Quick and lazy gardening

petemadoc

Yes I should be asking this on gardening radar but I'd probably get some over complicated answers telling me to make sure I have the lawnmower in the big ring and stuff like that.

So, frankly I'd rather be out riding my bike but the law says you have to keep your garden looking nice.

How do you stop your lawn getting covered in weeds and moss

What plants should I put in the borders that need minimal or feck all maintenance but look nice and pretty.

Help

vitesse169

I've built a 20' X 10' workshop for all the bikes & allied equipment, a 15' X 15' patio a 3mtr square gravelled area, hardstanding for the blow-up hot tub, 6' X 12' chicken run and a 8' X 8' BBQ area..... leaving a 6' X 15' area for the brambles and weeds - simples....

MichaelW

You can get some granules from any gardening centre that combine a mossicide with a greenificationer. I sprinkle them on every 6 weeks or so and it seems to work well.
Wallflowers work pretty well on borders, colourful and cheap.

verylonglegs

I went for artificial grass as it looks much better than most real lawns these days anyway and requires zero maintentance. Granted the decent stuff isn't cheap but life is too short to waste mowing grass imo.

MattC59

Westland Feed Weed and Mosskiller, available from most garden centers (or Amazon).

It's fantastic stuff !! Just sprinkle it on (either by hand, or with the wheely thingy that measures it out) and leave it. The moss goes black in a few days and the weeds die off in a similar time. At the same time, the grass grows thick and green. You'll need to rake out the dead moss at some point, but make sure that you wait until it's dead, otherwise it comes back worse.

It's probably the easiest way to look after your lawn. I put it on a couple of times per year. Make sure that you spread it fairly evenly, otherwise you'll end up with some patches greener than others

Lupins are good in borders. Easy to grow and very colourful.

(Just re-read this........... I need to get out on my bike !! :roll: )

petemadoc

Good work boys, keep em coming

MattC59

Roses !

I put four smal rose bushes in in the spring. They grow to about 2ft high. At present, they have around 60-70 flowers on each. (I counted the buds..... sad, I know !). When I planted them, I just dug out a hole, chucked some horse sh*t and compost in and left them to it. I've not touched them since I put them in.

All you need to do is take dead flowers off and they'll keep flowering all summer. In the autumn, just cut the stems back.
I think they're called patio roses, mine are called Fascination (pink) and Chandos Beauty (white), all very fragrant.

Jeez, I definitely need to get out more !

team47b

MattC59 wrote:

Roses !

I put four smal rose bushes in in the spring. They grow to about 2ft high. At present, they have around 60-70 flowers on each. (I counted the buds..... sad, I know !). When I planted them, I just dug out a hole, chucked some horse sh*t and compost in and left them to it. I've not touched them since I put them in.

All you need to do is take dead flowers off and they'll keep flowering all summer. In the autumn, just cut the stems back.
I think they're called patio roses, mine are called Fascination (pink) and Chandos Beauty (white), all very fragrant.

Jeez, I definitely need to get out more !

When I get old I want to be just like you

nweststeyn

Just concrete over the whole bloody lot and stick some rusty ford escorts and a dishwasher on it.

MattC59

team47b wrote:

MattC59 wrote:

Roses !

I put four smal rose bushes in in the spring. They grow to about 2ft high. At present, they have around 60-70 flowers on each. (I counted the buds..... sad, I know !). When I planted them, I just dug out a hole, chucked some horse sh*t and compost in and left them to it. I've not touched them since I put them in.

All you need to do is take dead flowers off and they'll keep flowering all summer. In the autumn, just cut the stems back.
I think they're called patio roses, mine are called Fascination (pink) and Chandos Beauty (white), all very fragrant.

Jeez, I definitely need to get out more !

When I get old I want to be just like you

and me

mattshrops

Wife this is mower, mower-wife. OK introductions done see you in about 4 hrs.

MichaelW

No need to drag Wifey away from the washing up lads. : bike-mower.

MattC59

mattshrops wrote:

Wife this is mower, mower-wife. OK introductions done see you in about 4 hrs.

4hrs ?!?!?! How big's your garden ???

I can whizz around an acre in about an hour on the tractor mower !! (Father's garden, not mine !)

DrKJM

I strongly recommend not killing off the moss, daisies and dandelions. If it's anything like my 'lawn' once you've done that you'll be left with a wasteland.

seanoconn

I'm a greenkeeper and gardener. Quick tip with your moss. Never try to rake out live moss, you'll spread it. Apply your chemicals, after a week it should turn brown, then you'll have a couple of weeks to rake it out. Leave it too long or don't rake out the dead moss and it will return.

Re-seed the bare areas after raking.

Plenty of evergreen shrubs for your borders.

petemadoc

DrKJM wrote:

I strongly recommend not killing off the moss, daisies and dandelions. If it's anything like my 'lawn' once you've done that you'll be left with a wasteland.

Yes this does concern me a little, there's more grass in my borders than there is on my lawn.

@Seanoconn, what evergreen plants for the borders would you recommend? Some with pretty flowers in the spring/summer would be good. But remember, no high maintenance stuff please

freddiegrubb

First of all, sit down & think about it, then plan your dastardly scheme. if you have a shed pave the way or make it wider- if borders exist use bark or decorative chippings & a liner to stop the weeds or get rid of them & use pots for the flowers- rockeries are good & only require a small weeding every 6 weeks. Any seating areas use the membrane /chippings formula again, I've used all the ideas & it has certainly worked for me, remember a garden is a joy to behold & a job for ever.

seanoconn

PeteMadoc wrote:

DrKJM wrote:

I strongly recommend not killing off the moss, daisies and dandelions. If it's anything like my 'lawn' once you've done that you'll be left with a wasteland.

Yes this does concern me a little, there's more grass in my borders than there is on my lawn.

@Seanoconn, what evergreen plants for the borders would you recommend? Some with pretty flowers in the spring/summer would be good. But remember, no high maintenance stuff please

Rhododendrons and Azaleas are hard to beat for flowering, depending on the soil type in your garden. Hydrangeas aren't evergreen but flower for ages in the summer and are low maintenance, I prefer the mop head variety. Mexican orange blossom, not the best flowers but attractive and grows quickly, good for filling up borders.

How's that? You want me to come and plant them too you lazy git!:-D

petemadoc

seanoconn wrote:

How's that? You want me to come and plant them too you lazy git!:-D

Well if you're offering . . . . I could go for a ride while you're at it.

rhext

Glyphosate is the answer. Now, what was the question?

Raised beds, surrounded by gravel over weed-proof matting. You can sit down in the evening on the edge of a raised bed and weed it by hand in a few minutes while you're unwinding. Takes no time, only needs doing every few weeks and it's actually quite relaxing. Beats mowing the grass any day.

MattC59

One of these for the lawn,probably the best out there, you'll get a fantastic cut !

seanoconn

MattC59 wrote:

One of these for the lawn,probably the best out there, you'll get a fantastic cut !

I know, i have two.

MattC59

seanoconn wrote:

MattC59 wrote:

One of these for the lawn,probably the best out there, you'll get a fantastic cut !

I know, i have two.

They're a customer of mine, you'd come over all faint if you saw their factory / warehouse
(The radio controlled version is ace !!!)

domhnall_dearg

DrKJM wrote:

I strongly recommend not killing off the moss, daisies and dandelions. If it's anything like my 'lawn' once you've done that you'll be left with a wasteland.

Couldn't agree more.

In the non-wasteland parts plant something you enjoy eating (cows for example), giving you a motivation to look after it.

buddha

Ten years ago I had a perfect lawn.
A few years later the moss stated to take over. Then the foxes started to dig holes. And when they started to create what looked like a map of the world out of their poop, I gave up.
Bought a box of "summer meadow" seeds and now its starting to look pretty good - no maintenance required.

mattshrops

MattC59 wrote:

mattshrops wrote:

Wife this is mower, mower-wife. OK introductions done see you in about 4 hrs.

4hrs ?!?!?! How big's your garden ???

I can whizz around an acre in about an hour on the tractor mower !! (Father's garden, not mine !)

I think you have misunderstood. wife-mowing. matt-cycling 8)

postman

I was at a local school last week.They had plastic grass around the edge of the steps into school.It was brilliant looked superb.Not sure how much it cost but it looked very very good.

giant_man

what's gardening?

garryc

Just remember to cut the grass fairly often.

I can cut my grass and trim the edges in about 30mins, my neighbours let theirs grow untill it really needs cutting and then it takes them all afternoon and lots of huffing and puffing.

Redhog14

and then this..



Gardening is just outdoor housework, I can't stand it, didn't bother me that much till I bought a house with a huge one though - Too late smart.

FocusZing

Evergreen Complete works very well.