Paul's Morecambe Nightmare

Can you get a close-up pic of whatever is growing in the bottom right corner of your first picture? Its hard to be sure at that scale, but I think I see bindweed there. Bindweed is my arch-nemesis. If you have well established bindweed there, then you're going to have serious problems establishing a garden unless you get rid of it. Bindweed very quickly takes over, and will smother, choke and kill many other plants that just can't compete with it.

Its not as scary as it sounds though. Its easily treated if you haven't started planting yet. I'd say whatever you do, don't pull it out or chop it down until we've got a positive ID on it, because if it is bindweed, chopping it down simply makes it grow back much faster.

I think its a good idea to have a patio. I built one here about a year after we moved in. We moved in in summer time and because the ground was nice and dry, I was in two minds about whether to do a patio or not, but then when winter came and the ground was regularly wet, it quickly became obvious it would have been nicer to have somewhere that doesn't turn into a muddy mess to sit out on.

I'd suggest though, plan your patio carefully. Think about when you'll use it and what for. My evening chill out patio was meant for wife and I to enjoy a beer or glass of wine on a warm summers evening. I put it right at the bit that gets the last of the evening sun. Great plan, except for the oversight. If you sit there before sunset, the sun is right in your eyes unless you turn round to face the lovely view of either the brick wall of the house, or the wooden fence. I've recently started a new evening chillout area that is pleasant towards sunset without your eyes being scorched out, and the original evening chillout area is now more the after sunset chillout area/chalk drawing area for our son.

 

What I see is a blank canvas that with some hard graft up front will give you plenty of potential for a beautiful garden

I can't help with the hard landscaping type stuff, but I always think it adds instant appeal to see a nicely painted fence, which I'm sure isn't top of your priority list at the mo!

A pergola like the one in your pic would be lovely over a patio area

Not a fan of gravel myself and I think with a two year old the sharp stones might hurt little knees and hands more than smooth slabs if they fall over.

Make sure you give us lots of pics of the progress and if you are looking for inspiration have a look at Yvonne's Nectar Haven thread to keep you motivated.

Love the name BTW

 

Oh wow Merlesworld, I'm extremely touched by your post, thank you x

The suggestion of painting the fence is a good one, I like what Al has done with his, painted it black. Sounds mad but it works brilliantly at showcasing the planting, check it out here:
http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/...y-garden-as-of-today-and-new-purchases.52099/

 

I sure hope you did keep those big round stones, you'd pay a fair bit for those in a garden centre.

 

Yep had a look already and its perfect inspiration.

Good call and going to go with Clueless suggestion of patio, I like the idea of someplace to sit all year round and its a good starting point

Ahhh, first mistake....guess what I did yesterday yep it was bindweed

Now my little boy would love that. Our rear garden is East facing and gets sun all day until around early evening but the side of the house gets sun all day (Beautiful sunsets over Morecambe bay)

Hi Madahhilia, yes did keep all the stones and any suggestions welcome.

 

It's to do with motorbikes and a joke about having moobs and been fast I dont have moobs btw

 

No big deal. It will be back in a couple of weeks. I'd just let it come back, and be ready with the round-up. Its not going to be a single treatment job unfortunately, but you're kind of lucky in that you've identified it sufficiently early in the year to get the problem under control this year.

I wrote a fairly detailed article somewhere on here about how I engaged it and won in my last garden. I don't think you'll have as much trouble as I did if you haven't started planting yet, but much of the detail might be useful. I'll see if I can find it.

 

Ahem! I did mention the bindweed in my early post here.

Gravel looks attractive but isn't very practical, it quite often gets scattered onto the lawn and as previously said will ruin your mower blades.

 

Some thoughts on the flooring question (emphasis is on 2 year old son)

Gravel
* Fits in mouths, but I wouldn't rule it out for that reason alone because other things in the garden that fit in the mouth of a 2 year old boy include lumps of mud, snails, and in one case, the dog end of my mate's carelessly discarded rolly.
* Is rubbish for pushing toy cars along
* Is awful for peddling a trike on
* Is BRILLIANT for playing toy diggers on.

Decking
* Can be slippery when wet.
* Is brilliant for playing toy cars on, and toy trains (the boards become roads/tracks)
* Not great for chalking on.

Concrete/paving
* Perfect for riding trikes on
* Perfect for chalk drawing
* Ok for playing toy cars on
* Useless for playing toy diggers on

I've gone for a hard patio (made out of broken paving slabs in a sort of 'looks better than it sounds' crazy paving sort of arrangement), a play area with bark chip floor, and most recently a pond with a sandy beach. With that plus the lawn and the tree house/fort complete with 'wobbly bridge', there's a good range of different surface types to play on.

 

Your garden sounds like happy mount kids park in Morecambe clueless, sounds the mutts danglies. We have settled on the patio and also taken into account the amount of rubble in the soil in that particular area would take forever to properly clear and make good for lawns, planting etc. Thanks to everyone for the advice its all really welcome and a big help to a numpty like myself

 

Cleared more rubble today (quarter of an 8 tonne skip already) the soil is still full of hardcore, bits of bottle, stones, etc and getting a bit disalussioned. Tuesday I will be breaking up the area in front of the patio doors which is the final 'big bit' to do (and the thinner area at rear of garden). Its again about 4" concrete on rubble and broken crap. This area and area to the left in pictures will be patio but my struggle is with how to make good the other areas. Do I just keep digging and clearing the stones or is there an easier method ? Already a little lost as how to proceed. Attached a pic of how it looks after today and a close up of the soil.

 

Gardening is a bit like DIY Fastmoobs, preparation is everything. Looking at your second picture, if that is the area in front of your house that is having patio then I wouldn't bother clearing any more out as long as you have removed all the large bits. Again if it's to be lawn I'd put some topsoil down and then lay your lawn when you've finished clearing the rest. Grass only needs 4 inches of soil for roots, as long as it has good drainage underneath it should be okay. On the other hand if you are putting borders there it will probably need more work.

You may be getting disillusioned but hang in there it will come together. Renovating a garden is not easy or quick to happen, it took me five years to get my back garden to the point where it was workable......don't let that scare you, I was renovating my bungalow at the same time, I'd moved in to a wreck inside and out.

There's no easy way unfortunately, it's just hard graft to get it cleared. Give yourself a couple of days off here and there, think on it then go back to it, you will probably find that helps. Or work on the most important area first and let the rest wait.

 

Thats the area just infront of the last large concrete area right outside patio doors. Thinking of maybe grassing that with a pathway leading from patio to a circular seating area at end of garden. It was really bad till yesterday when I removed all the large house bricks. The area under existing patio will be the same if not worse but that will be paved anyway. Except for a border all round that will be for planting. Unfortunately its so high that it covers half the air bricks on house wall.
Thanks for the encouragement , will keep working at it all and remove as much as I can. Once its levelled and all marked out with some fresh hardcore, top soil etc it will begin to come together and look more like a garden.

Oh and I now the feeling of renovating houses. This one was a wreck too. Extension subsiding and pulling outside wall of house down. You could fit your hand through the gap from inside to outside it was that big....bit of a draft too in winterNew kitchen, bathroom, blah blah blah. But I reckon I could live with that for a house on the IOM and the TT, Manx TT every year. Will be there next year staying in an apartment in Peel and maybe just maybe I might have half finished my garden by then .......Whats that you say dear ? Dont talk such what ???????