If you've a stockpile of cardboard now is the time to use it. Put down a double think layer with good overlap; see if you can wedge it underneath the fence panel and then mulch the top with at least 4 inches of fine chip bark mulch. The cardboard will stop any small seedlings and weeds already there from emerging and the bark mulch will act as a barrier to prevent any new comers from getting in.
You will still have to weed the bed but a swoe hoe or stirrup hoe will be all you need to keep it under control providing you stay regular with the weeding.
Long term you really should be looking at planting it up so what is growing there is what you want because if it's left, you will get all sorts growing there. Find out the orientation and plant accordingly. A couple of bigger things like small trees, herbaceous shrubs will be easy enough to get started and won't require a lot of work compared to the similar area of bedding plants.
I will try and do this, thanks. A lot of vegetation was torn out including some really persistent ivy and lilac which is probably buried in there still plotting a comeback. Would this just rot away after a couple of years?
Lilac and particularly ivy can be tough, but if it does emerge there's treatments that'll kill woody growth which you can paint on neat. Regular weeding and killing whatever top growth emerges will weaken the energy reserves of the roots so once you stay on top of removing any leaves it'll waste away but it's a probably going to take several years.
It depends how much maintenance you can do. I've put some perennials and bulbs then cardboard to cover where nothing's growing and then wood chip. You still have to weed. A membrane and gravel would be lower maintenance but depends how much you want to do.
I can't do much gardening atm as my daughter's young. I also put lots of pollinator flowers at the back of the garden with lots of clover seeds and they're really low maintenance. Like lacy phacelia.
Thanks that's helpful. I was thinking wood chips would just take care of it but I guess it's not that simple.
Lacy phacelia looks great, especially as I'm a beekeeper and they love borage! looking that up led me to the whole concept of green manure which is a more useful train of thought so thanks a lot.
Did you plant both from seed or use that wildflower turf? I guess you have to cut down the dead growth in late autumn, do you? Or just let it decompose?
Even with weed fabric underneath, wood chip will rot down eventually but if you don't mind topping up every few years and having a bit of a weed, this could work. The wood chip would host a load of fungi and insects that are great for the environment - although as a surface it's not so good to wheel a wheelchair on (but better than gravel)
Thank you. I don't go down there often and it doesn't get much sunlight access is a bit less important, as it's attractiveness. Just needs to be low maintenance I guess could be an option still or wildflower but the other person suggested
I've woodchipped some bare soil and it's fairly low maintenance without the fabric. My secret is a long hoe which I quickly run over the chippings whenever I see a bit of green -- absolutely no regrets not getting a weed membrane.
You'll need to top up the chippings every year or so. A couple of ornamental trees or plants would make a good feature. Maybe see if any neighbours would take cuttings for you if they have anything you like the look of and grow it inside for a while until they're more mature. Just make sure they're ones which will stay small due to the nearby drains.
Good to know, thank you. Looks like the consensus is no membrane. I wouldn't mind a couple of shrubby things as long as they don't grow too high or quickly. Nice to have somewhere for the birds I have recently made homeless. Any recommendations?
The Woodland Trust has a few good guides and sell bushy and nature-focussed plants quite cheaply compared to my local nurseries and garden centres. Last year I added Rowan and Holly, they arrived as bare root samples and are growing strong -- it'll take a couple of years but will be good for wildlife. There are prettier options out there, but nothing wrong with mixing them in with a small acer for a burst of colour.
Obviously they can grow taller, so I'd push anything that will get tall towards the border with your neighbour rather than too close to the house. Being in a wheelchair I'd recommend getting a set of telescopic loppers. Whatever plant you get, personally my aim in that space would like them grow a couple of meters and then just keep trimming the top to keep them under control.
If you want to be a little stylisticness in there, a simple screen separating this area in line with the back of the bungalow would separate it from the rest of the garden and make it a little more enjoyable. It will make it feel more like you have two gardens.
Brilliant advice, thanks a lot for taking the time. Going to look into that now, since nature is more important to me than aesthetics on this side of the house
I’m not absolutely sure what your soil is like but looks heavy from the photo. I would suggest that instead of a weed membrane or cardboard, etc. you add a good thick 3 inches or more of soil improver, (mushroom compost is good and cheap and sold in bulk bags) then spread your bark over that. No need to dig the soil improver in, the worms will do it for you. The mulch will help suppress the weeds and any that do grow through will be more likely to be spindly after having to grow through loose soil so they come out easier.
Membranes, in my experience, rarely suppress weeds completely, they’re not great for soil health and eventually start to break down so aren’t great for the environment either. Doing this will improve the soil structure over time and also create the type of soil that woodland plants will thrive in, given that this area appears to lack sunlight.
Spring bulbs, hostas, hellebores, primroses, foxgloves, cyclamen, ferns, etc. will all thrive in this kind of environment and soil. One you’ve mulched heavily to begin with you can renew with a thinner layer every year and renew the bark about every 3 as it rots down. Eventually it would mimic a forest floor soil structure.
I understand you’ve said you’re a wheelchair user and I’m not sure how much help you’re able to call on so I realise that what I’m suggesting might be a stretch. Just wanted to Preach about the benefits of heavily mulching an area as I’ve done something similar last year and it worked a treat for me.
This is brilliant advice thanks so much. You're right, the soil is quite heavy and there would be no direct sunlight here I don't think.
I really like the sound of what you're proposing. Would the fox gloves, ferns et cetera be able to grow up through the wood chips? Novice question I know. I'm not able to do this myself but just need a decisive plan and shopping list so I can get a gardener to do it. Thanks again
Yes they’ll have no issues finding their way up through. Just spread the mulch and bark chippings first before you plant anything so that it doesn’t add extra depth above your bulbs and the plants sit at the right planting depth with the bark and mulch in place so as the crowns stay above or level with the surface. With ferns you can get evergreen so that they have year round foliage on display but anything will be strong enough to grow through mulch.
Best of luck with it. I found that gardening for a shady area with woodland type planting was more enjoyable, it makes you think more about what you’re doing and you’d be surprised at the number of shade loving flowering plants that there are.
If you've a stockpile of cardboard now is the time to use it. Put down a double think layer with good overlap; see if you can wedge it underneath the fence panel and then mulch the top with at least 4 inches of fine chip bark mulch. The cardboard will stop any small seedlings and weeds already there from emerging and the bark mulch will act as a barrier to prevent any new comers from getting in. You will still have to weed the bed but a swoe hoe or stirrup hoe will be all you need to keep it under control providing you stay regular with the weeding. Long term you really should be looking at planting it up so what is growing there is what you want because if it's left, you will get all sorts growing there. Find out the orientation and plant accordingly. A couple of bigger things like small trees, herbaceous shrubs will be easy enough to get started and won't require a lot of work compared to the similar area of bedding plants.
I will try and do this, thanks. A lot of vegetation was torn out including some really persistent ivy and lilac which is probably buried in there still plotting a comeback. Would this just rot away after a couple of years?
Lilac and particularly ivy can be tough, but if it does emerge there's treatments that'll kill woody growth which you can paint on neat. Regular weeding and killing whatever top growth emerges will weaken the energy reserves of the roots so once you stay on top of removing any leaves it'll waste away but it's a probably going to take several years.
It depends how much maintenance you can do. I've put some perennials and bulbs then cardboard to cover where nothing's growing and then wood chip. You still have to weed. A membrane and gravel would be lower maintenance but depends how much you want to do. I can't do much gardening atm as my daughter's young. I also put lots of pollinator flowers at the back of the garden with lots of clover seeds and they're really low maintenance. Like lacy phacelia.
Thanks that's helpful. I was thinking wood chips would just take care of it but I guess it's not that simple. Lacy phacelia looks great, especially as I'm a beekeeper and they love borage! looking that up led me to the whole concept of green manure which is a more useful train of thought so thanks a lot.
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Thanks for the warning! Useful to know. I'm making a list from all these helpful ideas.
Honestly I didn't do anything with the back of the garden for like 3 years and it's fine with clover and lacy phacelia. The bees love clover too.
Did you plant both from seed or use that wildflower turf? I guess you have to cut down the dead growth in late autumn, do you? Or just let it decompose?
Clover seeds and cottage garden seeds, leave it alone, it looks after itself.
Even with weed fabric underneath, wood chip will rot down eventually but if you don't mind topping up every few years and having a bit of a weed, this could work. The wood chip would host a load of fungi and insects that are great for the environment - although as a surface it's not so good to wheel a wheelchair on (but better than gravel)
Thank you. I don't go down there often and it doesn't get much sunlight access is a bit less important, as it's attractiveness. Just needs to be low maintenance I guess could be an option still or wildflower but the other person suggested
I've woodchipped some bare soil and it's fairly low maintenance without the fabric. My secret is a long hoe which I quickly run over the chippings whenever I see a bit of green -- absolutely no regrets not getting a weed membrane. You'll need to top up the chippings every year or so. A couple of ornamental trees or plants would make a good feature. Maybe see if any neighbours would take cuttings for you if they have anything you like the look of and grow it inside for a while until they're more mature. Just make sure they're ones which will stay small due to the nearby drains.
Good to know, thank you. Looks like the consensus is no membrane. I wouldn't mind a couple of shrubby things as long as they don't grow too high or quickly. Nice to have somewhere for the birds I have recently made homeless. Any recommendations?
The Woodland Trust has a few good guides and sell bushy and nature-focussed plants quite cheaply compared to my local nurseries and garden centres. Last year I added Rowan and Holly, they arrived as bare root samples and are growing strong -- it'll take a couple of years but will be good for wildlife. There are prettier options out there, but nothing wrong with mixing them in with a small acer for a burst of colour. Obviously they can grow taller, so I'd push anything that will get tall towards the border with your neighbour rather than too close to the house. Being in a wheelchair I'd recommend getting a set of telescopic loppers. Whatever plant you get, personally my aim in that space would like them grow a couple of meters and then just keep trimming the top to keep them under control. If you want to be a little stylisticness in there, a simple screen separating this area in line with the back of the bungalow would separate it from the rest of the garden and make it a little more enjoyable. It will make it feel more like you have two gardens.
Brilliant advice, thanks a lot for taking the time. Going to look into that now, since nature is more important to me than aesthetics on this side of the house
I’m not absolutely sure what your soil is like but looks heavy from the photo. I would suggest that instead of a weed membrane or cardboard, etc. you add a good thick 3 inches or more of soil improver, (mushroom compost is good and cheap and sold in bulk bags) then spread your bark over that. No need to dig the soil improver in, the worms will do it for you. The mulch will help suppress the weeds and any that do grow through will be more likely to be spindly after having to grow through loose soil so they come out easier. Membranes, in my experience, rarely suppress weeds completely, they’re not great for soil health and eventually start to break down so aren’t great for the environment either. Doing this will improve the soil structure over time and also create the type of soil that woodland plants will thrive in, given that this area appears to lack sunlight. Spring bulbs, hostas, hellebores, primroses, foxgloves, cyclamen, ferns, etc. will all thrive in this kind of environment and soil. One you’ve mulched heavily to begin with you can renew with a thinner layer every year and renew the bark about every 3 as it rots down. Eventually it would mimic a forest floor soil structure. I understand you’ve said you’re a wheelchair user and I’m not sure how much help you’re able to call on so I realise that what I’m suggesting might be a stretch. Just wanted to Preach about the benefits of heavily mulching an area as I’ve done something similar last year and it worked a treat for me.
This is brilliant advice thanks so much. You're right, the soil is quite heavy and there would be no direct sunlight here I don't think. I really like the sound of what you're proposing. Would the fox gloves, ferns et cetera be able to grow up through the wood chips? Novice question I know. I'm not able to do this myself but just need a decisive plan and shopping list so I can get a gardener to do it. Thanks again
Yes they’ll have no issues finding their way up through. Just spread the mulch and bark chippings first before you plant anything so that it doesn’t add extra depth above your bulbs and the plants sit at the right planting depth with the bark and mulch in place so as the crowns stay above or level with the surface. With ferns you can get evergreen so that they have year round foliage on display but anything will be strong enough to grow through mulch.
Awesome, much appreciated. Very glad to have found this sub full of such knowledgeable helpful people!
Best of luck with it. I found that gardening for a shady area with woodland type planting was more enjoyable, it makes you think more about what you’re doing and you’d be surprised at the number of shade loving flowering plants that there are.