Borders, Weeding & Planting in Charlwood

Garden weeding in Charlwood

Hand-weeded, mulched borders for Charlwood gardens, full of colour and short on bindweed.

Garden weeding in Charlwood is a running battle with good soil. Wealden Clay is fertile, and weeds love it as much as your plants do. Bindweed, couch grass and creeping buttercup will push through a border in a few weeks if it’s left alone in May. Hoeing the tops off doesn’t achieve much. Getting the roots out does.

So we weed by hand, mulch to keep the ground covered and tidy the borders through the year. We’ll also lift and divide perennials that have outgrown their spot, plant bulbs and seasonal colour, and look after pots. It’s the side of the garden that turns a cut lawn into somewhere you’d actually sit.

Garden weeding and border maintenance on heavy clay

Clay rewards patience. Each autumn or spring we lay a thick mulch, and over a few years the worms pull it into the top layer and the soil gets easier to work. It also helps a border hold moisture when the clay cracks in July. Wet clay compacts when you walk on it, so in winter we keep off borders that are sodden. And we weed often. A border weeded every fortnight takes minutes. One weeded twice a year takes a day.

Planting near a bluebell wood

Glover’s Wood, on the outskirts of the village, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest noted for its spring bluebells. That’s worth keeping in mind for borders nearby. Spanish bluebells and their hybrids spread readily and can cross with native ones, so we’d steer you away from planting them and help dig out clumps that have crept in. Hellebores, foxgloves, hardy geraniums and native bulbs all cope well with clay and look right in a village garden.

Borders & Planting in Charlwood: your questions

Anything else, just ring. You’ll speak to the people who do the work.

How much do weeding services cost?

It depends on how big the borders are and how far they’ve got away from you. A one-off rescue takes far longer than regular upkeep. We’ll take a look and give you a fixed price.

Do you use weedkiller?

We weed by hand and use mulch to keep weeds down. Getting the roots out lasts longer than knocking the tops back, and it’s kinder to the soil.

Can you plant up an empty border?

We can plant bulbs, bedding and perennials and keep a border going through the seasons. For a full redesign you’d want a garden designer. We’re the people who keep it looking right afterwards.