Gardening tips.

Moley

Well-Known Forumite
cat_woman said:
Moley said:
Just used penkridge turf. £1.80/sqr metre for their best turf that is also hard wearing and low to maintain. This is a really good price. Just levelled most of the garden and laid 9 tonnes of gravel from Simmons (all by myself during half term). You can lay turf at any time of the year with the exception of it being frosty as the supplier can not lift it themselves to deliver. Best time to lay turf is autumn as it is damp and turf loves that. If you need membrane for anything buy it from Wickes. £20 for 150 sqr metres but buy two rolls and get one free.
thanks for the tip on membrane, simmonds the cheapest for gravel to?
Mix of 5mm-20mm gravel £33/tonne. 10mm pea gravel £35/tonne. £8 to deliver in bag (1tonne). You then take the bag back to Simmons and get £6 back. They delivered it the next day for us and as long as you give them instruction where to put it, you don't need to be in. I went for the 5-20mm as it is easier to walk on without sinking into it. If you need loads they can tip it onto your drive for free. Of course they have a big selection of gravel to choose from, you are best to take a trip up there and have a look. Hope this helps
 

Moley

Well-Known Forumite
Silverfish said:
Moley said:
Just used penkridge turf. £1.80/sqr metre for their best turf that is also hard wearing and low to maintain.
Now that is cheap. At that price, if you're doing a whole garden, turf would be a better bet than grass seeds. Remember, though, if there's grass already there, it might revive when the weeds are gone. When I lived on the Doxey Road, the lawn was covered in dead branches, assorted junk and whatever. When we cleared it and cut the 5ft-tall grass, the lawn was brown, patchy and dead. It didn't take long to re-establish itself, though.
Yeah contrary to many beliefs grass is difficult to kill, it might not look good for a while but with some tlc will grow back. Makes me chuckle when you see people out watering their lawns in the evening in high summer when really the last thing that is going to die is the lawn. We had to returf because there used to be a big rose garden at the front of our house with raised beds. Over time it had been seeded with grass and become a kind of lawn. Trying to walk across it involved the possibility of breaking your ankle.
 

Astro Boy

Pocket Rocket
Does the time of year have any bearing on when you start? Do you clear it now, have a frozen barren garden all winter, then put the turf down during the spring? Can turf go down anytime of year?

NOTE TO SELF: Read the whole thread before leaving a message to avoid looking foolish..........
 

My Name is URL

Well-Known Forumite
Moley said:
Just used penkridge turf. £1.80/sqr metre
They do turf even cheaper than that. I got told that the only difference between their "best turf" and the cheaper stuff is that they cut the dearer stuff thicker so its less likely to die but if you water it well then its not a problem anyway.

M
 

BBC

You knows it
Dizirty! I'll have to come round soon and see the new southside manor.

As for your garden, well what I did with mine is went for 'low maintenance'. Basically some plants that never need any attention and a load of woodchip which works great for suppressing the weeds! Works a treat :)
 

Moley

Well-Known Forumite
gk141054 said:
Moley said:
Just used penkridge turf. £1.80/sqr metre
They do turf even cheaper than that. I got told that the only difference between their "best turf" and the cheaper stuff is that they cut the dearer stuff thicker so its less likely to die but if you water it well then its not a problem anyway.

M
Yeah think it's 1.20 or 1.30/sqr metre
 

db

#chaplife
BBC said:
Dizirty! I'll have to come round soon and see the new southside manor.
you're always welcome, spa :)

BBC said:
As for your garden, well what I did with mine is went for 'low maintenance'.
yeah, i defo want low maintenance.. to be honest, i'm happy with zero plants and maximum lawn area (with a hedge to keep prying eyes out, natch).. it's just getting to that stage that is going to be a nightmare!

taken on board all the tips in this 'ere thread.. reckon i'm gonna rope my immediate family into pulling everything up and then just see what's left, and hope for the best lol..
 

My Name is URL

Well-Known Forumite
Just noticed someone on Freecycle is advertising some spare turf for free... 30 rolls = 15m2 if you are interested....

You'd have to be quick to collect and get it down though!
 

db

#chaplife
gk141054 said:
Just noticed someone on Freecycle is advertising some spare turf for free... 30 rolls = 15m2 if you are interested....

You'd have to be quick to collect and get it down though!
thanks, but unfortunately i am nowhere near the point of needing turf! i need to pull all the dead flowers/plants/triffids first, and see what's underneath.. i just went out there today, and there is a brick wall (presumably decorative) and all sorts buried in there.. nightmare :(
 

Doctor

Well-Known Forumite
Could do with some photos to see size etc.

Mine started like this
7781821731.jpg

and now looks something like this
910052157.jpg


All I did was cut back and pull ot the weeds and bracken etc and then keep cutting the lawn and so on.

If you're trying to kill off all the perenial weeds with tarp/ bin bags/ carpet etc, you need to leave it for a yea or more. An easy solution that is not very organic, I guess, is to spray the whole thing with a glyphosate based weed killer. This is a systemic weedkiller and will kill every plant but won't leave stuff in the soil. It just kills the plants after about two weeks. Then you can start from scratch. Annual weds won't be a problem - it's the perenials dandilions, bind weed, bracken, bramble. You can spend years just pulling these out - glyphosate will kill 'em.
 

Silverfish

Well-Known Forumite
Lovely job, Doc - good advice too. As you say, cutting back and clearing is the first thing you do. After that, you can see enough to plan and garden properly.

Our rented house on the Doxey Road looked a lot like your first pic, until we got it sorted.
 

db

#chaplife
Doctor said:
Mine started like this
7781821731.jpg

and now looks something like this
910052157.jpg
:eek: good lord.. well played, sir :clap:

Doctor said:
An easy solution that is not very organic, I guess, is to spray the whole thing with a glyphosate based weed killer. This is a systemic weedkiller and will kill every plant but won't leave stuff in the soil. It just kills the plants after about two weeks. Then you can start from scratch.
that sounds quality, that's exactly what i'm after.. i've blagged some heavy duty gloves off my brother in law, so i'm planning on having a crack at it next week.. good idea about the photos, doc.. i'll take some before and after ones, even if it's just for my own posterity!
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
Im after a few gardening tips, I have a large honeysuckle growing on my shed, but the shed roof needs some repair, am I ok in cutting the honeysuckle back at this time of year- and if so how far back can I go? I also have a nice frilly French Lavender which I cut back at the end of summer but its decided to flower again in the last couple of weeks, should I cut this back again to prevent it getting straggley or leave it alone? Any tips on growing Chinese Lanterns would also be a great help :)
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Im after a few gardening tips, I have a large honeysuckle growing on my shed, but the shed roof needs some repair, am I ok in cutting the honeysuckle back at this time of year- and if so how far back can I go?

If it's a late flowering honeysuckle, then it's best pruned in the early spring - but, if it's in the way of the shed repair, then whack it out of the way now and you should still be OK.

http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/creative-projects/how-to-prune-honeysuckle/158.html
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
If it's a late flowering honeysuckle, then it's best pruned in the early spring - but, if it's in the way of the shed repair, then whack it out of the way now and you should still be OK.
Thank you Gramaisc. It is still flowering now, but the leaves are falling off. I was worried that cutting it back now might kill it off if theres a harsh frost. Some of the felt was blown off the roof and must be replaced before the weather gets worse as its letting in water :(
 

arthur

Nixon Garden Neatness
i have made a leaf mulch this year - i'm just going to spread it in the garden any tips on what it best helps
 

arthur

Nixon Garden Neatness
and any ideas for keeping a pond clear ive tried the straw bag and it efor a bit, do you have to keep buying new ones
 
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