Thursday 28 May 2015

The Great Garden Challenge - getting rid of garden Thugs


There's a rose in there - poor Graham Thomas completely overwhelmed by Achillea Ptarmica "The Pearl" which I foolishly bought a pot of at Leeds castle about 30 years ago and brought with me from Dorset.  Mistake!  The poor poppy is equally overgrown, and other plants which I have taken out and cleaned around and through, and replanted now.


A friend gave me a bit of this thug which is a Rush with a Pendiculata type name.  It needed THIS to get it out:


My faithful mattock.


Progress - and Ghenghis keeping an eye on me to see I worked hard enough.  Originally the Thugs went all the way across to the left - there was NO space whatsoever.  I had cleared them right back not that long ago, and made some fresh plantings which have since been swallowed up.  I made the decision, they had to be eradicated.  Totally.


Stuff replanted that came out to have every bit of thug root removed - those are big white Shasta daisies at the back and Elecampane in front of them.


Another job for the mattock - this quite substantial stone refused to budge so I am waiting until I have energy again tomorrow!


Sorry for the boring pictures today, but I wanted to show I am making SOME progress out there.  Tomorrow lots of Aquilegia pictures to brighten up the page.

6 comments:

  1. Gardening is hard work, but well worth the effort, can't wait ti see your aquilegia's.

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  2. Stepfather bought himself a mattock for gardening, I could hardly lift it!

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  3. Everyone has to clean out a garden at some time !

    cheers, parsnip

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  4. The only thug in my garden was the Melissa, she has gone to compost.

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  5. I agree, some thugs just have to be removed - it was Golden Rod here - pretty but took over everything. And I have to keep a serious eye on Montbretia Lucifer or it catches me unawares. I am swamped Aquelegia of various colours but they are harmless and seed themselves elegantly. I look forward to tomorrow's pictures of yours.

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  6. Marlene - WHEN we eventually are able to downsize, I plan on getting a smaller garden for my dotage. A non-mattock garden!

    Simon - that's what my muscles are telling me this morning, gosh my shoulders/neck hurt!

    Parsnip - if it's not the garden Thugs, it's the grass. My garden has never forgotten it used to be a field . . .

    Pam - got that too and working on it!

    Pat - Got that too and regret it, but it's not in my main beds. A bit around the wildlife pond and a romping of it in the paddock plot . . .

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