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Replacing lawn with gravel?

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  • Thanks Jenny...   It does look a fair bit worse now to be honest, that pic was taken a few months ago...  I think it'll either be try the spiking then or I have seen some nice reddish coloured pine bark so might go for that instead, will definitely be digging out the beds further and getting more plants in though :smile:
  • WhippetWhippet Posts: 145
    I have the opposite problem and need to take the blessed stuff UP!

    All being well we should move into a new home where all the flower beds/paths/front garden have been covered in 4 inches plus depth of gravel...various sizes.
    I HATE the stuff and now have the problem of how to get rid of it. Its going to take ages to bag it all up and have no idea whats underneath it all.

    Why do people DO this? Surely there are less drastic ways to make a 'low maintainance garden'....soon as I read that on estate agents write ups my heart sank!!
  • Julia1983Julia1983 Posts: 139
    :) I used to think the exact same, until we found ourselves with areas of poorly drained clay in shade!  now I understand perfectly. Can't really help on the bagging up but if you're planning to re-grass it do you know what kind of soil is underneath?  and how much sun it gets?  Not trying to put a dampener on or patronise, but there may be a very good reason it was gravelled over ;)
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    edited March 2019
    @Whippet - If you have the space to put all the dug up gravel in one big heap, then advertise it on Freecycle or Gumtree and tell people to bring their own bags and shovels.  Otherwise, hire a 'muck away' lorry to take it all away for you, I don't think it's that expensive from memory. 
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • WhippetWhippet Posts: 145
    Julia...the garden lies due west/east...front garden facing east and back to the west. Grass is still there, its the flowerbeds that have disappeared.

    Lizzie...thats an idea :)  Probably it could all be wheel-barrowed into a corner at the front.
  • Julia1983Julia1983 Posts: 139
    edited March 2019
    If I lived nearby... I'd take it :D
  • WhippetWhippet Posts: 145

  • DampGardenManDampGardenMan Posts: 1,054
    @Whippet - if you have the room I'd hang onto the gravel for a while. Never know when you might need some, e.g. for digging into a heavy soil?

    Looks like you'll be able to make a nice garden there!
  • WhippetWhippet Posts: 145
    Hopefully it will be beautiful one day :)
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    The leaves and heavy clay was the reason we went for gravel, but instead of the loose stuff we have bonded resin gravel. No loose bits getting everywhere, no problem sweeping, water seeps away so no slippery paths, can be made into any shape you want, best idea we ever had.
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