My Garden

New border

Last post 26-09-2009 11:01 AM by Gertroid. 2 replies.

• 25/09/2009 02:08 AM

  Gertroid Location: S.E. London Joined on: 04 Sep 2009 Posts: 5

  Reply | Contact I'm about to create a new border from an area which has been overgrown for decades (brambles for many years - now almost entirely nettles), which also contains large amounts of bricks and rubble. Also some garden dumps, which will contain some amounts of good stuff on the bottom, hopefully. All presumably based on London clay. I know that, after clearing it, I will need to dig in all the composted vegetable matter I can find, but what I need to know is whether I should incorporate anything else if I want to give the best chance for a largely perennial border. In other words, how positively should I take the fact that nettlles are growing there prolifically? Can I assume that, despite the rubbble and rubbish and if I don't hit solid clay after a spade's depth or so, that the area is growable? It's a large area, so I will need to do it bit by bit. And I'd like to start off properly. Thanks for any advice you can give.

• 25/09/2009 08:18 PM

  In reply to

  AlexS Location: Reading Joined on: 06 Sep 2009 Posts: 61

  Reply | Contact The ideal soil is both free-draining and moisture-retentive, and the more you can do to achieve that the better. It was Beth Chatto who turned a car park into a garden by digging the whole thing out with JCBs to a depth of 6 feet and then adding compost to retain nutrients and moisture, and gravel to improve drainage. Most of us aren't that heroic or don't have that sort of budget. But when you visit the resulting dry garden, which she never waters even in a drought, you can see what can be achieved. There's a big debate to be had over adding fertilizer. Some do, some don't. If you don't, your plants won't grow so big, but they'll probably be more drought resistant and need less staking. They may even be less attractive to pests of all kinds. Once you've cleared the rubbish and rubble and nettles, yes, add as much compost and organic matter as you can, and loads of gravel too. Lots of people garden on solid clay under a thin topsoil, but the more depth of soil the better. So you're in a great position. Every bit of effort put in now will be repaid for years to come! Alex

• 26/09/2009 11:01 AM	In reply to
  Gertroid Location: S.E. London Joined on: 04 Sep 2009 Posts: 5	Reply | Contact Thank you for that, AlexS. Your encouragement and the perfect weather inspire me to start straight away. And I shall buy Beth Chatto's book to spur me on in case enthusiasm flags!