Help - Overgrown Ditch/Bank

Outdelough

I hope someone here can help as I am at a loss with a bank/ditch at the side and rear of my garden. I dont know what to do with it at this stage.

Its about 3-4 feet high and over run with grass, dead soil, dead tree stumps, briars etc. It just looks a mess.
I had many a go at it, including spraying ( just left it with whispy dead branches which I had to take out), hacking with a scythe and spade ( barely made a dent in it) and planting in front of it ( just took over the shrubs and plants I put down)

So, I got a fella out to have a look and give some advice. He said he could come in with a mini digger and just take it all out. But it would cost €3000. I thanked him and moved on.

Any ideas please - is it too late to put a hedge in front of it at this stage?

peadar76

personally I'd keep it and encourage the growth of natives like gorse, hawthorn, honeysuckle and the like on it. maybe a clematis or two through it and a couple of nice trees/shrubs just forward of it. How far is it from the house?

Outdelough

peadar76 wrote: »

personally I'd keep it and encourage the growth of natives like gorse, hawthorn, honeysuckle and the like on it. maybe a clematis or two through it and a couple of nice trees/shrubs just forward of it. How far is it from the house?

Thanks for the reply
It's about 10 feet to 30 feet in different places from the house

I wouldn't be against keeping it and growing native as you say. However it's how I get rid if the grass on it that I struggle with. I would like to tidy it up to get to the stage of being able to put gorse etc on it. The grass is just so wild now and cutting it is only a temporary solution as it grows back even thicker !

jimini0

Outdelough wrote: »

I hope someone here can help as I am at a loss with a bank/ditch at the side and rear of my garden. I dont know what to do with it at this stage.

Its about 3-4 feet high and over run with grass, dead soil, dead tree stumps, briars etc. It just looks a mess.
I had many a go at it, including spraying ( just left it with whispy dead branches which I had to take out), hacking with a scythe and spade ( barely made a dent in it) and planting in front of it ( just took over the shrubs and plants I put down)

So, I got a fella out to have a look and give some advice. He said he could come in with a mini digger and just take it all out. But it would cost €3000. I thanked him and moved on.

Any ideas please - is it too late to put a hedge in front of it at this stage?

3000 euro???????????
did he arrive on horse back???
i got sometin simular removed a few monts ago. i hired a mini digger for a day 100 euro a day managed to use it myself and got a local farmer(threw him 50 for a few pints) with a tractor and trailer to take it away. then i put up a fence and planted a hedge. probably cost 800 in total finished job

My Potatoes

peadar76 wrote: »

personally I'd keep it and encourage the growth of natives like gorse, hawthorn, honeysuckle and the like on it. maybe a clematis or two through it and a couple of nice trees/shrubs just forward of it. How far is it from the house?

+1

It looks wild. Some native planting should take hold without much effort.

€3000 sounds possible, how long is the ditch? The disposal and transport would take up most of that.

Sonnenblumen

< 1 days work for a good man and machine (digger), cost c € 180.00. Waste disposal excluded.

Alternatively excavate a hole nearby, clear area and bury in excavated hole, backfill and blade excavated soil on top. Job done. Grass recovery 2-4 weeks.

CJhaughey

Cover it with weedcloth whatever is under it will die off and can be grubbed out without too much effort.
Replant with spreading plants, the more space you leave the more grass and undesirables will take hold.

Outdelough

Thanks for all the replies - think I will go with the idea of leaving it there and "go native" in terms of planting

Is it posible to take cuttings from existing gorse bush and plant further down the ditch

My Potatoes

To best of my knowledge, gorse/furze/whin is difficult to propagate and is not easily transplanted, though it has no problem doing it by itself!

I think seeds are the way forward if you wish to grow it on.