The topsoil of the rose garden is on top of black plastic matting. The weeds grow on top of the black matting, but plants with deeper roots cannot.
The topsoil runs off the black plastic, and compost and fertiliser cannot go into the soil that is beneath it. I removed it but plants were still doing poorly.
One of the roses was falling over. I took it out to re-plant and discovered that the front garden is filled with builders' rubble, packed tightly in clay.
I researched to see if the rubble was buried for drainage, but it is not. Garden articles advise me to remove it to allow the roses to root deeply. Underneath the rubble is larger rocks. I will remove as much as I can and then re-fill with compost and dirt.
The topsoil runs off the black plastic, and compost and fertiliser cannot go into the soil that is beneath it. I removed it but plants were still doing poorly.
One of the roses was falling over. I took it out to re-plant and discovered that the front garden is filled with builders' rubble, packed tightly in clay.
I researched to see if the rubble was buried for drainage, but it is not. Garden articles advise me to remove it to allow the roses to root deeply. Underneath the rubble is larger rocks. I will remove as much as I can and then re-fill with compost and dirt.
