Beat invaders and get painting!
Tackle encroaching plants and add a splash of colour
AUTUMN is a good time to catch up on structural jobs that will make the garden look neater and tidier overall. The area behind our shed is something of an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ drop zone for old pots and bags of compost, and it regularly becomes choked with weeds. So I weeded it, laid a layer of weed-blocking fabric, or geotextile, and covered it with several inches of 30mm stone chippings. Both materials are widely available from DIY outlets and builders’ merchants.
It’s a job that takes little more than a morning and will hopefully help keep weeds at bay and make the area, more user-friendly.
If you are painting or preserving wood, whether it’s a fence, shed or garden furniture, always follow the direction of the grain as this ensures good coverage. Don’t forget to stick masking tape around the windows to prevent paint getting on the glass!
Climbing plants that have encroached up walls and into gutters should also be tackled now.
Ivy can be pulled away quite easily, while more stubborn plants such as vines and creepers can be removed by cutting through the stems, then either digging up the roots or treating the lower stem ends with a tough weedkiller such as SBK. Once the top growth withers and dies, it can be carefully pulled free.
However, do leave some ivy to grow in an inconspicuous spot as it provides vital shelter for all sorts of overwintering insects and invertebrates.