wrote in message
...
On Wed, 31 Aug 2011 08:28:29 +0100, "Charlie Pridham"
wrote:


"john britain" wrote in message
...
Neighbour who is unable to do gardening work themselves, has a serious
bamboo invasion in the garden of the house they have just bought. It's
in
the rear garden with only room enough to bring a machine in the width of
a
wheelbarrow. (due to a neighbour on the shared rear communal passage
moving his fence and just grabbing extra room for his garden).

What they want is a garden with *minimum* maintenance. To clear the
bamboo first would it be better to pay someone to try and dig the roots
up
(the rear passage way entrance is only wide enough for a wheelbarrow) or
to just keep chopping the bamboo down for a year or so, until it gets
demoralised? Grateful for any advice on this.

Also if the bamboo is finally cleared what would be a minimum
maintenance
ground cover please?

If you cut the bamboo down, when it regrows hit it with Roundup type weed
killer (bamboo is sensitive to this as its really just grass) once its
dead
it can be dug out.

I would urge against chippings, they are certainly not low maintenance -
everything seeds into mine, and so called weed suppressant fabric only
takes
a season to form good humus over it and weeds grow perfectly well then

Having invested earlier this year in a shedload of bark, I cannot but
agree.

I have just taken delivery of a quantity of suppressant fabric (with
hold downs which look on inspection to me likely to be ineffective).
Because I've procured it, I'm going to have a go. The local urban
foxes will probably make a mess of it - the illegitimi jumped on top
of a small (reinforced with chicken wire) agriframe last night
containing my last outdoor lettuce and coriander sowing and a small
number of dwarf beans.

So, Charlie, how do keep the weeds down around your fruit bushes?

Regards
JonH

I mulch with shreddings and I have paved the fruit cage leaving squares for
the plants which cuts it down as well but mine is looking bad at the moment
as I normally also go in once a season and weed kill any perennial weeds but
am a bit busy not gardening at present!


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk