Garden wars

I'm shattered. We've spent a long weekend doing what can only be described as "gorilla gardening". Every year we go through this: hacking down weeds, trimming the shrubs back by two thirds, and yet nothing changes. This morning I found dandelion weeds growing through the weedproofing barrier I laid last year over the vegetable patch. The tenacious little bastards had pushed their roots right through the pores.

In two weeks time, all our efforts will be obliterated and warfare will have to start again. I have ivy wars. Battles with the blackberries over territory. I buried the bindweed under black plastic for two years and still it grows!

I'm at a total loss. I don't know how other people win the garden war. How do you get from weekly battles with the weeds to having a neat garden you can be proud of? This year has been particularly bad; we've had very few weekends where you could get out and just mow the lawn. It has rained a lot and the hot weather has only just arrived. In less than two weeks, the grass and weeds grew over a foot.

[ sigh ]

All I want is an easy care, low maintenance garden that grows some fruit and vegetables. Is that too much to ask?

- Pam