The other day I noticed that this border was becoming overgrown. Fortunately, today I had an urge to tackle it. At our local Lidl store, I bought two bags of decorative bark chippings and then set about the border by carefully weeding it. Actually, most of the plants I took out by hand were not weeds at all but border plants that had extended their territory without permission.
I also pruned back some of the laurel bush and nearby holly.
When all was done I slit open the bags of bark chippings and poured them between the plants before raking in. I guess this all took me ninety minutes or so. It looked a lot better when I was done but the Buddha still has flaky skin disease. I am hoping to buy a new Buddha to replace the old has-been.
Before:-
Wow, what a wonderful transformation!
ReplyDeleteAnd simple too. Just a little effort.
DeleteWell done. The before was overgrown and your after looks lovely without looking too tamed. The spotted plant is a pulmonaria, lungwort, one of my mum's favorites.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nurse Lily. Next time I see Bert I will tell him.
DeleteIt is quite established.
ReplyDeleteOut with the old buddha and in with the new could be controversial.
Like subscribing to a new god.
DeleteGood job, Mr. P! And you know- Buddha is pretty old. Maybe he's fine the way he is.
ReplyDeleteI guess all gods are a bit flaky.
DeleteGardens take a lot of work but it's satisfying the watch the progress.
ReplyDeleteOur garden has certainly given us a lot of pleasure over the years.
DeleteYour garden looks fabulous!
ReplyDeleteA place for fables... like the fable of the flaky Buddha.
DeleteIt looks neater now, but I also like the slightly overgrown before. Still, there is enough left to provide hiding places for small animals.
ReplyDeleteThat you would have a Buddha statue in your garden in spite of being a non-religious person is maybe not as unusual as I think; actually, many people around here have Buddhas in their gardens or houses without being active followers of Buddhism. And many regard Buddhism not as a religion, strictly speaking.
Your vegetable patch looks good!
I saw so many Buddhas in South East Asia. I think of them not as gods but as invitations to live more calmly and thoughtfully with respect for the other creatures that inhabit this planet.
DeleteGive buddha a rub down and a coat of paint.
ReplyDeleteOkay boss!
DeleteI like the before pictures as much as the after, and what's this about ONE garden gnome? He must be terribly lonely, you need at least two. As for the Buddha, brush off the flaky bits and give him a coat of weather proof paint, no need to buy a new one.
ReplyDeleteI have painted him before River but okay, I will give it another try.
DeleteYour border is a veritable vision of verdant voluptuousness Mr P.
ReplyDeleteVoila! Validation from a venturesome and valorous visionary! Vank you JayVee!
DeleteLooks good YP. What about a water feature or some solar lights?
ReplyDeleteWe already have a water feature. It's called a hosepipe and we have one massive solar light. It is called The Sun.
DeleteDidn't think you liked reading The Sun YP?
DeleteReading The Sun and indeed all aspects of the weather is vital for gardeners.
DeleteLike others before me, I like the before and after pictures of your garden. The hostas are thriving, no slugs yet?
ReplyDeleteSlugs love a hosta salad. They can have blue slug pellets as a starter.. There are a few at the base of each plant. They don't like pulmonaria or ferns.
DeleteThe statue is showing wonderful age, please let it age in place. It show the passage of time.
ReplyDeleteNo! It shows it was cheap buddha from a garden centre. I have just put my work togs on as I am about to paint the buddha as requested by two other visitors. Sorry Mr Penguin.
DeleteI see the gnome is in your own image.
ReplyDeleteWere you in The Boy Scouts? You are very observant. I always wear a green pointy hat.
DeleteI spent some time this weekend doing exactly the same thing, bark and all.
ReplyDeleteWe were both barking in our gardens (American: yards)... Woof! Woof!
DeleteI am not a plant caretaker, I have the proverbial Black Thumb, so Carlos takes care of plants. But I love cleaning out garden beds and pruning things so i love your "After" photos.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the perfect combination. Carlos the Creator and Bob the Brute.
DeleteYour garden looks beautiful. I tend to overplant and as a result my garden looks a bit overgrown at times. I like a garden with some mulch and soil showing around each plant. It allows plants to be showcased more.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mind the overgrown look as it was quite lush and green. Your cleaned up look turned out nice too, Neil. My garden is not as neat as yours! :)
ReplyDeleteLooking good! I should do this to our flower beds. I mostly just let the weeds grow.
ReplyDeleteI believe your "spotty plant" is a lungwort.
I, too, like both before and after, and you've worked hard to clear the weeds. The Buddha looks very much at home where he is but why bother to repaint him, he looks weathered and comfortable amongst the new decorative chips.
ReplyDeleteI love Hostas and had quite a few in the garden back in the UK, but can't recall seeing any in the garden centres here.
Don't you put out a saucer of beer to attract the slugs? It's a recommended ecological way to deal with them, though I've no idea what you do with them when they're drunk!
ReplyDelete