Crappy garden

OU812

Hi folks.

First time in here and hoping to avail of your expert knowledge.

Due to an extension being built last year, a dog that like to dig, a kids pool (before the hosepipe ban) and years of neglect, our garden has fallen into severe disrepair.

The grass is patchy at best & absent/weed infested at best.

There’s some photos here so you can see what we’re dealing with: https://imgur.com/gallery/JGBTZC0

I’d like to attempt to get it sorted rather than give up & pave over it, but I’m not adverse to that either.

We also have ivy round the walls which is great for security & privacy as it grows about two foot above the walls, but that’s infested with bindweed from a neighbours.

The soil is really good as our garden used to be a fruit orchard and has a lot of nutrients and I believe it could be great, but the nuclear option of paving over appeals as I wouldn’t have to deal with it any more.

Opinions?

macraignil

Looks to be typical of what can grow in an area when there is not much light available. You don't say in your post what you are looking for in your garden. What do you want to use the area for? Are you saying paving is the nuclear option because it might cost a lot to get the full area paved or do you have some sort of attachment to the plants (e.g dandelions) that are growing there?

OU812

It actually gets a lot of light. That’s the sunny side of the garden!

The grass was pretty much killed off as it was a work area last year. I thought it’d recover but that’s what we’re left with.

Ideally I’d like to have a nice lawn but it doesn’t seem possible. It’s very bumpy, and looks like those images.

It had moss growing there before but that’s pretty much disappeared as well. No attachment to dandilions or otherwise.

The nuclear option. Is to just have it paved & give the mower away. Therefore not have to think of it any more.

macraignil

If the area gets good levels of light then a lawn should be easy to get started again. If it's bumpy then it would be an idea to just dig over it with a garden fork and take out the weed roots while you go. Then just spread some grass seed and rake level and leave it grow back to lawn again within a couple of months. Set the mower to its highest setting for the first few trims and if there are any persistent weeds just ease them out with a trowel and leave the grass take over the area as the mowing will give it an advantage over the other plants anyway. You could get roll out lawn as well that would be a bit faster to get established but just planting seed would be cheaper.
Good luck!

Harry Palmr

Have you considered developing the garden for growing fruit and veg in part and paving the rest.

unattendedbag

I'd love to tackle that lawn. Rotivator it and re seed. It'll be a good chance to level it when the soil is dug up. Throw down some weed and feed fertiliser and it'll be thriving soon. If you want to do it this year then get it done before end of September (sooner the better) as it needs to be somewhat established before the frost and ice comes.

You could also prep the soil and roll out some sod. Easy way to get an instant new garden.

Alternatively consider artificial grass if the area is not too big. I hate the stuff but it can be suitable for some.