How do I improve this grass on the side of my road?

SocialSpud

My neighbor used a string trimmer to tidy up the sides of the road so I'd like to get the grass back looking a bit healthier. Any tips on how to start? There's lots of weeds and moss too. I'm a complete beginner when it comes to these things.

Here's a photo: https://i.imgur.com/w4bAB2D.jpg

Not sure what the type of grass is but here's a photo of that too: https://i.imgur.com/Do6iPOY.jpg

magicbastarder

what do you want to achieve? i.e. is it just a case of letting the grass grow again?

The Continental Op

Simple answer is get out and cut it more often.

If you set a mower at between about 50 and 75mm and cut regularly (don't bother to take the grass off) it will soon improve.

What I'd do is cut 2-3 strips nearst the road each week at about 50mm and then the rest at the highest setting. Then strim around the rocks and base of wall every month.

Only trouble is if you make it look decent and its a narrow road drivers will just use it as a passing place and drive over it.

forgottenhills

SocialSpud wrote: »

My neighbor used a string trimmer to tidy up the sides of the road so I'd like to get the grass back looking a bit healthier. Any tips on how to start? There's lots of weeds and moss too. I'm a complete beginner when it comes to these things.

Here's a photo: https://i.imgur.com/w4bAB2D.jpg

Not sure what the type of grass is but here's a photo of that too: https://i.imgur.com/Do6iPOY.jpg

The grass will grow back pretty quickly all by itself after some rain and a bit of heat. It's probably less green than normal at present due to lack of both. If you want it to look greener than its natural look then buy and apply some lawn fertiliser from a garden centre. But if you do that then it will have to be cut fairly often or it will grow out of control. If you cut it with a lawnmower it will look neater than with a strimmer.

SocialSpud

magicbastarder wrote: »

what do you want to achieve? i.e. is it just a case of letting the grass grow again?

Yea basically just want to have it look more healthy and kill off the moss. The grass was really long before and nettles everywhere up on the big rock. Would also love to put some small flowers in close to the wall.

SocialSpud

The Continental Op wrote: »

Simple answer is get out and cut it more often.

If you set a mower at between about 50 and 75mm and cut regularly (don't bother to take the grass off) it will soon improve.

What I'd do is cut 2-3 strips nearst the road each week at about 50mm and then the rest at the highest setting. Then strim around the rocks and base of wall every month.

Only trouble is if you make it look decent and its a narrow road drivers will just use it as a passing place and drive over it.

Thanks, would I have to let it grow back a bit first before doing that? The grass was very long before he strimmed it down and the left all the grass behind, I thought leaving the grass there would be a bad idea as I've seen it leave brown patches when you do that but I'm guessing from what you said it's good for the soil?

This is actually a cul de sac so I'd be the only driver passing thankfully.

The Continental Op

SocialSpud wrote: »

Yea basically just want to have it look more healthy and kill off the moss. The grass was really long before and nettles everywhere up on the big rock. Would also love to put some small flowers in close to the wall.

Cutting will get rid of the nettles and green up the grass just as if it was being eaten down by sheep but if you want it looking natural put up with the moss.

Our native primula would fit in there and you could possibly put in some snowdrops (search this forum for good advice on them can be planted now) but they would look a little less natural.

tbh I'd be really against doing anything that made that look like an extension to someomes front garden.

SocialSpud

forgottenhills wrote: »

The grass will grow back pretty quickly all by itself after some rain and a bit of heat. It's probably less green than normal at present due to lack of both. If you want it to look greener than its natural look then buy and apply some lawn fertiliser from a garden centre. But if you do that then it will have to be cut fairly often or it will grow out of control. If you cut it with a lawnmower it will look neater than with a strimmer.

Thanks, I'd rather not use anything that's harmful to pets, children or the environment. Would you recommend any natural solution? It doesn't need to look too green, just naturally healthy.

The Continental Op

SocialSpud wrote: »

Thanks, would I have to let it grow back a bit first before doing that? The grass was very long before he strimmed it down and the left all the grass behind, I thought leaving the grass there would be a bad idea as I've seen it leave brown patches when you do that but I'm guessing from what you said it's good for the soil?

This is actually a cul de sac so I'd be the only driver passing thankfully.

That area is a nice little natural habitat. If its not grazed by sheep I'd model it as if it was.

The only bad thing about leaving the grass behind is that over time it will improve the fertility of the soil which if you want wild flowers to grow is a bad idea. Increased fertility also equals more grass cutting. I wouldn't use any fertiliser. I might just spot weed very occasionally with 2-4D any docks or course weeds but otherwise I'd do nothing much other than cut. Its still a rough area and best treated as such unless you have to much time on your hands. Think of sheep all they do is eat the grass and manure it a bit.

Just cut it regularly this year and see how it develops.

magicbastarder

i'd go for the natural look. further to the suggestion re primroses, etc., why not take a look at what does well naturally around the area?

looksee

Agree with the above about just mowing it and leaving it alone. I would suggest you don't put flowers in it as you will have to leave it for them to grow, which will mean that weeds and long grass will get going and you will end up as someone else said, creating a flower bed. The moss is ok, its not a lawn, don't worry about it. A strip of manicured fine grass along the verge would look artificial and people driving over it will annoy you.

wildwillow

How much of the roadside do you want to control? The entire length or just the patch outside your property. What has been done was correct, and once we get rain it will regrow. Control the nettles by pulling if you want.

You really shouldn't expect a manicured lawn there.

As for flowers, take a walk and see what wild flowers grow naturally in the area and only consider these. You might be able to transplant a few plugs from another area, but be careful as some plants are protected and shouldn't be dug up.

Too many roads edges have been over prettified or planted with garden plants.

SocialSpud

The Continental Op wrote: »

Cutting will get rid of the nettles and green up the grass just as if it was being eaten down by sheep but if you want it looking natural put up with the moss.

Our native primula would fit in there and you could possibly put in some snowdrops (search this forum for good advice on them can be planted now) but they would look a little less natural.

tbh I'd be really against doing anything that made that look like an extension to someomes front garden.

Cheers. Is cutting down the nettles enough or should they be dug up?

See photo (https://ibb.co/BjLbg49) of some flowers that naturally sprung up a few weeks ago. I was thinking something like this but not sure what they are?

SocialSpud

wildwillow wrote: »

How much of the roadside do you want to control? The entire length or just the patch outside your property. What has been done was correct, and once we get rain it will regrow. Control the nettles by pulling if you want.

You really shouldn't expect a manicured lawn there.

As for flowers, take a walk and see what wild flowers grow naturally in the area and only consider these. You might be able to transplant a few plugs from another area, but be careful as some plants are protected and shouldn't be dug up.

Too many roads edges have been over prettified or planted with garden plants.

Thanks, these flowers are growing naturally just up the road: https://ibb.co/BjLbg49

Not sure what they are but could be a nice addition, do you know what they are?

wildwillow

Look like primula. That area ia exactly the result you are looking for. I'd pull the nettles from the root as soon as theyn appear. A few minutes every week would do, wearing gloves. The grass will grow long but you should only cut it a few times a year to allow wild flowers seed.

It is a beautiful landscape and I envy you living there.

SocialSpud

wildwillow wrote: »

Look like primula. That area ia exactly the result you are looking for. I'd pull the nettles from the root as soon as theyn appear. A few minutes every week would do, wearing gloves. The grass will grow long but you should only cut it a few times a year to allow wild flowers seed.

It is a beautiful landscape and I envy you living there.

Excellent thanks! I'll have a look at how to plant them as I haven't a clue, any quick tips? Just dig up the ground a bit, throw some seeds in and water?

On the other hand I might even leave it until next year to allow the grass the grow properly.

magicbastarder

wildwillow wrote: »

Too many roads edges have been over prettified or planted with garden plants.

i got married in my parents-in-laws garden - the roads around the area were blooming with cow parsley at the time, and it looked great.
a day or two before the wedding, their neighbours decided to do the neighbourly thing for us and make the area look tidy for our wedding by cutting the verges back so they were nice and neat.
obviously, we didn't say anything because they were just trying to be nice. but i just don't understand that mindset.

lucalux

You have primroses, cowslips? red clover, bluebells, ribwort plantain(soldiers) and daisies as far as i can see.
Maybe some coltsfoot (yellow dandelion type flowers) also?

All native good wildflowers and very pretty

The Continental Op

SocialSpud wrote: »

Cheers. Is cutting down the nettles enough or should they be dug up?

See photo (https://ibb.co/BjLbg49) of some flowers that naturally sprung up a few weeks ago. I was thinking something like this but not sure what they are?

Nettles go very quickly if regularly cut. It all depends how you want to treat the area. I'd just go out with a mower whenever you have cut your own lawn. I'd do a strip or so up and down on a slightly higher cut than you do the lawn say one notch up. Just do that for a year and it will all green up. The bumpier areas near the old wall I'd do less often to encourage the wild flowers.

The primulas up the road are just what I'd want in my patch. You shouldn't really go and dig them up as they are wild flowers but I might just steal the odd one that is growing out nearer the tarmac as its more likely to get mown off or driven over and plant it at the base of the wall in the first picture. Once you have a couple they will self seed over a number of years. Primulas in the green can be planted at this time of year as soon as the flowers die off. It may be counterintuitive but you traditionally twist off the foliage before replanting them. This reduces water loss and the leaves would have died back anyway.

SocialSpud

lucalux wrote: »

You have primroses, cowslips? red clover, bluebells, ribwort plantain(soldiers) and daisies as far as i can see.
Maybe some coltsfoot (yellow dandelion type flowers) also?

All native good wildflowers and very pretty

Excellent thanks, they just appeared this year so great to see. How can I get the same for my patch? Buy seeds or just carefully take some from up the road and plant down my side?

The Continental Op

SocialSpud wrote: »

Excellent thanks, they just appeared this year so great to see. How can I get the same for my patch? Buy seeds or just carefully take some from up the road and plant down my side?

As I said you aren't going to take any from up the road, except maybe the odd one that would get driven over or cut by a mower

SocialSpud

The Continental Op wrote: »

As I said you aren't going to take any from up the road, except maybe the odd one that would get driven over or cut by a mower

The neighbor is actually family and said it would be nice to have the same flowers down near my house so I'm sure he won't mind 😠So ok to just take from the ground with roots and plant again?

Edit: Sorry just saw your original message!

The Continental Op

SocialSpud wrote: »

The neighbor is actually family and said it would be nice to have the same flowers down near my house so I'm sure he won't mind 😠So ok to just take from the ground with roots and plant again?

Technically they'd be wild flowers so I'd be very careful not to let people think they can go and dig up any they want in the wild because just because they wanted to plant them in their garden. In you case we can call it conservation provided you don't over do it

Basically if the soil conditions are poor enough and the grass doesn't crowd them out then sooner or later you'll get primroses growing there anyway. A couple of plants will provide enough seed to get them started quicker. But there's the rub with taking all the grass off in the mowers grass box. You also suck up a lot of the seed. So another reason to leave the grass on and let the grass near the back grow a little longer.

SocialSpud

The Continental Op wrote: »

Technically they'd be wild flowers so I'd be very careful not to let people think they can go and dig up any they want in the wild because just because they wanted to plant them in their garden. In you case we can call it conservation provided you don't over do it

Basically if the soil conditions are poor enough and the grass doesn't crowd them out then sooner or later you'll get primroses growing there anyway. A couple of plants will provide enough seed to get them started quicker. But there's the rub with taking all the grass off in the mowers grass box. You also suck up a lot of the seed. So another reason to leave the grass on and let the grass near the back grow a little longer.

Yea that makes sense. Funny that it's the poor soil that is ideal for these nice looking flowers. Thanks for the advice, getting a bit of the gardening bug these days.

The Continental Op

SocialSpud wrote: »

... getting a bit of the gardening bug these days.

Thats why I warned against making it look like your garden. Very occasionally more is less when you are gardening.

SocialSpud

The Continental Op wrote: »

Thats why I warned against making it look like your garden. Very occasionally more is less when you are gardening.

Yea I totally get you, I want to keep it looking natural, even moss on the rock looks nice because it's part of the landscape. I think a few of those wildflowers will do just the job though close to the end of the wall. Plus when the landscaping is done around my own house I won't have much time for this patch along the road so definitely less is more.