What to do with this mess?

Skeeter

Skeeter

Skeeter

Caporegime
Joined
8 Mar 2007
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Location
Surrey
I am not green fingered in the slightest, I know nothing about gardening.

So, we've just moved into a new rented place and the front of the house has this bed. Its a mess, and all the other houses around are really well kept so I want to tidy it up.

IMAG0311_zpsba17bc9f.jpg


What am I looking at? Is it all weeds, or is there some decent plants in there? The bush on the right looks to be something? What about the big thing on the left?

I'd like to tidy it up an make it low maintenance. Any suggestions? I was thinking of ripping it all up, dropping in some top soil and then planting a few small bush things? What would you recommended?

At the very least I want to cut it back as it looks a right mess.
 
Keep the bushes each end, plant them elsewhere & wait & see if they flower, the rest in the middle is mainly grass & dandelions, so clear that.

Some close up photos of bushes each end, would help to identify them.


Dwarf Lavender would be nice, colourful & pleasant scent, likes full or partial sun.
 
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Strip it out, Lay some matting, plant some hardy plants, fill gaps with broken slate, Win.
 
It's only a rented place so I don't want to spend to much on it, but I want it to look half decent.

I'll go grab some closer photos.
 
Just spoke with a neighbour and its basically all weeds. There's a few bulbs along the front but they are swamped with weeds. The lower light green bush on the right is some shrub thing she suggested pulling or trimming back to nothing. Behind it and up the wall is a rose bush that's worth keeping.

The back garden has been gutted and gravelled so I'm thinking the same up front. What's best for that? Strip everything out, put down some liner and then gravel it and then put some pots on?
 
Personally I'd level it, put down weedproof membrane, cover with stone of your choice. You could add 2-4 small hardy shrubs if you wanted, they'll never need anything doing.

Should cost the right side of £50 for everything providing you don't want expensive stone.
 
Sounds good to me. No interest in expensive stone, just so long as it looks nice.

I was thinking a few pots with plants in as we can then take them with us when we move.
 
Strip it all back, cover it in old carpet till it's all dead then a bit of teram of any other geotextile membrane, couple of bags of decorative bark / stone and pots of whatever you like, make a nice herb garden and smell nice, reason I say pots is you can take them with you when you move.

One pot of mint
One of bay
One of rosemary
Chives
Fill in smaller pots with lavender or Russian sage for the fragrance
 
Makhaira said:
Pots will work, nice pots tend to be expensive though. Your call!
Click to expand...

I've no issue spending a bit on some nice pots as we can take them with us when we leave. I don't however want to spend loads on ground work and plants in a bed.

The garden front and back were a state when we viewed the house, but we were told they would be sorted. The rear garden has been. Its been cleared and now got a patio, a gravel lawn area with a path and BBQ stand and a raised bed with some plants in, and a bark chippings area with a shed at the back. Its quite nice. But the front hasn't been done and aparently was never going to be, so its a case of leave it or sort it ourselfs, hence wanting to do it cheap.

Strip it, gravel it, and pots it is.

Any suggestions on the lighter green lower bush on the right of the picture? Anyone know what it is? It looks like a bugger to get out if its got serious roots.
 
No idea I'm afraid.

An investment for the future that will make stripping that bed easier - get a sprayer of Glyphosate - it will kill any and all plants in a few days, and will help make the membrane much more effective :).
 
Makhaira said:
No idea I'm afraid.

An investment for the future that will make stripping that bed easier - get a sprayer of Glyphosate - it will kill any and all plants in a few days, and will help make the membrane much more effective :).
Click to expand...

I don't want to kill the rose bush, so will do it man style with a spade and some giant scissors :D
 
maccapacca said:
Strip it all back, cover it in old carpet till it's all dead then a bit of teram of any other geotextile membrane, couple of bags of decorative bark / stone and pots of whatever you like, make a nice herb garden and smell nice, reason I say pots is you can take them with you when you move.

One pot of mint
One of bay
One of rosemary
Chives
Fill in smaller pots with lavender or Russian sage for the fragrance
Click to expand...

Never overlook basil, the most fragrant and edible of herbs.
 
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