Grass is always greener...

Discussion in 'Lawns' started by Dan Dollin, Mar 7, 2013.

  1. SimonZ

    SimonZ Gardener

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    Just appreciate what you've got and bear in mind that such a garden is more than many folks can ever aspire to. Otherwise sell the house and find a smaller garden.
     
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    • Dan Dollin

      Dan Dollin Gardener

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      As I said above, I do appreciate the garden. It's the main reason we bought the house. It is just daunting some times. But thanks for your kind suggestion anyway.
       
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      • silu

        silu gardening easy...hmmm

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        I know the feeling as parts of mine have the same look as yours, however we are very fortunate to have all the space we could want.
        As others have said don't look at the whole picture, concentrate on 1 small area at a time otherwise it appears too daunting.Your immediate plan of removing the Leylandi sounds good:). Picture number 1 is really rather nice as is. With loads of say Daffodils and Snowdrops planted (maybe there already?) I'm not too sure that much needs doing other than perhaps taming the jungle effect.The build up of leaf mold on the paths will make a great addition to the flowerbeds once they have been cleared.
        Don't be tempted as I was just to cut down saplings which were growing in the most annoying places. I discovered that most of them just regrew with added vigor! While I keep using weedkiller to a minimum a few applications of say Roundup when in strong growth will kill saplings that are nigh on impossible to dig out when growing in a wall/pathway etc.
        I too had to resort to using a chainsaw on overgrown hedges shrubs even. While definitely not what "the book" says to do the results were much better than I expected and there are only so many free hours in a day to be able to prune correctly!
        I completely understand the "gardening should be fun" remark! however you will I'm sure gain great satisfaction in time plus a very sore back!
         
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        • Dan Dollin

          Dan Dollin Gardener

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          Amen to that! Although I can't wait for the lighter evenings so I can get out there after work.
           
        • Auntpol

          Auntpol Gardener

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          A friend of mine had a large garden and when they moved in the brambles were 5ft high. She went and spoke to her local farmer who 'loaned' her two goats - it was amazing how fast they ate through the brambles.
           
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          • Dan Dollin

            Dan Dollin Gardener

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            Auntpol... Yes, I must admit I have considered that! Trouble is they'll eat everything else, they're about as fussy as the chickens!
             
          • Val..

            Val.. Confessed snail lover

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            How do they cope with all the thorns??? :huh:

            Val
             
          • Kristen

            Kristen Under gardener

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            In my opinion if you have a large garden you do need to tool up for it. Decent tools cost money, but if you have several hundred yards of hedging then you need a hedge cutter that will do it quickly enough, and without you needing to be like Sampson!, or it is going to consume your time and become a chore.

            Of course you can hire equipment if you only need it for a few days of the year, or can't afford to buy your own, although I do think having your own means you can just do the job when it suits you, and conditions are right. When I used to hire a rotavator, annually, in the Spring that was always the weekend that it rained heavily!

            Same with the lawn mower. Something that will nip round it in short-order means you can just nip out and do the lawn because you have got people coming in an hour, rather than having to plan to do it over several evenings in the days before ...

            Looks like you have several small areas of lawn and lots of trees to go round? A zero-turn ride-on mower might be best for that job ...
             
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            • Victoria

              Victoria Lover of Exotic Flora

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              Sorry, it's nothing to do with the situation in question but the phrase ... the grass is always greener ...

              Here in Portugal we say 'a galinha da vinzinha e sempre mas gorde' ... ie, 'the chicken of the neighbour is always fatter' ... :heehee:


              So, how would you gardeners re-phrase this ... ?
               
            • clueless1

              clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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              That's a bit mean:lunapic 130165696578242 5:
               
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              • Kristen

                Kristen Under gardener

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                There's always the Jones to keep up with ... particularly as our neighbours are actually called Jones !!
                 
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                • Loofah

                  Loofah Admin Staff Member

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                  Dan, what an opportunity you have!
                  In opposition slightly to what others have said, I'd not start right at the house. Why? Because if you clear a nice area to sit in you sit and relax in it and maybe get complacent over the parts you can't see from there, leaving them to get worse and worse until you have a breakdown over the workload. If you start at a place you can see from the house but a way in to the undergrowth you'll be able to see your progress but always have it at the forefront that there's more to be done.

                  Definitely agree with Kristen over tooling up. It's a lot of work for a flimsy tool and you'll replace them every year so bite the bullet and get some decent kit. And a shredder. Find a corner where you can stack all your garden waste for a huge compost area and shred it all into that.
                  I can also see a bonfire in your future! Shame you're so far away or I'd be coming over to help out!
                   
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                  • shiney

                    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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                    You have a wonderful opportunity but just need to take your time over it. We were in a similar situation when we first moved in. Our garden is somewhat bigger than yours and had not been touched for over twelve years.

                    Our front garden is quite large so started there as it's the place we see all the time. We also started on a small area near the house as a place to sit when we had visitors coming.

                    A lot of the rest of the garden needed considerable work but we only cut back the worst of it whilst concentrating on the front and the small area near the back of the house.

                    We left the bottom quarter acre completely alone (it couldn't get much worse) for a couple of years. It wasn't until year three that we discovered we had some chicken sheds at the bottom that were completely hidden in the undergrowth/brambles.

                    By the time we got around to doing the bottom quarter we decided to pay someone to clear it. Two hefty fellows with brush cutters, saws and spades cleared the worst of it in two days of very hard work. They did a good job and uncovered some cultivated blackberries, recurrant and blackcurrant bushes and 18 fruit trees and a giant pile of compost and chicken manure.

                    We now have the garden in a disorganised, organised design. If things self-seed and don't get in the way then they stay there but we have some slightly more formal areas.

                    A good mower and good equipment make things much easier. Make sure you don't spend all your spare time working on it or you may get fed up. We got round that by inviting friends round for lunch or just for tea. It gave us a break from gardening even though it meant entertaining. On the up side, there were times when the friends said "we'll give you a hand digging that out" or "cutting that down" whilst the food was being sorted. All the men loved to come round and help when we had bonfires.

                    Just take your time and then you can enjoy the results. :blue thumb:
                     
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                    • Loofah

                      Loofah Admin Staff Member

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                      Ug. Men are here... we make fire! Ug.
                       
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                      • shiney

                        shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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                        It was probably the start of men doing the barbecues. :heehee:
                         
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