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[CLKD]

Haven't had a lawn for over 24 years.  Working full time and the garden getting hot sunshine made it impossible for me to keep up with the mowing.  Put patio slabs plus 3 ponds in the back garden having decided how much areas we needed a) to sit and enjoy the  as well as how much fruit and veg. we wanted to grow.  There is a pergola covered by climbers for shade.

The lawn out the front was replaced by camomile which was my most expensive gardening mistake followed by gravel on top of matting.  I wouldn't bother with the matting next time.  I have two beds of shrubs and lavender and large stones on top of some of the gravel ..... which still requires weeding regularly!  Especially as I feed wild birds in parts so grain etc. germinates below and every year I swear I'm not going to feed them there again 

Someone else has put patio down in the front and stood large pots of shrubs however, 1 has to get planning consent in order to put down a patio (which they didn't  ) to avoid flooding - it has to be porrus apparently to allow rain to soak rather than run!

Statement trees ?  Fruit trees? 

[cubagirl]

We had ours landscaped in stages. Grass was a nightmare, having to continually treat for moss, then cutting was back breaking.

We occupy a corner site. Back garden was done first, then side the following year, front the year after. Cost a small fortune. Still planting at the back. Bushes at side becoming more established now, though think we'll be gone before they reach full size.

[CLKD]

In a garden centre this week I found a lovely Daphne with delicious smell and variagated tiny leaves: however, it would have cost me almost £40.00  .  The label states 'plant in shade' but this was in direct sunlight 

[ariadne]

My small garden is an odd narrow triangle, wide at the top tapering to just 9 feet at the bottom. We have grass but it's more like a path with wavy curves in it than a lawn, flower borders each side. We have a small conservatory, a patio and steps leading down to the garden.

My husband is bored with the slabbed patio and is thinking of having artificial grass instead but I'm not too sure this would look right outside a conservatory.  He did want to replace the grass in the garden with artificial too but because curves are cut into it, it would be very wasteful and therefore expensive. The only thing would be to completely change the lawn shape and borders but not sure I could face that.

Opinions on atificial grass anyone?

Ariadne xx

[Mbrown001]

One of my older neighbours has artificial grass and it looks brilliant. Unless you knew, you would never know   . I've been very impressed.
I have a weeny lawn but I like it. Hubby says it takes him longer to take the mower out and put away than it does to cut the grass. It just makes things look more lush somehow. I also have a dog who likes a sniff and a wee  .
I like to watch the birds go after worms. It's a personal choice though and it's whatever suits your lifestyle and also the style of your garden.

Mrs Brown

[CLKD]

Artificial grass need hoovering  and can cause burns if one slips upon it 

[bramble]

Not these days! Artificial grass has really improved in the last few years and is a viable alternative to real grass. For those with a small lawn it really is a godsend. And like everything else you buy, it goes from cheap and cheerful to something approaching Wilton.

Bramble

PS Long skinny border in sun - big line of lavender.

[cubagirl]

Someone around the corner from me has artificial grass. Her main problem is still moss though, it's growing right through it.

[Elizabethrose]

Was talking the subject of fake grass through with another neighbour who was saying that her daughter has it on a postage stamp size garden but that the foxes seem to want to poo on it. Almost every day they discover new droppings. It seems they are having a heck of a time clearing it off.

Tomorrow is a garden day as the forecast is better, apparently! Dead heading viburnums and sweeping up wisteria blossoms that stick like glue to window ledges and turn paintwork brown if left. Pottering day with lawn care, tying in, watering pots, fertilising sprouting perennials.

[Elizabethrose]

Seven hours spent in the garden, absolutely pooped!

We seem to very suddenly be plagued with black fly, the viburnums are smothered. Such a pain! Was going to attempt the fairy liquid approach but hubby has sprayed with nuclear killer 

There also seems to be white mildew on one of my clematises, so that had to be sprayed too. This is all very early!

[cubagirl]

Too much dry weather ER? My roses are covered in greenfly. Been spraying weekly. My hosta is coming to life & I've smothered it in snail pellets before they start chomping their way through the leaves. I have a pirus which was doing well, suddenly this year it started dying. I thought 🐱 but chopped dead wood away & it still wasn't thriving, so much so I decided to dig it out to discover roots hadn't spread. Remains are now in a pot in the hope it comes back to life.

[Lanzalover]

We arrived home at tea time to find next doors front lawn has been taken up don't know if they are having a new lawn laid/fake grass or something else ?

Lanzalover x

[Mbrown001]

It's been so dry here I've resorted to having to get the hose out.
My miniature pear tree is being eaten by something. The leaves are curling and there has been no blossom at all. My minature Apple has fruited well the past few years but can I get a pear....can I heck.

I going to plant my different varieties of tomatoes in our community garden poly tunnel tomorrow. I'm keeping three for my tiny greenhouse and the rest will go to the poly tunnel. I just hope this year we won't be plagued with blight. I've actually complained which is something I rarely do. We have three huge poly tunnels.  People start off being very enthusiastic and plant all sorts. Then they walk away and disease takes over and spreads.  Drives me nuts. Oh well will have to wait and see I guess.
My blueberries and gooseberries are doing really well. They have blossom and fruit already. This is very unusual for Scotland. We are way ahead of where we normally are.

Mrs Brown

[Hurdity]

Absolutely exhausted from a day in the garden....like everyone else! Well I went to our fairly nearby big garden centre this morning as I had some garden token for birthday a few days ago - and bought 4 lupins, 2 delphiniums, 2 achillea, 1 erysimum, 2 campanula. Then spent the rest of the day digging out errant perennial cornflowers, aquilegias, yellow loosestrife and yanking out forget me nots which smother the garden . Dug over the various patches in the beds, then carried 4 heavy buckets of compost (which I dug out) right from back wild grassland where compost heaps are, through veg garden, past cars and yard to front garden (my husband was blocking the way with giant wheelbarrow full of half-dug out sprouting broccoli so couldn't use a wheelbarrow for my compost!

In between cooking roast pheasant I then planted and watered all these new plants - doesn't sound like much (ie the digging composting and planting) but they were all in large pots not tiny plugs. The delphiniums were in huge pots and really hard to get out as completely pot bound! Also watered all round (we've had virtually no rain for weeks), repotted chili plants and a few extra tomatoes, as well as aubergines into their final large pots. Tomatoes are looking amazingly healthy and getting quite big - soon be flowering!

Managed to get some sun tho' too - vest top and short shorts at one point (important to top up the vit D levels  ).

I ache all over now and can barely walk I've done so much digging and bending - despite Pilates on Thursday!!!

Hurdity x

[Elizabethrose]

Yep cubagirl and Mrs B, think you're right, it's been so dry here. I started watering the gardens last week and the ground was terribly dry. Grrr, so annoying at this time of year though: the battle with the bugs and mildew normally starts later.

Today we moved a rose into a pot that really hadn't thrived in it's position, planted last year. The roots hadn't spread at all. It's going to get tender loving care in a huge pot before we find a more suitable position for it.

What a good idea Mrs B, a community garden poly tunnel. Are you allocated a certain area? How is it managed? Are you just growing, toms, gooseberries and blueberries in it? I think your weather has been better than ours of late, today has been better but it's been desperately chilly here. x