. Think I could get general jobbing person, but for them it would not be about the garden.

I already sit out, but looking at the border is not relaxing

Anyway, this is what it looks like.

It doesn't look so bad.
I would mow the lawn and weed round the edges of the sleepers and remove any large weeds/brambles from the border and leave the rest for now. Perhaps tidy up the front edges of the borders as that is what you see most.
Self sown aquilegia are fine and I would leave them alone.
Renovating the whole border sounds a bit drastic.
Some good gap fillers such as Alchemilla mollis and Geranium Rozanne would help cover the bare patches and are fine for slopes, just water well if you plant now.
(If you are in Norfolk I will happily come and help you!)

Hi again - not quite what I was expecting from the description! I would work on a metre at a time so break it down into manageable chunks and look at getting some climbers to grow up the fence and create some depth.

If you have sorted out one bit completely it can inspire you to carry on. It's a bit like decorating a house: if you were having to do the whole house and decided to strip all the wallpaper first then do all the woodwork you would spend hours on it and not have a single room finished. Better to go room by room.

The lawn is theoretically under control - it has a lot of moss but is shaded by the border so I'm putting up with it. I mow and strim (but it needs doing atm)

Maybe I should take another photo - the greenery is a mass of weeds among some plants which are not suitable for the slope. The aquilegia and some of the others flop forward. I'm thinking to replant with vinca, aubretia and

I have hacked some of the top growth off with shears today, think I'm going for the nuclear option.

Wish I was in Norfolk

Oh and there is honeysuckle (but it doesn't flower as it's under a sycamore tree), forsythia (just freed it from a load of sticky-jack pulling it down) and a clematis which I will prune when I can reach it (that is doing well, but brambles are invading from the field on the other side of the fence).

Here are some good suggestions for planting
www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=834
Perhaps you can move the aquilegia elsewhere.
Hard to see the extent of the weeds from your pics.
I would also aim for doing section by section, perhaps ask a friend to help if you can?

You could start from the back by putting up horticultural wire and thinking about what you will plant in the autumn.

Get a jobbing person to dig the bed over and cut back stuff.

Turf the lawn next spring.

Rockery?