Garden design?

arbrighton

I think that unless you know how to lay flags and are strong enough to heave them round, your best bet is to get a handyman type to re-do it, and get rid of that little 'bed' thing.

Then you could either have a bed up against the fence instead or things in pots up against it.

Is your lawn mown by you/ another?

More ideas will be forthcoming once I've had more of a look and a think....

As for the weeds- I pluck one or two each time I go past (and I have bleddy thousands at a guess!)

arbrighton

(could you take some slightly closer up photos of the beds you have, soil, amount of sun etc?)

Have you any interest in growing fruit/ veg?

bouicca21

No way am I strong enough to lift those concrete blocks. They are surprisingly heavy. Even the ex couldn't lift one when he tried.

The bed has roses that were nearly 6 foot and straggly. I cut them back in November and then pruned them hard in February. They are growing strongly despite being in the middle of the bed and so shady most of the day. There are several hebes. Two were just over 5 foot - I had to buy a saw to cut them back, the stems were that massive. They too are growing back but I think they probably need to come out completely. The sunniest bit of the bed is full of rampant brunnera. I need to hike it out. Apart from that there are a couple of irises (looking good and healthy), some daffs (sickly, possibly because they were submerged and couldn't compete), a cyclamen (sickly, no flowers, was strangled by ivy), winter aconites which were also submerged but came through healthy and gorgeous. Then there is a bush, no idea what it is, and some stuff coming through that I don't know whether weed or flower. I'll add some pictures.

Fruit and veg? I am conflicted. I like flowers, but I also like soft fruit. I'll definitely have a go at rhubarb. Once the brunnera has been hiked out that spot would be good for raspberries, but it is at the join with the long overgrown communal bed and if I can't persuade the other flat owners to put money into clearing and maintaining it then it will always be a question of fighting off the weeds. If I have to do it myself it will be a long drawn out process. It's full of brunnera, ivy, and brambles (but sadly no berries), plus sprouting tree stumps (sycamore) and self seeded ash. There may be other plants submerged under that lot - one of the neighbours says there is at least one rose.

Now that I've hiked out the ivy and generally cleared the shadiest part of my bed, the sycamore and ash seedlings are flourishing. Fortunately they are easy enough to pull out.

I can do herbs in pots on the patio. Have wondered about a patio apple tree but I'd want a James Grieve which requires cross pollination. This whole area is small blocks of flats with communal gardens put to lawn. I very much doubt there is an apple tree within bee flight distance.

arbrighton

The solution therefore is two different apple trees in pots ;-)

Will think on about the rest