Meant to be?

In the first summer after we moved in, I wasn't too happy with the state of the borders and beds. There were weeds all over the place - mostly nettles, hairy bittercress, goosegrass and speedwell, as well as brambles which come from the farm next door.

It was also obvious that our predecessors had got tired of battling with Comfrey, which as I mentioned before, was in a number of places in the garden, and had spread alarmingly. The flowers are pretty, though! My friend sympathised, and gave me a root of a much less invasive variety to take its place in one area - Symphytum caucasicum.



Then another plant came into bloom. It was just everywhere.





Ox-eye daisies! Really, this is a native plant, and to find it so established in so many flowerbeds was a bit of a shock. Friends told me I'd never get rid of it, and six years later, I agree - I haven't.

I have, however, got it more or less under control. I allow some plants to stay - on my terms.





I watch for the distinctive seedlings to appear - and get them out ASAP! I also dead-head the plants I leave in place, or it's a real chore later in the year.


As for the Comfrey, well, I got 12 barrowloads out of my wide border, and even more out of other areas. That's an ongoing battle, too. It's very difficult to eradicate as it seeds itself, as well as regrowing from the tiniest piece of root left in. The roots go to Australia, too!


To be continued:

I have the dreaded comfrey coming up everwhere too, its so difficult to dig it out because the roots are so deep

I love your border in the 4th photo Geranium, I love to see plants of different shades and heights all closely planted as you have done, thats the 'look' I'm aiming for, not quite there yet though

I like the daisy type plant bottom righthand corner thats just going over, it looks very much like one I was given several years ago as a cutting, and I've taken cuttings every year since (it was half-hardy) but this year lost them all when the greenhouse froze. The elderly lady who gave me the original cuttings didn't know its name.

Peony, the plant you're asking about is a really hardy one - it's Anthemis tinctoria 'Sauce Hollandaise'. I've got another one across the lawn called A. t. 'E.C. Buxton' which is more lemon-yellow. They flower on and on! I do deadhead them, even if it doesn't look like it from the photo which makes them produce more flowers until November.



Anthemis tinctoria 'Sauce Hollandaise'



Anthemis tinctoria 'E.C. Buxton'

This was my plant Geranium

I really like E C Buxton, had one once but found that you need the support of a wide border or else they need a lot of staking.
Those borders are beautiful.

Yes, they're lovely plants - you can get double ones and they come in white, pink, yellow and almost red. ;D

Your garden is lovely geranium, I'm glad you posted some more photos of a wider view, it's a huge garden with some lovely features.

I've battled with comfrey in my brother’s garden and still haven't got rid of it. I brought some roots back and planted them way down in the orchard, they struggled and died so I tried again and the same thing happened. It's unbelievable, if you don't want it you can’t get rid of it but if you do want it, it wont grow.