Space Invasion

The bed nearest the house has a bench alongside it which is a good place to have morning coffee - when the weather allows - an enjoy the views out and over the Levels.

Unfortunately it it the one bed in the garden that is infested with ground elder. It also has bindweed and couch grass but they are not exclusive to this bed!  I have made attempts since we arrived to remove as much as possible but it has become increasingly obvious that I'm losing this battle - as are the poor plants in there.  So we have decided to empty as much as possible, tackle the invaders and re-plant - but probably not this year.  I think it's going to need a season to lie fallow and see what emerges to be zapped.

In the summer from a distance it looks Ok but when you are sitting on the bench or look closely it's a mess.
So we are starting to dig out the plants that are still surviving and are worth saving like the Asters

 Couch grass invades the bed - and it is not really the main problem!

The winter look is not quite so attractive.

but it's starting to look better already with some of the plants removed

This is the end of the bed that has fewer weeds.

But - as we move down they emerge  -  see beneath that clump of daffodils that have been dug up -

the dreaded ground elder roots.........

I'm usually not keen on using chemicals in the garden - but I think this may be an exception if I am ever to plant up this bed again.  I'll chart progress in future posts.