Really overgrown garden - how to get rid of dense weeds

[TeaChocKitKat]

For various reasons, our garden has been completely neglected for a couple of years. Our one border has been completely taken over by an overgrown jasmine and very dense stingy nettles. I know jasmine is pretty robust so I'm going to be brutal and cut it right back. I've cut the stingy nettles back so I can tackle the roots but I've never seen roots like it. They are about an inch thick. Any ideas how I can shift them? I've got some round up weed killer but not sure its going to cut it?
I've been at the one root with a fork trying to dig it up for about an hour this morning, its loosened it but these are determined roots:(

That sounds like a lot of work on a hot day! In your position I'd be very tempted to call in someone licensed to use professional grade weed killers to see how much it would cost to get the job done, then take a view on whether it was worth the money to me. Good luck!

Good thing - nettles like growing on fertile soil and a lot of insects lay eggs on them.

Bad thing - you will need to get up all the roots, but this can be done over time once the main bits are gone.

Don’t use weedkiller, you’ll spoil your soil for growing anything else.

Thanks both. The soil looks like its pretty decent so hopefully eventually I'll have a nice border again.

Nettles, fork the soil lose and just yank on the roots. They don't sting. It's very satisfying to pull hard on a root and see a nettle 6ft away disappearing back into the ground! Get out all roots down to about 9 inches or a foot deep. You will get the odd shoots reappear next year, but if you keep on top of them you'll get the bed clear.

Don't count myself any kind of gardener so by all means ignore this, but think what impact a flame thrower could have.

Just sayin'

Just keep cutting them back and back all the time until there's been a fair amount of rain to soften the soil a bit. Then the roots will be easier to dig up.

I feel your pain, there is a small but very tenacious bramble in our garden. I've been attacking it for about 10 years now.

I've been putting bleach on mine. But I dont have any plants that I want to keep, and the weeds are growing through cracks in the concrete. I don't actually have any soil flower beds. So nothing to kill other than things I want dead. Its drastic but I'm desperate.

If I were you I would wait until autumn. The soil will be damp and easier to dig. Then dig over with a fork and remove all nettles. Wait until spring, remove remaining nettles and plant up for the summer next year

Can you plant some quick growing annuals for now over the nettles stumps?

You don't need Roundup! Just borrow/buy a decent strimmer and cut them back savagely, then keep cutting them back.