Novice - what to do with back garden and front?

Danye

Hi all,

I’ve been tasked with tidying up a front and back garden. The pictures below highlight its current condition. What’s the first steps here? I want a nice lawn to start and I’ll plant later.

The Continental Op

Just start by cutting the grass EVERY WEEK and box the grass off. You might want to make a compost bin or buy one for grass clippings.

looksee

Is the kids stuff still in use? If they have grown out of it, be ruthless and get rid. If they haven't you need to tackle the lawn and maybe re-organise a bit so they are not scattered all around. Good idea to move them around a bit anyway so you don't end up with totally exhausted patches.

As TCO says, cut the grass and strim the edges and it will turn into a lawn pretty quickly. It will have some weeds but once they are all cut and tidy you will find they don't matter, you don't really want a golf course type lawn when kids are playing on it anyway.

Danye

Thanks both.

There are some weeds or something like weeds throughout. Do I just mow them or what do I do?

Danye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120496544#Comment_120496544

Some of the kids stuff still in use yeah. But as you said, I don’t necessarily need a fairway, but I want it accessible and respectful first, and then….. Bloom! 😂

looksee

Just mow them. Dig out big thistles/nettles/docks for now and fill in the holes. If you then keep mowing any of the tough weeds will be kept short and harmless. My grass is about 50% grass and the rest is all sorts of stuff, mostly creeping buttercup which is a real pain but short of blasting the entire area I just live with it, and it mows quite nicely anyway. Trouble is it creeps into places where I don't want it. Get the kids to learn to identify all the weeds - they will quickly recognise a daisy but you will find there are lots of other interesting things, eyebright, self heal, scarlet pimpernel, clover, black medick, lovely names!

Danye

Thanks for your help.