That's fair enough @februarysgirl. Obviously, I don't know your circumstances, but I do know exactly what you mean about little gobsh*tes. I had a very similar problem when I moved here [I used to live round the corner and was very happy there] and felt like selling up and moving again after 6 months, due to the behaviour of some kids. It's also, technically, a nice area. A nice row of jaggy shrubs planted down at the end would help to keep them away. I did a fence right round the boundary, then planted a nice jaggy hedge I was able to do that myself though, so less tricky. The problem with fences is that, unless you have something decent [which can be expensive if you can't do it yourself] it can often be a bit of a waste of money.
It's quite difficult though - you may have to try a few things to get the right solution.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Fairygirl It's frustrating to have to limit what you can do because an AH minority would delight in ruining it 😠 The yucca I had nicked was evil, it managed to draw blood any time I tried to do anything remotely in its vicinity. You'd have to be grade A stupid to attempt trying to pull that thing up but they did it none the less so I'm not confident anything equally unfriendly would be a deterrent.
The only other thing I can think of is thiswhich I could have both sides.I could put some seeds in the gaps or even leave the odd section unfilled to sow seeds in so I get clumps of wildflowers but I'm not massively happy about paving/concreting as I don't want to add to the issues it causes. There's already two gardens in our street that have been paved in the last couple of years 😟
I know what you mean about paving and concreting. We tend to favour gravel because it means the drainage is there - high rainfall here, and it's also easier to use in ice/frost/snow. Lots of people do use paviours for driveways, and there's a fairly new , quite posh, estate not far from me which is entirely done with those. Lots of drains put in, but I shudder to think what that costs. The only, or main, drawback I can see with that concrete mould is that it's very small, so you'd need a fair old bit of concrete for filling if you're doing a sizeable area. If you aren't able to mix it yourself, you'd need the ready mixed stuff, which ain't cheap.
Quite difficult to think of a good solution which doesn't cost you an arm and a leg, especially if you want minimal maintenance, which I also understand.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
We've got a drainage channel at the top end of the drive near the house although it seriously needs clearing out. I assume that with the concrete it's possible to chisel the excess in the gaps out so the area wouldn't be completely devoid of drainage.
I definitely wouldn't call it a large area. Last year I had a false chimney breast put in and I did the floor tiles and brick slips myself. For the floor tiles I used ready mix as I didn't need anything close to a bag of adhesive but I had to mix my own for the brick slips. I've got all the stuff needed to mix the concrete, the only problem I have is the speed at which I work especially when using rapid set! Nothing's fallen off the wall (yet) so I think I did an OK job 😂 I think this is looking more and more like the best option but I do think I'd need to get someone in to do it. There's absolutely no chance of me being able to take the necessary depth off and get it level and as for using rapid set, I just don't work fast enough. I might just have to stick with wildflower plugs this year and then invest more next year.
You've done a great job in your back garden, you'd need the front paving to match the high standard already achieved! It's a skilled job to get paving right and if it's not done well it's easy to tell. I prefer green to paving and would go ahead with your planting preference this year - you'll make it look good!
Thanks @Plantminded 😊 I think the best thing about using the paving moulds and concrete as opposed to proper paving slabs would be less labour involved, much less precision required and no cutting! I need to get something done with the front, whenever I can't figure out what to do with things, everything goes to pot and the front garden has well and truly gone to pot.
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A nice row of jaggy shrubs planted down at the end would help to keep them away. I did a fence right round the boundary, then planted a nice jaggy hedge
I was able to do that myself though, so less tricky.
The problem with fences is that, unless you have something decent [which can be expensive if you can't do it yourself] it can often be a bit of a waste of money.
It's quite difficult though - you may have to try a few things to get the right solution.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The only other thing I can think of is this which I could have both sides. I could put some seeds in the gaps or even leave the odd section unfilled to sow seeds in so I get clumps of wildflowers but I'm not massively happy about paving/concreting as I don't want to add to the issues it causes. There's already two gardens in our street that have been paved in the last couple of years 😟
The only, or main, drawback I can see with that concrete mould is that it's very small, so you'd need a fair old bit of concrete for filling if you're doing a sizeable area. If you aren't able to mix it yourself, you'd need the ready mixed stuff, which ain't cheap.
Quite difficult to think of a good solution which doesn't cost you an arm and a leg, especially if you want minimal maintenance, which I also understand.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I definitely wouldn't call it a large area. Last year I had a false chimney breast put in and I did the floor tiles and brick slips myself. For the floor tiles I used ready mix as I didn't need anything close to a bag of adhesive but I had to mix my own for the brick slips. I've got all the stuff needed to mix the concrete, the only problem I have is the speed at which I work especially when using rapid set! Nothing's fallen off the wall (yet) so I think I did an OK job 😂 I think this is looking more and more like the best option but I do think I'd need to get someone in to do it. There's absolutely no chance of me being able to take the necessary depth off and get it level and as for using rapid set, I just don't work fast enough. I might just have to stick with wildflower plugs this year and then invest more next year.