Don was faced with a gardener’s worst nightmare: a backyard completely overgrown with weeds. This thick jungle of nasties included lantana (Lantana camara), wandering jew (Tradescantia albiflora), morning glory (Ipomoea indica) and privet (Ligustrum lucidum). Fences, walls, steps, property boundaries and remnants of garden plants were all totally hidden under this blanket of rampant, green vegetation. As bad as the problem looked, Don and one helper managed to clear and bag most of the weeds in a few hours. Here are some tips for dealing with this kind of situation: Assess the site. Try to work out what where the property boundaries are, and if there are any changes of level. If your weed problem is as bad as the one we looked at, you may need to call in surveyors for this first step. Think about the tools you’ll need for the job. A rake is useful to pull out weeds without actually having to come into contact with them. There is a possibility that snakes and spiders may be around, so be careful. Wear gloves when necessary. You can’t deal with a problem of this magnitude on your own. Ask a friend to help you. Gardening is marvellous exercise, but pace yourself and don’t overdo it, particularly if you are not very fit.
Work slowly and carefully. You will start to uncover the old garden features and you might find some interesting plants you want to keep. After clearing a set of stairs, Don discovered two hardy plants that had managed to survive even though they were smothered by weeds – a ginger plant with perfumed, creamy white flowers and a lovely mauve/purple flowering rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum).
Lantana is one of the worst weeds we had to contend with in the garden. It is a garden escapee, which was originally introduced from South America via Europe. It quickly invades disturbed areas, and is a serious problem in bushland and rainforest. Fortunately it is not difficult to remove from domestic gardens. It can be pulled out by hand, but because it has spiky stems you’ll need to wear gloves. After the initial clearing has taken place, wait a few weeks. During this time some weeds will start to regrow. They should then be sprayed with glyphosate (Roundup or Zero). The spray will be more effective if you add a wetting agent such as Chemspread to help it ‘stick’ to the greasy leaves of weeds like wandering jew.
Further information
Roundup and Zero and other glyphosate products are available from hardware stores and nurseries in concentrate and diluted forms. 1 litre of concentrate costs about $35.
Chemspread is a Chemspray product and is available from hardware stores and some nurseries. Costs about $11-$12 for 200ml.