Q&A - Problem Places

Q. I have a very steep sloping area either side of a (steep!) driveway. Currently this is grassed, but mowing it is very difficult. I would like to plant vigorous, spreading plants that will not grow tall but will quickly swamp out grass and weeds. The soil is clay, but well drained and is only a fairly thin layer of topsoil over natural rock. How do you suggest I tackle it?

A. Before you think about what plants to use you will need to kill off the grass and any weeds. Spray the weeds with Roundup GC, which contains glyphosate when they are actively growing (usually spring & autumn). If you follow the instructions on the container this will kill the grass and weeds in about 2-3 weeks but you may need to spray again if there are a lot of perennial weeds such as ground elder, couch grass and nettles. It really is well worth taking the trouble to ensure a complete kill before replanting. The weedkiller does not affect the soil so replanting can be undertaken as soon as all the weeds have gone. Next you should add a layer of well-rotted manure or compost plus a general fertiliser such as bonemeal or growmore. This should be dug into the soil at planting or before if you can.

You can then think about planting with plants such as:
Shrubs -
Vinca
Pachysandra
Cotoneaster horizontalis, skogholm or Coral Beauty
Roses such as the Flower Carpet or County series
Rubus Tricolour
Thymus
Herbaceous perennials -
Epimedium
Geranium
Lamium

Conifers -
Various Junipers

After planting a 5-7.5cm (2-3") mulch of well-rotted manure, compost or bark will help suppress any fresh weeds from germinating and will also retain valuable moisture.

Q. I am about to clear a large piece of wasteland that is covered in brambles and bindweed and other unsavoury plants. There are even a couple of very poorly trees that will be removed. I wanted to know if I could use the shredded cuttings as a ground cover under plants and bushes where I usually use bark? If not is there anything useful to do with the stuff I cut down?

A. The best thing to do with brambles and bindweed is to burn them, as bindweed in particular will grow from the smallest piece of root. You should really only use shredded prunings and leaves on the garden and these are really best composted first as they will otherwise take nitrogen out of the soil as they rot down (this can be compensated for though by adding a nitrogen rich fertiliser).

If you are planning to replant the cleared area it would be wise to let any further weeds appear and then spray them with a weedkiller such as RoundupGC which contains glyphosate, but do take care not to get any on any plants you want to keep.

Q. I have bought a house which has 12.5 acres of land. The land has been neglected for many years and the majority of the land is overgrown with sapling trees brambles nettles, elderberry etc. Before restructuring the garden I need to eradicate the weed elements. Your advice on how I can best go about this in a way which would stop future growth would be greatly appreciated.

A. In order to get rid of perennial weeds and brambles you can spray these with a weedkiller called RoundupGC. However it would be best to do this between early spring and autumn when it will be most effective. Several applications over a couple of months may be needed. However unless you intend to cultivate the land immediately you should only apply near to the time you intend to start work, as new weeds will otherwise re-colonise the area. Any sapling trees such as elder are best dug out.

Q. I have a problem with children running across my front path as I live on a corner and I was wondering if there was a hedge or a bush that I could get to cover about a foot across and in depth but the soil is only 2 to 3 inches deep, and I would like it to be a fast grower.

A. If there is concrete or other hard material underneath your topsoil it will be almost impossible getting anything to grow and perhaps you should put in a post. If there is subsoil try a small shrub that does not mind shallow dry conditions such as Lavender, Genista lydia, or a dwarf Berberis. Also make sure you dig in some organic material such as well-rotted manure or compost.

Q. We have a problem with noise 'rolling up the hill' from a busy B road to our sloping garden. We are not adjacent to the road. Noise is actually less at the bottom of the garden than at the top which is further up the hill away from the road. Can you advise on ways in which we could reduce the noise. Our garden is in an area of countryside and I'm sure walls would not be allowed by planning.

A. Tall trees and hedges all filter noise which you notice more in the summer as you tend to be outside more. Try a mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees, conifers and shrubs around the garden.

Q. I have a type of flat plant (it looks like a cross between moss and a fern) growing all over my garage roof, what is it?

A. We think the growth on your roof tiles is a form of lichen (a primitive form of plant). It will not harm your roof in any way, as it lives on water and food it extracts from the atmosphere. However if you did decide to try to kill it off, you could use a moss and algae killer, sprayed over it. This should do the trick and the dead growth should gradually disappear as it is washed off the roof when it rains.

Q. I have a 3 year old Redrow home and at this time of year my lawn is already waterlogged and my borders full of water. Although the area is clay soil my neighbours still seem to be mowing their lawns but mine is so wet. Do you think I have a drainage problem and is there anything I can do to improve it?

A. There are no easy solutions I'm afraid with heavy clay soil although you can improve things gradually. I suspect the builders were none too thoughtful and it will take some years to improve the soil. The best thing to do is to lay drainage pipes (the plastic punctured type) in the bottom of trenches, which have been backfilled with gravel and then run these into a ditch or large soakaway. You should then dig plenty of organic matter such as well-rotted manure or compost plus coarse grit into your soil. Then each year mulch your borders with a 5-7.5cm (2-3") layer of organic matter and gradually drainage will be improved and the plants will grow well. You should of course always select plants that are suitable for clay soils of which there are many as this almost guarantees success.

Q. We have almost an acre of garden but it is set upon the top of a rocky buff set high above the town. It is very open in the winter and very sunny in he summer. The rock is very sandy and porous so the whole garden drains very quickly. There is a reasonable amount of soil, which tends to stay quite wet in the winter but drains as dry as chips in the summer due to the porous rock beneath. The lawn is always yellow and burns off in the summer and it is very hard to get plants that will do well. Most plants survive but that is about it. Plants which in my sisters garden have blossomed and bloomed to large proportions in just one or two years have been in our garden for about twelve years and are still just about a foot across. Can you recommend some plants that would prefer these conditions and do well. (We do mulch well in the spring and autumn with two year old, well turned compost from our farm yard)

A. Although you have some quite difficult conditions there are lots of plants that you can still grow. One of the best ways to see what thrives is to look around at neighbouring gardens. Unfortunately Japanese maples are unlikely to be suitable, as they prefer a sheltered site and humus rich well-drained soils. However by carefully planting shelter plants and improving the drainage by continuing to add plenty of your well-rotted manure you could have a try in a few years time. Here are just a few suggestions of easy to grow and popular plants:

Trees
Malus (Crab apple)
Fraxinus (Ash)
Tilia (Lime)
Sorbus intermedia

Shrubs
Forsythia
Syringa (Lilac)
Viburnum
Corylus (Hazel)
Cotinus (Smoke bush)
Philadelphus
Senecio
Weigela
Berberis
Deutzia
Sambucus (Elder)
Spiraea
Escallonia
Osmanthus

Conifers
Cryptomeria
Pinus
Thuja
Taxus (Yew)
Tsuga (Western Hemlock)

Herbaceous perennials
Astrantia
Cimicifuga
Crocosmia (Montbretia)
Helenium
Inula
Monarda
Polemonium (Jacob's ladder)
Pulmonaria

Q. We have a bank in our garden and we plan to put weed control fabric on it then cover it in bark. We were wondering what would be the best thing to do to stop the bark from slipping down.

A. It is unlikely you will stop the bark slipping as it is quite light. It would be best straight onto soil where it can grip the surface, otherwise you can plant thickly with groundcover plants so that the matting is covered. If you have killed all perennial weeds and grass before planting and use a 5-7.5cm (2-3") layer of bark this is effective for controlling weeds without the need for matting too.