All scratched up, with twigs in my hair (all in all a good day.)

[rehtse42]

Today I waged a valiant war against the himalayan blackberries and ivy that were running amok beneath my stairs. What I thought would amount to a garbage can or so of vines quickly turned into a truck load. Seriously. Now I am left with odd tufts of grass and a lot of bare ground where once there was a thicket, and I'm really not sure what to do

Comments

[vertigoafter]

super-simple solution:
rip out all the grass and replace it with clover, which is environmentally friendly, and shade loving! There are also a bunch of different species, with very pretty teeny flowers. Also, they require almost no care.

quasi-simple solution:
rip out the grass, and plant a pretty shade-loving perennial, like bluebells. Slightly more involved.

But whatever you do, you should really take away at least the top layer of old soil and replace it with new to ensure that all the blackberry seeds are gone so they can't stage another thorny coup.

[create_the_rain]

You can always plant herbs they seem to do well in low light... and you cn eat them! A PLUS!

[smirkingjustice]

I agree with the herb garden idea. I made an herb/vegetable garden in high school in my parents back yard. It helps a lot with being connected to an earth-based religion. I got attached to the plants and the soil and it became a real joy to do it after a while. I also had a few friends with herb gardens who were able to separate some of their plants to get me started so that I had big healthy plants to start with.

[destroyerchibi]

Isn't that outside the windows of another unit? If I do remember correctly [which is iffy I know] you might want to check with them as to what their preference is, (especially since you already expect to neglect it on your end).

[rehtse42]

Well, I stopped ripping stuff up when I reached the window, so that has sort of become my boundary on that end. I figured I was safe clearing stuff out directly under the stairs, and to be honest, I'm not entirely sure who's apartment that window belongs to.

[rehtse42]

Although looking at it, it is tempting to keep ripping stuff up for a few more feet, so I might have to track down the tenants after all.