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Grass growing through plants
How do I stop this happening? The grass is all around them and through them and with some of them, it’s so bad, I can hardly see the plant anymore. I think one has stopped growing because of it. I don’t know what to do. I can’t spray weed killer because that will kill the plants too!
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I have a similar problem with couch grass. The only thing that works for me is surgery - get down there with a narrow trowel and pull each blade out one by one, roots, runners & all. Or if small enough, pull the plant itself, the grass is easier to remove, the space left behind is easier to clear, and you can just pop the plant back in
Why am I in this handcart and where are we going ?0 -
I have tried pulling the grass out but there’s too much of it. And it just grows back really quickly.0
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You need to dig it out and remove the roots as much as possible, because it sounds like couch grass. The it's a case of mulching with something to prevent it, so possibly cardboard then mulch on top of that, or cardboard and stone of some kind or black lastic shape around the plants and covered in some decorative stone
The only way to keep it away entirely is to prevent it from growing, so you're going to have to decide what you want to doNon me fac calcitrare tuum culi0 -
I don’t think it’s couch grass. I’m not sure what that is but I looked up some photos and it doesn’t look like that. It’s just normal grass. The plants are all planted in the lawn and the grass grows right around them and through any gaps. It’s hard to mow the lawn too.0
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I don’t think it’s couch grass. I’m not sure what that is but I looked up some photos and it doesn’t look like that. It’s just normal grass. The plants are all planted in the lawn and the grass grows right around them and through any gaps. It’s hard to mow the lawn too.
That might have been helpful to know in the first post.
What plants are they, any particular reason they're in the lawn, are there any barriers around them or are they just planted in the lawn as it is?All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.
Pedant alert - it's could have, not could of.0 -
It's not usual to grow non-woody plants in a lawn. People grow plants in grass to simulate hay meadows and there are lots of lightly-managed grass verges these days too , but if you are wanting what people would call a 'lawn' then you wouldn't put herbaceous plants in it.
Where I live, annual meadow grass is a problem because it throws seeds everywhere. If you have that, you need to recognise the seedlings and weed them out by hand before they start seeding too.
Borders are best created with dense planting, and if you mulch them with compost in spring, that can help suppress weeds, but not everyone has access to lots of material to make it. Another trick we use is to grow forget-me-nots in some areas and then weed them out as the season progresses and the herbaceous plants fill up the space. They self-seed, so we never have to plant more.
But if you are not into gardening in a big way and want low maintenance, the best way to do it is with carpeting or ground covering plants. Some of them are thugs, but if you put the most thuggish together, they just fight it out and the weeds don't stand much chance!
For example, we've got 3 varieties of Iberian comfrey and very little can compete with that! Geranium phaeum can, though, so right now we have both flowering in a bed which has remained untouched since our arrival here 10 years ago. No weeding, strim it flat in July and it flowers twice.
If you get one plant of comfrey, it's so easy to propagate that there could be 50 by the end of the year. Similarly, geraniums are easy to bulk up, especially macrorrhizum, phaeum and a few others. They'/ll also grow in grass and take strimming when it's cut like a hay field in June/July for those who want a hay field effect. Actually, growing annuals in grass like a true hay field is a waste of time and people would be much better planting perennials, like Moon Daisies, Asclepias,Yarrows, Verbena hastata and the tougher geraniums etc etc....but I'm straying off the point!
Other plants I can recommend for covering ground and bulking-up:
Bergenias
Stachys byzantina
Alchemilla mollis
Persicaria 'Darjeeling red'
Bugle 'Catlin's Giant'
Spreading junipers
Woodruff
Oregano....we like 'aureum' 'cos it's a nice yellow.
There's a full list here: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=818
If I were you I'd read around this subject some more and try out people's ideas in a small area first, to see which plants will work best together and for you. I don't know how large an area you're dealing with, but those of us with half an an acre or more and not much money have to find coping solutions.... or just turn the lot into lawns and buy a ride-on!:rotfl:0 -
That might have been helpful to know in the first post.
What plants are they, any particular reason they're in the lawn, are there any barriers around them or are they just planted in the lawn as it is?
There’s all sorts of different plants. A rose, some phlox, rosemary and a honeysuckle and lavender, lambs ears and more. I didn’t know what else to do. It seemed normal to just dig a hole in the lawn and plant them. I’ve seen other gardens just have bare soil round the plants and I thought that looked messy. I didn’t know grass would grow through them. There’s no barriers around mine.0 -
If I were you I'd read around this subject some more and try out people's ideas in a small area first, to see which plants will work best together and for you. I don't know how large an area you're dealing with, but those of us with half an an acre or more and not much money have to find coping solutions.... or just turn the lot into lawns and buy a ride-on!:rotfl:
It's nowhere near half an acre. I’m not good with measurements but it’s quite a big garden for such a small house.
Thanks for all the suggestions, Dave. I like the sound of the geraniums and I already have a couple of the plants on that list. When you say ‘borders’, do you mean around the edges of the garden?0 -
You could always retrospectively dig round the plants to create a distinct bed using bark chippings or something to hide the bare soil (& retain moisture)
Why am I in this handcart and where are we going ?0
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