In message , Simon
writes

Half of the front garden in the the (Somerset) house I've just bought has
been shoddily converted to a parking area by putting down a few cm of gravel
on top of a membrane of some kind. I don't park anything on it and weeds and
grass are starting to grow through it. I'm planning to add some topsoil and
re-plant it within 12 months, but in the meantime is there a herbicide I can
use to keep plants under control - one that won't persist in the soil for
more than a few months or leach into the surrounding flower beds?

Yes - visit your garden centre and read some labels.

Also, if I want to replace it with topsoil and grass seed, have I left it
too late for the grass to establish itself before winter?

Not if you're allowed to water it. Round here you'd leave that until
the drought's over.

I'd like to find some shrubs or small trees to plant there as well. I like
plants that have a utility element (eg. pyracantha - colourful when most
plants are drab, good for security and birds). Can anyone suggest some
shrubs or small trees I could plant in my front garden, that meet at least
some of these criteria:
- fairly low maintenance
- colouful, and should not look too barren during the winter
- smell strongly (and pleasantly)
- produce edible fruit or berries or something else of use, either to me or
wildlife


How about Lonicera x purpusii (Winter Honeysuckle) - an unremarkable
looking shrub with a lovely scent in mid winter when you need a bit of a
lift. It's useful to bumble bee queens when they first emerge and need
a quick nectar boost.
I'd also find room for winter jasmine, which hasn't any scent but the
yellow flowers are cheering.

For scent in spring, Azara microphylla, an attractive evergreen.
A Philadelphus for early summer (smell before you buy, some varieties
haven't any scent).
And some culinary herbs at the edges of your lawn: Winter Savoury is
attractive as well as useful all year round.

High-bush blueberries (see thread relating to these) can be grown with
ornamental shrubs, they give autumn colour and the birds will love
getting most of your fruit. The same applies to a Morello cherry - it's
a small tree, the flowers are pretty and you won't get any fruit unless
you protect them.

This could become a long thread so I'll stop now.

--
Sue ];(