Part shade small front Garden!

Kriss, if plants are well established they should not need lots of watering. Too much water attracts all the pests because plants grow too lush, too tall and too soft. Watering at the wrong time can be disastrous .......early morning, late afternoon or evening is ok but never when the sun is shining I think.

You asked if a nice, healthy garden needs a good food regime. In my opinion, far more important is adding lots of organic matter and organic (not membrane) mulching. I do feed, using fish blood n bone, chicken pellets, etc., but often mulches provide sufficient nutrient value. Scratching in such fertilisers in early spring is usually worthwhile and

Gail, I could never, never replace my lawn....I have 2....with gravel . The greenery it provides, the smell when mown, the softness of it and the sheer pleasure it gives us. A place to sit, to play on, etc.......you cant sit or play on gravel. Finally, what sets plants off better than a lawn?

 

Hello Verdun..firstly our lawn on the back looked like a golf course and it was beautiful but when you have a staffy male who rips through the lawn...well the piece he destroyed got replaced by we doing the middle with a bird bath and then he started across the other side, we put grass seeds down for 2yrs and a lawn sprinkler and on the 2nd year it was so hot it burnt it and it was like mowing dirt...we travelled up cannock to check out quality false grass as we was considering it and when I spoke to a man I knew with two staffs he said totally forget it, he had to go that way and they ripped through it, so we gravelled it, at first it was hard to get used to as we loved the lawn but i'm used to it now and regarding the front lawn when you have health problems concerning you back it got to much and I can't force my hubby to do gardening when he dislikes it and I like the front but it's everyone to their own.

Regarding the back we have seating area's on the decking besides the slabs and there's only me who as the pleasure, as hubby likes messing in his shed.

Sorry it's a bit long Verdun just trying to explain

 

YEP

 

Ha ha Gail, totally understand. Puppy in niece's new build loves to chew and pull the grass there. My old dog was brilliant.....kept to pathways, knew where to poo and wee and was never a problem. (oh! When he was a puppy he did dig a hole in a brand new lawn, he did chew up skirting boards, tables, chairs, etc. etc......)

 

Verdun you have made me with what you've put...my Bruno like your other dog was excellent in other ways could never fault him but regarding wanting to urinate it was my plants..lost quite a few through it and messing on the lawn..when the garden was first done gates was put on to keep him to a slabbed area and all you got was crying ...he totally refused the area and the best part about it he was walked 3 times daily.

Puppies are the same as children they have to be taught...if not you have a dog running the home