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Creating a garden from scratch... Where to start?!
emily.tray
Posts: 1
We moved into an 80s build last year and were faced with this...
Where on earth do we start?!
The easy option would be to get a landscape gardener in and let them take care of the whole thing, but sadly we don't have the budget for that. So, we are undertaking the project ourselves. We are novice gardeners but used to love to potter around our old garden.
The obvious problem are the weeds, which are the main thing we're seeking your advice on. We are planning to extend the patio along the first half of the garden (alongside the house), and would like to have a lawn and borders for flowers on the other half.
What is the best way to kill the weeds off so that they don't come back and best weed killer to use (with the plan to lay a lawn and plant flowers in the future)?
Any advice is greatly received!!
🌸🌻🌼🌺
Where on earth do we start?!
The easy option would be to get a landscape gardener in and let them take care of the whole thing, but sadly we don't have the budget for that. So, we are undertaking the project ourselves. We are novice gardeners but used to love to potter around our old garden.
The obvious problem are the weeds, which are the main thing we're seeking your advice on. We are planning to extend the patio along the first half of the garden (alongside the house), and would like to have a lawn and borders for flowers on the other half.
What is the best way to kill the weeds off so that they don't come back and best weed killer to use (with the plan to lay a lawn and plant flowers in the future)?
Any advice is greatly received!!
🌸🌻🌼🌺
0
Posts
You'll still get weeds coming in from elsewhere, or from the existing site though, and would need to keep on top of them, so it might be better to just keep cutting it back regularly, and dig out or spot kill any persistent weeds until you're ready to prep the site properly for the turf. If you intend doing the patio this year, that would probably be the best solution for now anyway, as the ground will all get disturbed.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
If you follow @Fairygirl 's advice and use a lawnmower or strimmer and assuming you haven't already made a start, please do a check for any lurking wildlife before you begin.
Depending on whereabouts you are in the UK, the predicted heat might crisp them up a bit.
It doesn't look that large an area from the perspective l'm seeing. Personally l would attack it with a fork if the ground is soft enough, and get out as much as possible by hand if you can.
If you'd rather use a weedkiller, Roundup is pretty good, there are various types available, so best to see which one is most suited to your needs.
Hope this helps
It will re-grow when you have some rain and then you can spot weed any deep-rooted weeds such as thistles or dock. you will need several applications of a glyphosate based weed killer before they give in as every bit of roots needs to get the message. Keep it mowed until you've got your new patio laid and only then think about forking over the whole area and removing weeds and their roots.
You can use strings and pegs to mark out where your new patio will go and a hosepipe to mark the outlines for the lawn and borders and then look at them from every angle, including upstairs, before you commit to the soil prep for laying turf or sowing seed for a lawn in autumn or spring, depending on how quickly you get on with the paving.