Ollie's garden progress ...........

Discussion in 'General Gardening Discussion' started by olliebeak, Jul 19, 2013.

  1. olliebeak

    olliebeak Gardener

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    I've edited my original post in 'Members Introductions' to start another thread on this part of the forum.

    I'm still finding my way around the various forums, so please bear with me if I don't put things in their proper place ...................


    I've been in my flat for just over 6mths, but the garden was completely overgrown with brambles, ivy, elder and out of control shrubs that were originally planted by a previous tenant around 20yrs ago ................... The tenant before me was a 'home-bound, elderly lady' who never ventured into the garden, so nobody had touched the garden for around 15yrs, apart from a guy with a lawnmower who kept the front grass tidy, but didn't even touch the hedging.


    This WAS the view from my rear bedroom window. At the time, we didn't know if that large tree was in my garden or the one to the rear of my flat. Turns out that it's 7ft INSIDE my boundary :sad: - the privets in the foreground divide my garden from my 'downstairs neighbour'.
    View attachment 21819


    This is what faced me at the entrance to the main part of the rear garden -
    View attachment 21820


    This is what was at 'face height' and I'm almost 6ft tall!
    View attachment 21821

    This was taken at the end of Day 2 from the very same bedroom window but before the mini-digger arrived on Day 3 to dig out all the roots etc. However, the ivy is coming back up again, so they didn't get it all out :(.
    View attachment 21822

    It's now been sown with grass seed, but I think I'm going to need to put some 'weed killer' down to try to sort out the ivy etc.

    I haven't got any photos of the front/side bits of garden - so will get some over the weekend. Still need to do some strimming/mowing, but nowhere to put the cuttings until the bins have been emptied on Monday :whistle: .
     
  2. Sheal

    Sheal Total Gardener

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    It's certainly a challenge when you first start on an overgrown garden, I spent four years getting my back garden to the point where it was workable like many others here on GC. But we all have the satisfaction of producing something of our own regarding layout etc. Keep at it Ollie, it will come together eventually. :)

    Unfortunately when ivy is dug out, the smallest piece of root left in re-shoots in no time, so when it pops it's head above soil it's best to use a systemic weed killer, however if it's in your lawn it's not going to be that simple.
     
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    • olliebeak

      olliebeak Gardener

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      Thanks for your words of encouragement - yeah, I'm discovering very quickly about ivy ........................ darn nuisance - can see a trip to the supermarket gardening section coming on :gaah:. It's nearly as bad as 'that old pain in the rear' - Japanese Knotweed.
       
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      • Sheal

        Sheal Total Gardener

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        I don't know whether you'll find what you need in a supermarket, they tend not to deal with specific items, but there's only one way to find out! :)

        Luckily I've not had to deal with either of the above......and I hope I've not just tempted fate! :heehee:
         
      • olliebeak

        olliebeak Gardener

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        Have spent the past few days on taming those darn privets and playing 'search and destroy' with brambles that keep appearing within the privets and beech hedging. these things are quite malicious :yikes: with some of them being around 12ft long and intertwining among main stems of the beech and privets.

        I've been reading that privets can take quite a 'savage cutting back' as long as you don't attempt to do both sides AND the top all at the same time. I've been concentrating on drastically reducing them on 'MY side' of them - which has greatly increased my garden area. The amount of 'long, straggly twigs' with about three leaves on was quite ridiculous :sad: - hopefully with cutting away as much as I have done, they will grow back better and produce far more leaves on shorter branches/twigs. The Garden Waste was collected this morning and one of the bins is now completely full again.

        Plan for the next couple of days is to finish strimming and then mow the grass at the front, side and up my 'access path to the rear garden' - I need to get that into the other Garden Waste Bin BEFORE I fill it up again with more hedge debris.

        Plan for the autumn is to plant some bulbs (daffodils/crocus) along the base of the hedging for some early colour in the Spring . I'd already discovered some bluebells below the privet hedging to the side of the flat, but I'd had to 'cut back' to be able to find them. Hopefully they'll thrive now that they've got a bit more space to develop instead of being suffocated.

        I'll try to remember to take some photos to show any progress.
         
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        • Sheal

          Sheal Total Gardener

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          It sounds like you're progressing well Ollie. :) I have problems with brambles too, just as you think you've got rid of them they're back. I think I might spray them with Round-Up to see if that works.

          Bluebells are pretty tough and will self seed everywhere given the chance, I'm still trying to get rid of them as they're growing in my lawn as well.
           
        • olliebeak

          olliebeak Gardener

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          Thanks for your comments, Sheal. I see from your avatar that you're on IoM :). One of my sons used to live there and we visited him a few times - lovely place. My abiding memory is of passing lots and lots of 'glorious orangey/yellow gorse' everywhere we went ............... especially along the tracks of the Electric Railway :SUNsmile:.

          I feel as though I've accomplished very little this week :sad: - but I think that's because the weather wasn't consistently good enough to 'get stuck in' like I've done for the past few weeks.

          I've been informed that 'what I thought was ivy' making its way across my freshly cleared garden is, in fact Bindweed :yikes: - so had a wander around Wilko's for a pack of something to sort it out. Now I need to wait for a day when I know for certain that there'll be at least 6hours without any chance at all of rain AND no wind around :ouch1: - I'm still waiting ..................

          In the meantime -
          • I've finished off reshaping the privets between my block and the next one - one job completed, at least :blue thumb:. That hedge is looking so much better - it's a straighter line and has given me back around 3ft on my side of it. I asked the Landlord of the property next door if he had any objections to me going around to his side, while it's empty, to reach what I couldn't manage from my own side. Of course, he was delighted - his side got sorted without any effort on his part :whistle:. I've also managed to clear a large amount of 'plant debris' lying below the privets - I'll tackle digging over that area ready for planting some bulbs in September/October - hopefully to flower in the Spring.
          • I've also finished off reshaping the privets between my garden the one belonging to my downstairs neighbour - again, it's amazing how much more garden I've now managed to 'reclaim' by getting the privets under control. There's a rather ancient and nasty Pyracantha on the end of the privets - the underneath of it is a messy tangle of tall erect twigs that don't seem to 'lead to anything'. It's heading for a 'heavy pruning' to see if I can do anything with it - definitely in MY part of the garden - but there's a darn good chance that I might be saying bye-bye to it - especially as it's rather too close for comfort to my washing line!!!!!
          • I've dragged out lots more bramble stems from inside the privet and beech hedging - not sure if I'm ever going to get on top of these - but I'm sure as heck going to keep on trying ...............
          • Yet again I've filled all the available Garden Waste Bins - so have now come to a complete standstill until they've been emptied on Monday morning. There's even more 'garden debris' lying on the floor that can go in them as soon as they've been emptied.
          • Thanks to the Bindweed, I've now given up all hope of the new grass seed being successful this year :sad: . Let's face it, summer is fast creeping away from us - so, instead, I'm looking more towards NEXT year. I'll concentrate on the Bindweed and getting rid of as much as possible of it - don't care if the 'stuff' drifts onto the grass shoots for now - War has now been declared!
          • Considering sowing some 'Wildflower Seed' at the very rear of the garden - in the area around the tall evergreen tree (MUST try to find out what that flipping tree is ;)).
          • Got my eye on a Garden Blower/Vac/Shredder on Ebay at the moment - fingers crossed that I don't miss out on it .............
          • Dropped on a lovely pair of bright yellow LEATHER Gardening Gloves for £1 in T***o last week :blue thumb:- wish I'd bought a couple more pairs now :frown:.
          Can't see me getting anything else done this weekend - 4yr old grandson staying overnight and not going back home till tomorrow afternoon. Can't mess around with anything dangerous/sharp/poisonous while he's around - so looks like it's going to be the local park for us tomorrow or perhaps The National Wildflower Centre. Might keep us both out of mischief for a while :snork:.

          I'll post another update in a few days time - Ollie x
           
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          • clueless1

            clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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            Privet does indeed do ok if you cut it back quite brutally. I did mine a couple of years ago. I took it right back and then regretted it because it was just brown wood (on my side). It came back fine though.

            As for bindweed. I've fought it a couple of times and won. I can see I'm going to have to engage it again soon enough because I can see it advance along the neighbour's neglected hedge towards my territory. Its just out of range at the moment but I have my eye on it.

            Have a look at this:
            http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/bindweed.43683/#post-551826

            Oh, and my little poem about it:)
            http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/an-ode-to-bindweed.8901/
             
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            • Sheal

              Sheal Total Gardener

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              I've lived here for 21 years Ollie and yes the gorse runs riot here. It has a lovely sweet perfume but the thorns are lethal!

              To be honest, even though you have bindweed instead of ivy, you've probably got a 'better' deal. It's very difficult to find something that will kill ivy, where as something like Roundup will deal with Bindweed, but as Clueless says you have to keep your eye on it in case it re-shoots and then zap it again. You will win the battle eventually. :)
               
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              • olliebeak

                olliebeak Gardener

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                What I thought was 'Pyracantha' has turned out to be 'Berberis' - always get those two and 'Cotoneaster' muxed ip :doh:.

                Now off to another part of the site to see if I can find out if what I've been doing to it is the 'right thing' .............:dunno:.
                 
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                • Sian in Belgium

                  Sian in Belgium Total Gardener

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                  Wow Ollie, you have certainly made your mark in that garden already! Well done!

                  Bindweed is a pain, but I find that constantly pulling out the young shoots as soon as they appear, pulling straight up, brings out a good 1-2 inches of root along with the top growth. Eventually, this does weaken it....

                  I'm really looking forward to see some updated photos of what you have achieved so far, and I would also recommend you take some for your own encouragement, for those days when you think you are not getting anywhere. I'm finding that looking back at photos of this place from last year v uplifting :) !
                   
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                  • olliebeak

                    olliebeak Gardener

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                    I'll get out there with the camera tomorrow - it's an 'odd-shaped' garden and difficult to explain.

                    Spent time in neighbour's section of the front garden this morning - overgrown privets from the other side of her garden were upsetting her and 'their owner' wasn't showing any inclination to cut them back. I've taken them back to the fence line and levelled off the top - she can at least see down the road from her living room window now.

                    If 'their owner' has anything to say, I'll threaten to either unload them all into his Garden Waste Bin - or just chuck any trimmings over to his side - for him to dispose of :thumbsup:. Done him a bit of a favour anyway - I also took out some intertwined Bindweed (also from his side) and some thick Bramble Stalks ;).
                     
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                    • olliebeak

                      olliebeak Gardener

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                      Thanks for your comments everybody - can't really take much credit for what's been done so far in my garden. The bulk of the work was done by the team of gardeners sent in by the Housing Association - though, they did NOT touch the hedges. The 'heavy-handed pruning' is down to me :redface:.

                      Today dawned a little overcast, but when I checked the BBC weather there's no rain forecast for us ............................. nothing else better to do at the moment, so made the plan to get out there with my new spray container and pack of Resolva Extra Tough concentrate - not sure how big my garden is, hence how much to use, but I've done three 1litre spray containers full. Another three packs in the carton for another day, when needed :mad:. Not much else to do now, but wait and see what happens .............................

                      In the meantime, I took some photos

                      Downstairs neighbour's front garden showing hedge that I cut back for her.[​IMG]

                      My 'front garden'. The baldy-ness is down to 'moss treatment'.
                      [​IMG]

                      My front/side privets that I 'beat into submission' with dark area below them showing how far back the sides have been cut back - the line was very uneven and got wider and wider towards the front garden area.[​IMG]

                      Strip of side pathway leading up towards my washing line and access to main part of rear garden
                      [​IMG]

                      Lovely downstairs neighbour's rear garden showing privets - trimmed by me - that divide hers from my rear garden. The privets were very thick and tall towards the right and much thinner/sparser towards the left. Fingers crossed that they even out eventually.
                      [​IMG]

                      Beech hedging to the right of my washing line area - dark area below showing how much I've cut them back
                      [​IMG]

                      Berberis/Privet hedging to the left of my washing line area - again the dark area below shows how much has been cut back. You can see a couple of 'stumps/remains' that are in need of being attacked with a saw before somebody 'comes a cropper on them'!
                      [​IMG]

                      Dividing line of privets from my side showing some of the remaining debris from cutting them back. Still to find space in wheelie bins for these as they're very ancient, thorny and very brittle brambles.
                      [​IMG]

                      Main part of my rear garden showing the 'Bindweed Invasion' that's happened in the past 4weeks! I'd like to put some shade loving, woodland-type plants at the far end, below the tree - possibly cyclamen, bluebells and some other types of wildflower.
                      [​IMG]

                      Close up of one of the patches of Bindweed
                      [​IMG]

                      Coming through from 'generous next-door neighbour' who seems to want to share them
                      [​IMG]

                      Coming through from the garages
                      [​IMG]

                      Not sure if this is a Mahonia that escaped from the destruction of the old garden - just in case, I've not sprayed it with Glyphosphate.
                      [​IMG]

                      Close up of another possible Mahonia, but this one got sprayed as it's intertwined with Bindweed.
                      [​IMG]

                      Please, can anybody tell me what this tree is from this photo of its needles?
                      [​IMG]

                      Wheelie bins awaiting next week's collection:redface:
                      [​IMG]
                      [​IMG]

                      I DID leave some space in this one for 'lovely neighbour's gardener' to empty her grass clippings!
                      [​IMG]

                      If there's any space left after he's been, I've got more stuff to go in there - I'm just so ashamed that it's always ME that takes up all the space in them. I've even commandeered the one from an empty flat next-door :whistle: - only until somebody moves in ;).
                       
                    • Sheal

                      Sheal Total Gardener

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                      That certainly is a lovely crop of bindweed you've got there Ollie, with time though you will get it under control. I shouldn't worry about filling the bins, that will ease off as you get things as they should be. It's hard to tell from the close-up what the tree is but it looks to be some sort of pine. :)
                       
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                      • merleworld

                        merleworld Total Gardener

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                        Looks like you've been hard at work :blue thumb:

                        I read somewhere that with hedges the top should be narrower than the bottom so that the base of the plant gets better light.
                         
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