Another instalment on our attempts at gardening: for some reason weeds just love our garden, and each year there seems a different type which swamps everything else, despite our best efforts. To be honest, our garden is too big for us, we’re not keen enough gardeners, we have too many brilliant ideas which are totally impractical, and however hard we work our efforts are never apparent. We seem to be absolute experts at cultivating monster brambles, super-fast growing ivy, and our guest weeds – this year it’s a dreadful creeping trefoil, and ants nests in our foundations.
We decided to do away with borders as we could not keep up with the weeding – everything grows like fun as I think there are underground streams which keep everything lush whatever the summer conditions. We have extended the lawn which we are also for the moment only cutting in certain places to try and encourage wild life. The raised beds, which were to an extent successful but produced more than we could eat or freeze, we have dismantled and are trying to grow wild flowers – semi-successful, and we have replaced part of a wild bramble/ivy. prickly other thing hedge with a hawthorn hedge which we hope will provide shelter and berries for birds.
The trouble is, none of it is pretty, it actually looks a mess, and yet we spend hours trying to knock it into some sort of shape so it will be pleasant to sit in and be in. I think if we knew what we were doing, and what would be practical and within our capabilities to do we might make more progress! So this afternoon’s chore (and it is a chore) is more de-brambling and weeding! We will be fuelled by tea and may go to the pub later!
The lovely featured image is what we might aspire to!
Lois Elsden 