wild planting schemes

[AllWashedOut]

Watching Gardeners' World l last night they had a wonderful garden in Devon with bags of self-seeded verbena amongst other tall, graceful flowering delights. I would love a garden like this but I dare not attempt it. I know within 6 months it would be a brambly, grassy, weedy mess. Just how is it possible to maintain these sorts of gardens/beds? I wouldn't even know where to begin. Ideas?

Clear all perennial weeds before you start. Brambles don't appear from nowhere - they spread mainly vegetatively, by sending out long stems which root at the tips.

Plant densely, so that any seeds germinating don't have a chance on the competition for food and light. Dense planting is a good idea in any case 1) it suppresses weeds 2) if a weed does make it, you can't see it 3) it's good for biodiversity - recent studies by the RHS found the biggest factor in improving diversity is dense planting and sheer quantity of plants.

If you have a lawn next to it, put a narrow border of stone, brick or gravel between the lawn and the bed, so you can see and remove any lawn grass trying to creep into the bed and pull it out before it gets there.

Yes, it's the creeping grass. Also the weed seed that keeps on coming. Your suggestions make a lot of sense. We do have a lot of preexisting bramble (wild land never gardened or cultivated) that somehow is resistant to regular chopping. I wonder if planting into thick mulch at least in the first year will be enough to 'break' the weeds?

It's not too bad Tbh. I do weed but my beds are a mix of grasses, verbena, salvia and other perennials with annuals in the odd gap.

It's actually pretty low maintenance. I use Mexican Fleabane (Erigeron) and a miniature nepeta (catmint) close to ground level and they're good at suppressing weeds with weedstop mulch.

Hi Arnotts. I love fleabane. How do you keep boring grass out of your grasses? Grass is a major weed of my strawberries. Nightmare. In the beginning did you dig beds/strip the topsoil?

To get rid of brambles, you need to feel down to the knot where all the shoots are coming from and get below that. In my experience it doesn't re-grow from roots, so need to dig, but you do need to get the crown out.

There aren't any boring grasses! If you let your lawn grasses grow and flower you would see that they too are beautiful. In fact Molina caerulea, which is sold as an annual, is a UK grass of moorlands, whee the farmers hate it because the sheep won't eat it because of its sharp edges.

My answer to keeping grass from out of where it wasn't wanted was to eradicate it completely from the front garden; ditto the veg garden, and surround the beds with paths of gravel; and put a narrow border of Yorkshire stone all the way round the one area of grass I have left.

It doesn't stop all grass incursion, but it reduces weeding to a manageable task.

Thank you MereD. Yes, I see about the grass. I am fortunate to have a lot of grass, much of which goes to seed so we do see it in all its glory. It doesn't have the tall brush or colour of more 'ornamental' varieties, but I do very much agree with you about beauty. Couch grass can be a pesky thing however (and boring to weed!). Your garden sounds wonderful. I'm not sure it's possible for me to do the same. On the topic of bramble, yes I see what you mean about the crown. For me crowns can sometimes be almost impossible to dig out (rocky areas), but really, where I live is so brambly, I dig and dig and cut and then more just seem to materialise over winter. I might just start with one small area and keep that weed free and see what I can grow. I would love to have all these densely planted, lush meadow style plants in abundance

I meant to say Molina caerulea is sold as an ornamental, not as an annual (which it isn't). My brain is increasingly taking the view that if the word has 3 letters in common with the one I want, then it's a good enough match.

MereD, I'm reminded of a French friend who is bewildered by English gardens. Where is all the grass? she asks, because it's all shaved down to a bowling green. Horses for courses I suppose, but it seems a shame to so rarely see grass fully 'grown'.

Hi yes, ours was planted after a remodel into beds with fresh topsoil etc.

We've got stipa tenuissima and deschampsia cespitosa "goldtau" which does well in the conditions here. It's ever so pretty and delicate. The stipa is a great backdrop to lots of other plants. At the moment it's lovely with the tulips.