Low maintenance into a lawn
mattgarden
Posts: 109
Hi all. Recently moved into my house from an apartment and I am seriously enthusiastic about turning what is a mostly stone and concrete garden in to a lovely garden with a nice lawn for my daughter and bbq./dining area at the sunny rear. Been watching Monty on big dreams small spaces. So inspirational.
I am researching like mad as to what to do with creating my garden. Here is an image of it https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwxUMa1UZJO1SUE1VzBMNU9WeE0/view?usp=sharing
Clearly I need to remove all the stones and paving. I also want to reduce the size of the patio and bring the lawn towards the house to maximise its size. My question is though, what steps must I follow. Various websites suggest different things. Eg, some say to weed, some to rotovate, some say to add top soil, some say add manure. And some say none of the above.
I'm wondering if these differences in 'instructions' is because many gardens are different. So any advice on what steps are recommended for my garden would be very gratefully received.
Posts
You need to see what sort of soil you are working with first. The ground will very likely be compacted so will need turning over. When you know what your dealing with, top soil /compost can be added or it may not be need.
How much sun and light does it get Matt? Grass needs that or it struggles to look good. Lots of trees, fences and buildings there, so I'm guessing it's quite shady. It might be the reason the garden has been done in paving and gravel to start with!
It's a really nice little plot you have, but grass may not be the way to go, much as you might want it ....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Hi Fairy, thank you for the reply. We only moved in in the autumn so can't accurately answer that. It is North facing though, so the trees don't come in to it thankfully. Both houses either side have decent lawns and the 2 that I can see next to them also so I'm hopeful we are able to get a nice one too
That's fair enough Matt. I'd hate for you to put all the effort in, only to find you're constantly battling the surroundings!
The other requirememnt for grass is decent drainage, and that's what you'll need to tackle when you lift the gravel and paving. The ground will be compacted for sure, but I'd avoid rotovating because if there are lots of perennail weeds under there, especially horsetail or ground elder etc, you can give yourself a bigger problem than you start with, as each little piece that gets chopped, will regenerate. Better to dig and loosen the soil up, removing any weed material as you go. You can then add a mix of topsoil,compost and manure depending on the conditions you have, as that will give you a good medium to turf or sow seed. If the ground's heavy clay, the addition of grit will assist drainage.
It's one of those situations where you can't be sure what route to follow until you start clearing the site. There could be concrete and all sorts under there .
I think I'd start with the gravel area, and see what it's like. By the time you get down to lifting the patio, you may be sick of the sight of it all, and that way, you can either leave the patio part for another time, or just keep it the way it is !
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thank you all for your help. This may be a better view. This is about midday last week. I'm hoping the sun will come in more when it is higher in summer
I would be tempted to start on the paved area first. Lift two or three rows of slabs to the right along the brown fence and turn that into a border. Clothe the fence with rambling roses or other climbers. The gravel bit is quite tidy and can be enlivened by some pots in the summer. There will still be room on the paving for table and chairs
That should be enough for your first year. You say you have just moved in so no doubt you have lots to do in the house as well.
Sorry to disagree hogweed but I think matt should follow fairy's advice and work on the gravelled area not the patio. My thinking is that the previous owners put it there for a reason, and at the moment it is easy to tidy up with a jetwash and some seasonal pots.
Looks like this garden is on a downward slope with a step down into the graveled area, with a lot of shade from the house and garage on the left of the photo.
My advice would be to investigate beneath the gravel to check on soil type and drainage for your planned lawn (I suspect it's heavily compacted).
Keep watching how the sun falls on your garden matt, the photo you've posted today is a good reminder if you need to look back at light levels through the seasons. Taking pics morning/noon/evening will help you with your plan.
Unless you have pots of money to throw at it, and can employ professionals to dig it all out, it will be backbreaking to dig out that top patio to extend a lawn area. I would live with it "as is" for a year before making plans for major changes and concentrate on the back area which gets the most sunlight.
Then at least you can sit there and relax on a summer evening
I'm with Fairy, too. Don't forget Matt's daughter who will be wanting a bit of grass rather than a border or roses. One section at a time will be less daunting and the patio area will still be useable while you work on the rest. Good luck - hard work but rewarding.
The garden will get more sun in the summer months but I'd still be concerned about just how much of the time it will be in shade. You may well be successful with lawn in the current gravel area, but the patio is almost completely shaded either by the house itself or, later in the day, by the wall and garage.
Thank you to each and everyone of you for your advice. It is gratefully appreciated and all taken on board. I can't wait to get started, but certainly agree about waiting to see where the sun falls to see where to lawn. But in the mean time I'll prepare the ground ready. Under the patio - would I usually expect to find concrete