Border advice

[mole81]

I'm not an avid gardener, I have a small border about 2.5m by 0.25m that fills with weeds, I clear, then fills with weeds again. What could i plant that would be attractive all year and require minimum maintenance and stop pesky weeds! A variety of plants to mix it up would be nice too. Thanks!

[Someone-Else]

Nothing will stop the weeds They will grow almost in fresh air.
You need to find out what type of soil you have and then get plants that like that soil. e.g. an acidic loving plant will not do well in an alkaline soil. You could buy a soil test kit. Or you could look in the neighbours garden and see what they have.

[jape]

You want something, anything, that will suppress weeds which are just someone-else's opportunistic favourites in the wrong place often enough. Depends on how much natural light and water but a good well-drained, clean soil won't have weeds in it (they come up from old seed so don't just rake it, empty and refill top few inches and be sure NOT to leave roots when you sieve. The only other way is to lay a weed mat and kill all that is under over a season, let it dry out too under some old carpet and plastic. Some will re-grow so wait and pull them carefully, don't poison. Remove weed mat after all is dead as plants like microbial action so then you mulch to keep weeds off - but some weeds survive in soil as seeds for hundred's of years so either use new, clean soil or do them monthly and DON'T let them go to seed. It is worth it and is habit rather than hard work.

Look at old tarmac and concrete and gravel yards down your road, even it grows weeds so you cannot escape some work ...

Then just get appropriate perennial plants for area (sun and water availability). Too many to advise you, look in neighbours' gardens and ask what they are if you like them. Or just ask in gardening stores for a low-growing perennial shrub or two. Weed mat and gravel will keep much out but is not perfect, look at what manages to grow from chimney pots and walls, plants are survivors.

Try some herbs like thyme if you use them in cooking and just pull weeds when you snip some for kitchen. Or as I have, some good old roses and lavender will thrive and need little help just a trim with scissors yearly to keep them close not leggy. Chuck some bulbs like daffodils and narcissus and bluebells and hyacinth in amongst and they will come back every spring as a surprise but gradually deteriorate unless lifted every now and again-but not for years. Most solid plants once established with year round foliage will out-compete weeds but you never really win unless you replace with concrete pavers and use some pots and fountains - even then you have to water sometimes and work it a bit and learn - that's why it's called a garden! Sorry, you have to garden it!

Succulents will be good if you want low maintenance, like 'pigface' which is good at covering but the trick is match plants to area and conditions, so use mulch to keep down weeds either regular clean pea-straw or gravels. If shaded, try ferns and lily-of-valley. Best though, is talk to neighbours and see what they have, a plant or two will come your way as a gift then!

Another answer is green manure as it is called, you should get a seed mix for that from your garden supplier. It contains fast growing green plants that you then dig in, which out do most weeds and lighten up soil and help microbiological action. That gives a good bed for anything but why not grow veggies? If you have kids they love pinching peas and tomatoes straight from plant and you use pea-straw under to keep weeds down.

Weeds often thrive in poor soils, so if you have any energy at all dig it over once a week for a while and add compost (a worm farm is easy to make to add goodness to soil and deals with many kitchen scraps) then you can grow anything and improved soil and drainage allows your chosen plants to thrive and only real neglect then allows weeds.

[steviejoiner74]

A weed control membrane and some decorative pebbles/stones. A few pots with some flowers etc sitting on top?

[Someone-Else]

A weed control membrane and some decorative pebbles/stones. A few pots with some flowers etc sitting on top?

Its good in theory..............doesn't work very well. You still get weeds growing, but at least if you only have gravel they are easier to see.

[wine~o]

Ground cover plants will deprive the weeds of daylight,plenty to choose from..

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=818

[mole81]

Thank you everyone lots of good ideas!

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[steviejoiner74]

A weed control membrane and some decorative pebbles/stones. A few pots with some flowers etc sitting on top?

Its good in theory..............doesn't work very well. You still get weeds growing, but at least if you only have gravel they are easier to see.

That's what I have out my back garden,works well and get next to no weeds. I saturated the ground with creosote before laying the membrane(I know it's not eco friendly). The worst problem I have is the golden pebbles are filthy now with green algae after a few years.

[wine~o]

I saturated the ground with creosote

[steviejoiner74]

I saturated the ground with creosote

I did say it wasn't eco friendly. Stinks for a good few weeks too(it was the real creosote)
It doesn't half stop weed growth tho

[Someone-Else]

I saturated the ground with creosote before laying the membrane

I think its safe to say its the creosote that did it. (But I like your idea)

I find that the gravel traps seeds and dirt, so I do get weeds growing in between the pebbles.

[Grendel]

I find gravel boarders to be a right pain . I work in several gardens and a few have gone down that path. As said it won't actually stop weeds , the seeds will still germinate . I find it makes edging of the lawns a pain too , shears invariably catch a stone and blunt much quicker , power tools are a no no as they can turn that lovely gravel into little missiles and often find their way onto the lawn itself. Once gravelled you'll also find that all weeding has to be done by hand pulling up the weeds one by one. The gravel , and for that matter membrane , stops the use of a hoe which if used for 10-20 minutes a week is in the end much quicker. Another garden I work in has used bark clippings rather than gravel and I find that substance to be much friendlier to work with. Still lets seeds grow but short of steve's idea of nuking the soil with poisons you're always going to get weeds grow.

[Argyll]

The worst problem I have is the golden pebbles are filthy now with green algae after a few years.

Stevie shovel them into a cement mixer with some detergent and leave for ten minutes. It works a treat for cleaning them.

[jape]

Come on, green algae isn't filth! That's so funny, washing the garden beds and driveway in Fairy Liquid to keep it clean. Love it. Put it on youtube please.

Gravel isn't magick, it's just bits of rock. Of course things grow between, this is UK, it rains a lot, things grow. But it cuts some weed growth down. Gravel stays mostly clean if you rake it. Nothing comes for nothing and if you don't have groundsmen or gardeners to do the work it's up to you. So what's hardest? Raking once a week and pulling the odd young groundsel or dent de lion - or putting the drive and garden beds through the washing machine every year?

Next week we'll get the dog groomer in to give the lawns a wash and brush up and a perm!

[BillyGoat]

I'll check back to see if anyone comes to a good solution later.....

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BG