I really need to get my back garden done but i need to do it nice cheaply and i'm only a weak woman :D Hubby can't help as he has a heart condition so it's all up to me, don't think i can afford to get a landscape gardener in, was going to flag it all but priced up flags :eek: The next cheapest idea was to level it all off and put grass seed down but after hours of digging a minute corner and pulling a muscle in my chest and shoulder i gave up:( Any ideas what i could do that won't take much work or would be cheap Thanks sorry if the pic don't turn out
Well, On that little hill you have, I would maybe plant a pre-grown tree, If you have any old bricks or stones you could use them to form a better/nicer looking fire pit, With the pond I would maybe clean it out/drain it, and refill it then put some fishes and bottom feeders to keep it clean. Then plant grass seed in the rest of the area and if wanted make a deck area out of stepping stones or something of the like. Also maybe some climbing vines for the fences? My 2 cents
Thanks for the ideas, the fire is where i have just burnt some rubbish and today i removed all of the rubbish in the garden do it looks 'slightly' better. The pond i am going to clean out and refill and i'm thinking of having gravel around that area.
Not sure if its allowed in your area but I would put/make a fire pit, Makes a nice area to gather around at night.
Hello Haze and welcome to gardener's corner. I really think you should persevere with the digging before you do anything else, to get rid of the weeds and get the site level if nothing else, and certainly to loosen the soil and be able to dig in some compost or manure if you want to grow things. I would decide it's going to take a while and try to do it little and often. That way you won't get worn out or injured at the start and will be able to develop your digging muscles and fitness. I promise you, girls CAN dig! I use a border fork mostly myself, as it's a bit smaller and therefore easier, although spade v. fork and size of whichever you choose is personal preference. I find a fork generally easier than a spade plus I hate chopping worms up which I find happens more with a spade! In the meantime, try to get some inspiration from nosing at gardens in your neighbourhood, visiting public gardens if you can, looking on the net, etc. You can start planning and keep up your enthusiasm! It is a bit of a slow job but most good things have to be waited for I think. My garden was I think a bit worse than yours when I moved here, and it's taken two years to get it how I want it, although throughout that time it has kept getting better in stages and the biggest improvements were early on - it was pretty good last summer for example. So, don't be discouraged, take it in little bits and be pleased with yourself with each little achievement, each square yard dug and weeded, and keep in mind what you want it to be like. I know this is probably not what you wanted to hear! And maybe someone else can come up with a quicker, easier idea, but that's my two penn'orth. Good luck!
first off . dont over work your self . just half an hour a day , and you will suprised how quick things can get sorted. i would very carfully pick out thos dandilions , so as not to spread the seeds i see you have a few bikes in the garden . are they yours or do you have kids. get your kids to help. as for the pond DONT over clean it just tidy it up. a well established pond is easier to look after. if there is no fish in the pond . just take out half the water . sort out the plants and scoop out half the sedement in the bottom. if you have fish in the pond. find a good size contaner fill it with the pond water and put the fish in the container, keep the container out of direct sunlight (reason : the water will heat up to fast and deplete the oxygen level . basicaly the fish will sufercate).plus also if you keep some sediment in the bottom it will be easier to grow new plants in the pond. here is a neat trick instead of just burning on the ground , get yourself a resonable size BBQ of sorts 1: thatle provide sowere that you can burn stuff (much esier to clean up after) 2: have some friends round, for a work evening . you supply the bbq and food £20 goes along way with a simple bbq. money well spent if you can get them to help out the blue sheet in the corner , use that to cover the weeds :thumb::thumb::thumb:
Hiya, I too had a garden with several no-go areas last year (new house). The no-go areas were just full of rubbish and things. As I am only a weak woman with a disinterested hubby (he does not have a good excuse like yours!), I didn't know how I'd ever be able to tackle it all. I am also very impatient and didn't think I wanted to spend 5 years doing it all bit by bit. So I asked friends and family to help. It's amazing what you can do in a weekend! I got help from two people for a whole week. We managed to clear out three skip loads of rubbish (this was expensive though, as each skip cost around £170, but I don't think you have that much waste from the looks of it). We also dug over large areas and reseeded them (like you, I have a dog, so I constructed a makeshift fence out of bamboo sticks and bunting to keep her off it for a few weeks until the grass was established). I think grass is nicer than slabs myself, as it's green and smells nice when it's cut and it's not that hard to look after. Levelling the ground is obviously quite helpful and does look better, but I don't think a slightly bumpy lawn matters much, as long as it's green and cut regularly so it doesn't get to long and straggly! Maybe you could hire a rotavator to help you prepare the ground? it's a smallish cost and will save you from some physical aches and pains! But definitely get some friends and family to give you a hand, maybe over the May bank holiday or half term? Flowerbeds take maintenance and cost money to establish if you're buying plants from garden centres, so how about you get yourself 10 cheap plastic pots (the larger sizes are better) and fill them with colourful bedding plants for this summer? They are cheap, and will give you some colour quickly, and apart from watering them they'll require little maintenance. I would also paint the breezeblock wall and paint the fence panels so that they look nice and fresh and are all the same colour. Again, it's not that expensive or difficult to do, but it'll make a huge difference to how nice your garden looks. Finally, having got a decentish lawn and tidy fence, I would attach half a dozen or so hanging baskets to the fence. They will add some colour at eye level!
Thanks for the ideas..much appreciated, i have rid the garden of the rubbish guess i'll just have to stop been impatiant, also i need to buy everything online as i'm agoraphobic..not doing too well am i lol i guess i'll get there in the end and when i do i'll post pics..as long as i'm not too old and fragile to use a computer l:D
Cool - always good to see progress pictures Best of luck with it whatever approach you end up taking.
Hi Haze welcome to the forum. Like others have already mentioned don't be put off by what you think is a BIG JOB as it really isn't and that is spoken by my own experience like yourself my hubby has major health issues but he does manage to do quite a bit about the garden maybe too much at times! When we moved into our present home two years ago all we had for a garden was a very bumpy lawn, daffs and the dreaded (can't get rid of) lily of the valley. Within the past two years we have transformed the front garden into a normal boring semi garden with flower borders all around with a grassed centre and the side garden is a very pretty woodland cottage type garden, this year it's the back garden's turn I'm hoping for a jungle type but not with nettles and brambles etc.:D Below is a picture taken last year shortly after the side garden was finished on the left hand side is a cute little deck area for hubby and me to sit in the shade as you can well imagine even after less than a year this side garden is already looking very full and I have to say done quite cheaply although Bob (my hubby) might say otherwise. Set yourself a goal one area at a time decide what you want after all it is your own garden and you are going to get the most joy from it especially since you suffer from agoraphobic your garden is going to be your own little bit of heaven. Some lovely climbers for your fences and walls would look nice but if your dog likes a good chew then you will have to surround the plant will something to protect it. Go for perennial plants that way your pennies will go even further athough if you want loads of flowers this year you can always buy some bedding plants and collect seed off them for you to sow on your window sills next year while you enjoy the wonderful flowers this year too.Good luck and remember little and often is far better than not at all. Hel.xxx.