New unruly garden

[Lotoro]

Hello, we moved in over the winter and lots of our garden is coming to life. It is covered in weeds, nettles, thistle/spiky things, ground elder, something which I think is borage? The lawn is covered in primroses and dandelions which are fine but where I assume was once flower beds are just full of weeds. I have filled two dumpy bags with nettles and nettle roots over Easter.

I am not sure what to do next, keep pulling out new weeds, then top soil? I think I want to define the beds and put in edging stones. Should I mulch it for now?

Any help and advice is appreciated 🙂

If the beds are fairly large or well weed-infested, I think I'd be tempted to take the long route:

• dig up anything massive or bulky
• cut the edge in and place the stones
• use a thick layer of cardboard and mulch over the bed, up to the edging
• leave in place to next spring, by which time the weeds should all be dead, the cardboard rotted and you can just start to use the bed as normal
• this summer, you can add to the mulch with things like grass clippings - thus making the resulting soil really nutritious
• in the meantime, you can place pots of plants on top to help break up the look of the beds and have some short term colour; depending on the plants you pot up, you can then pop them into the ground next spring and use this time to get the placement right (i.e. move the pots around)
• watering the pots means you get to run the hose over the cardboard layer also, you want it to be a bit damp but not wet

Thank you for your help. That seems really manageable when it all looks a bit overwhelming.

There are four compost bins that we want to move too, do you think it would be too rich to add that in top before the cardboard? Or maybe just some of it?

Also, if I want to reduce the size of the beds/change the shape could I heavily weed then hoe and add grass seed to those patches?

There are four compost bins that we want to move too, do you think it would be too rich to add that in top before the cardboard? Or maybe just some of it?

I'd add all of it, you're going to leave it all to rot down for the next year anyway. The worms will then take it down into the soil, but by bit. Useful little buggers.

Also, if I want to reduce the size of the beds/change the shape could I heavily weed then hoe and add grass seed to those patches?

Yes you could. Lots of weeds (if any survived that process) would struggle to outcompete grass and withstand regular mowings, so this would seem pretty risk free. Make sure to stamp down the soil surface to make sure it's all fairly compacted - to prevent it sinking when it rains etc.

If you do use cardboard, be sure to read up on the right 'type'. You want basic corrugated cardboard, with little to no printing on it as the inks interfere with gas exchange and add unwanted elements to your soil.

That's brilliant, thank you for taking the time to reply. I feel relieved to have a plan, family members were just suggesting round up and weed killers which I don't want to do. Will have a Google re cardboard, we still have lots of boxes but I think most have printing in them which I wouldn't even have thought about.

I might be a bit late, but a couple of things…

you put the compost ON TOP of the cardboard so the weeds are deprived of light and die

you could plant shallow rooted annual bedding straight into the compost on top of the cardboard fir this summer if you wanted some colour

And a small amount of printing ( think Amazon logo on black on standard corrugated cardboard ) is fine - it where you may have a heavily printed / colour picture may be a problem

The compost and cardboard idea is a good one. One thing that occurs to me is a garden with 4 compost bins is a garden someone has taken time on. Are you sure everything is weeds? Many plants are just coming to life and if you kill them now you might never know what treasures are hiding.

I have tried to use an app to identify plants, there are definitely a lot of nettles! I think that they used to have time but it had got too much.

I had thought the compost was under but haven't actually got round to it yet so thank you. I like the idea of having some colour on top too so thank you.

I will try and take some pictures tomorrow.

Compost on top because it weighs down the cardboard and stop it blowing away, it is less unsightly than the cardboard, and when the cardboard has done its job, the compost on top helps it rot down.

I suspect your borage will be green alkanet, Pentaglottis sempervirens

I am attempting to add a photo of something green and leafy!

Ah, I think that worked. I will try some more.

They are all growing in various places around the garden and seem to be taking over as everything is coming back to life.

MereDint is right, the middle pic in your first batch with the tiny blue flowers is alkanet, OP. The pink-flowered thing to the right is herb Robert, I think? Another weed, anyway.

On the left in your two-pic shot looks like a nice aquilegia. Very pretty cottage-garden flower and tends to spread around. The pics are pretty tiny on my phone so hard to tell, but possibly foxgloves growing next to the aquilegia? MereDint will know.

The very first pic, on its own, is wood avens. Weed, I’m afraid! I’ve got a plague of it….

Weed, and bloody annoying at that! I’m battling it too

The plants in front of your silver birch are foxglove and columbine/aquilegia. Both flower well, self seed and are native. Great for pollinators and very pretty.

The small pink flowers are herb robert, again generally regarded as a weed but a pretty native wildflower that will grow in any space. It’s part of the cranesbill (geranium) family.

Start a bed where you want one by putting your cardboard down, compost on top and plant directly into the compost.

If you take a photo of anything you can’t identify and upload it to the iNatualist app you’ll generally find out what it is.

In terms of identifying stuff - my garden is similarly overgrown and weedy, and I've found the app 'PictureThis really helpful in identifying stuff

Yep, that's definitely alkanet with the blue flowers. I've acquired what seems like an expanding forest of the stuff.

If you find any more of it, your best bet is to dig it up early and don't let it flower.