Wednesday 13 May 2015

Where to Start


This is part of the front garden.  There are 21 roses in here.

I guess a lot of this is weeds.  

I want to rip it all out.  What would you do?

11 comments:

Dani said...

Maybe do some cursory weeding and live with it all until next winter and then see what permanent plants (e.g. roses) are visible, and then decide what you want to retain when you can't see the weeds anymore... ;)

northsider said...

I would see what flowers Sol and make a mental note to save them. Looks like there is Ground Elder which is a nuisance but you can get rid of it by adding peat and this brings the roots near the surface and easier to weed them out. The roses could be well worth keeping. I love informal cottage gardens.

Sol said...

hey Dani, its messy isnt it. I dont cope well with things like that.

Hi ya Dave, I am not sure I can cope with a cottage garden. I am not one for flowers. I only really like gardening if it becomes food.

I think I will get my friend over. she can point bits out and I will dig it out.

Kev Alviti said...

Don't be too keen to rip things out the first year just to see what you've got. I do love roses and each year I mean to plant more of them! They use them a lot for cooking in other countries. I did make Turkish delight once with some, that was good.

Sol said...

Hi Kev. I think I will do what Dani says and tidy as much as I can and then smother most of it with cardboard or weed material.

I really want the front of the house to be tidy.

Harry Flashman said...

I would not have a clue what was flower and what was weeds. I guess I would hire a botanist.

Sol said...

Hey there Harry! I dont know what any of it all is. I dont think the people who lived here before knew either. I dont think any gardening has been done for about 5 years. My sister took a shot at it a few weeks ago. But it is just so messy.

I am not a cottage garden type of person. I am more topiary and straight lines and things where I put them. lol it will be an up hill battle.

I read you post of home security. we have new cameras to compliment the ones from before. They are for sure a deterrent.

I hope your weather is better than ours. it is raining like crazy. Watering the weeds!

Harry Flashman said...

Sol, I was looking at your picture again and some of that looks like poison oak. Do you have that in England? I hope not.

Sol said...

Hey Harry, I dont know if we get poison oak or not... My friend is coming and she has a horticulture degree. So I hope she can say what everything is.

My parents can no longer travel, else they could look at it all.

Thanks for the warning.

Sarah Head said...

Roses don't like competition from other plants so you can remove everything that isn't a rose. We don't have poison oak or poison ivy in the UK. Let your roses flower this year and if any of them are deep red and very fragrant you can use them medicinally for cooling things down, making rose petal elixir with honey and brandy and an infused honey with evening primrose and bergamot flowers to use on burns. As your knowledge of flowers and plants in general is limited, take a photograph of every different plant you have growing in your garden and when your friend identifies them for you make up a scrapbook to remind you what they are in future. The best way of learing is by doing. Forget straight lines and control, the garden will tell you what it wants to do if you listen hard enough. If you try to control everything, you'll just get distraught.

Sol said...

Hey Sarah, the roses have buds on them and I have found 3 peonies. If we dont keep the roses my friend will take them. At the moment we are one of the two messy gardens in the village everyone elses is immaculate. One of the ladies from the village offered to help me at the plant sale the other week. I think with her and my friend we can make it manageable for us.

Thanks for the tip with the roses. if we keep them that will be a good activity and good for my prepper minded ways.