From Jungle to Garden - A (very slow) work in progress!!

ixwood

Well done. That looks great!

I really enjoy my ponds. As do the wildlife. They'd only been in for a couple of weeks and some newts moved in. Lots of birds come for a drink or a bathe and I've seen a few Dragon Flies.

ixwood

Don't expect it to stay clear for long btw.

Mother nature doesn't like bare soil (it doesn't really exist in nature). It gets washed and blown away, so she helps out by covering it in plants (that we may consider weeds). Quite kind and clever really, but not very helpful to a gardener.

I'd put a layer a cardboard down and then mulch it all with anything organic I could get my hands on. Compost (do you have a compost heap or bin?), grass cuttings, leaves, prunings. It might even be worth your while hiring or buying a shredder and turning all the stuff you're hacking down into a mulch. It'll put all the nutrients the weeds have stolen from you back into the soil and prevent more coming.

You need to stop any light getting to the ground. Mulches are good for stopping the light, feeding the soil and improving the structure and also keeping moisture. They're also very good for wildlife, as that is the natural state in forests. Some may say you'll encourage slugs, but you'll get them regardless and you encourage slug predators like beetles, millipedes, amphibians etc.

Metranil_Vavin

Good work Jo. Each bit you do is a step closer to getting it how you want it :T

Our back garden was a jungle, but we've spent the last couple of years working on it, and it looks great now. And I'm a fan of the slightly messy 'cottage style' garden anyway, so it isn't too pruned and preened. We gets lots of butterflys, birds and bees coming to visit

OH is going to be replacing our fence in the next few weeks, and finishing the pathway (which he started last summer)

I absolutely love having a garden. It's such a luxuary, particularly as we live in London and own a maisonette!

jo1972

Thanks for your messages

The neighbours son and friend haven't got in contact about cutting the garden down, he actually referred to his son as a muppet :eek: so I'm presuming he's used to him letting people down. A colleague text me last night, she also has a jungle and said a guy knocked on door saying he'd just moved into the area and did odd jobs like gardening, decorating etc. He spent the day cutting and clearing her garden, bagged up 30 bags of garden debris, pruned all the trees and sorted the lawn out for £155. I told her to get me the number, but actually, I don't think I'll bother, I would rather do it myself, I quite enjoyed myself yesterday (except muscles don't agree!).

Lotus-eater

Jo, just remember to take it slow, Rome wasn't built in a day you know, was destroyed in one though, so put a lock on the gate
You are not planning to have it all finished this year anyway. Finish that bed you have cleared properly and plant something in it.
You've got the bug, just wait till you eat the first thing you have grown from seed

Pippilongstocking

More I can see the more i think as others have said that a shredder (loan of or hire one) would be a great idea - then no bags of stuff to move and you can dress the beds like the others have suggested

If you really fancy some pond like action in your garden you can always make a little half barrel pond in the mean time and stick a couple gold fish in it which will be safe for the boys but again thats me off on a tangent - so I will shush for now.

Well done to you. I use arnica cream on my hands/wrists arms after a job like that - seems to help. Or calendula cream helps the healing. But just give them a good clean and slap on some type of moisturiser.

When doing this kind of thing I am often known to put on thick jeans and if you have them waterproof trousers (but if its hot then ergh). And I wear a decent waterproof jacket - you will look like a muppet but you will stop most of the thorns being able to penetrate your clothing.

Keep up the good work

Pippilongstocking

And without sounding as if its a pick up line...........

.....your garden looks as if it has great structure with well defined paths etc already and thats half the battle!

And lady it looks like you have done tonnes

budget_babe

Hi Jo,

Just wanted to say that I agree with Fay, you have made a really fantastic start and you have done loads

Though alot of work it really is very theraputic and when done just think of the sense of achievement you will have

So keep up the good work sweetheart and very well done so far :T

Take care and look after yourself, remember don't overdo it as you have not been well.

Lots of love
Budgie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Pippilongstocking

Looking forward to a picture of the industrial strength superdooper gloves by the way - I posted (quite sadly) a picture of my favourite flowery DR M's workboots on my diary - to remind myself what work boots look like in amoungst all this writing nonsense!

jo1972

Just for you Fay...



Bagged up some of what I cut down on Saturday and left it out for the council van, hopefully the weather should stay good and I shall do some more tonight when I get home from work, although my body is aching so much, it's like I've done 10 rounds with Mike Tyson!!