Hi all
I was wondering if there was any advice could be offered for a residential family garden
We are classed as living in woods, surrounded by a few giant chestnut trees, established plants all around the garden, which was re-turfed last year.
Instead of blaming anyone, it was red hot last year and snow/ice this year and the turf makes the garden look worse than it was. It's patchy and basically a quarter of it looks like pure mud! Awful!
I saw a post on here re veri-green, it doesn't seem to have the best reviews so off I go to the garden centre to find some decent cultivar that is quite heavy duty and will grow well in shady and damp areas, and on dry slopes.
If I'm asking too much please say! i often look at the grass in open areas, like meadow grass that seems quite compact but unsure if this would work in the garden.
Can you be kind enough to recommend something to go for that I can plant out later this month? Can I mix boxes for results or is there no point?
Huge thanks in advance, L
Hi Louisa,
Google Limagrain and have a look at their designer range. Difficult to grow grass under large trees and would go to a specialist supplier rather than the garden centre.
Regards, Vic.
There are some cultivars that are more shade tolerent than others - but none overly like growing under trees.
If I were you I'd speak directly to either DLF or Barenbrug and see what they advise. You may find that a mix with clover in might work well - rather than going for a pure grass lawn.
Of course there's no bounce, bend your back and put some bloody effort in.
Hi Vic and J
Thanks for your advice, I like the mix with clover idea and will approach those companies for advice, we don't want more costly mistakes. The turf cost, erm, a bit!
Open to more advice too, though you've given me some great ones to look at
All the best
Louisa
Louisa,
One of the biggest errors or lack of information for customers is that all the shady grass mixtures still need some light to grow and establish healthily, it is just they are far more tolerant of low levels but they do need enough leaf to collect adequate light and you need to look at your cutting heights once established, too short a sward below 20mm and it is likely to fail or be very poor, over 30mm and it has a chance as enough leaf is left. As long as you cut regularly it will still look tidy, remembering the golden 'no more than 1/4 leaf removed' rule if possible and you must also consider leaf litter removal from those trees in the Autumn... no point swamping out and killing the grass that way either.
Jon, hope your well, not too sure of how many shade tolerant microclovers there are available tsk ........ mind you someone has bound to have got a cultivar now make me look the plum...
Barry
Plastic.... it's The End I tell you... THE END!!!!
Thanks Barry,
One thing I can be sure of is we work all year round to pick those blasted leaves up!
I'm still learning about my garden after being here 3 years, and we just haven't got the grass right yet, it is very frustrating at the moment but hopefully rewarding when we get it right.
We're looking at a new mower too, with adjustable heights, now you have mentioned that its important we get that right too!
Thanks again,
Louisa
Louisa,
Good luck to you but remember, you don't have to pay a fortune. I once went for the most expensive seed with all the top rated cultivars and got no growth. Now pay half the price and get great results.
What type of mower cylinder or rotary?
Regards, Vic.
Think we'll go for a cylinder, only as that's what we have been recommended. But price is important, I don't want to spend near £300. My husband would be happy with another blooming hover mower, I casually sent the last one well on its way to the nearest person that needed one!
Happy to hear any recommendations on that too, should I open a new thread?
Wouldn't bother with a new thread as you will probably only get a push along for less than £300. Might have to look at a rotary with a rear roller to give you stripes, unless you find a cylinder on e bay.
Was that the husband or hover mower you sent?
Personally would look to a decent powered rotary with roller especially with a potential cut height of over 30mm and added benefit of picking up the leaves as well as providing a nice stripy finish.
Plastic.... it's The End I tell you... THE END!!!!
Baz, The 'Golden Rule' is 1/3 not 1/4. *wags finger*
Welcome Louisa, Your new mower should be a rotary, either a Honda or Hayter, with a roller.
£300 ? No. Double it and add the number you first thought of ...
Type 'Mower' in the Search box, open a bottle of NZ Cab Sav and read, read, read.
Others here may have alternate suggestions on the wine (and they should post them here ) but trust me on the mower.
Regards,
GOGGA
Hi Sumo, but if you say 1/3 they take off more than half............. lol.. (standing sort of corrected)
Plastic.... it's The End I tell you... THE END!!!!
Sumo! I was going to point that out to Mr Pace but I know what a sensative soul he is and chose not to. Now someone is going to have to comfort him. Never mind Barry, you contractors lay it and sow and we will maintain it.
Louisa. Talk to Barenbrug. They do a great mix containing amonst others, tufted hair grass. It is called BAR stadia and it certainly grows in the shade.
Chris
You will never see a statue in honour of a committee.
Now if I had said 'no more than half' I could understand the grief.... tsk
Plastic.... it's The End I tell you... THE END!!!!
Louisa,
Please excuse me interupting.
They're the pros, I'm the jobbing (but good) volunteer. Forget the 1/4 rule and the 1/3 rule - it's all tosh when presented as a golden rule.
If they said - don't cut off more than 1/3 of the accustomed height, then perhaps OK. What this means is that if the grass has been static over winter at 1.5", don't immediately cut below 1". Reduce the height over a couple of weeks.
But, if you miss a cut and the grass grows from the 1" you've been working to all summer to 2", don't fret about cutting again at 1". Or if you get a rush in spring and "overnight" it grows an inch, again, don't fret. Cut at your normal height.
Many of the guys who've posted are paid to do a damn good job, that's just what they do and they are understandably cautious. You and I won't sue ourselves if the grass looks a little pale for a day or two.
The ciderman rolls
I don't worry about how much I'm taking off the grass in the garden. I cut at one height in the winter and another in the summer - and that's that, I don't bother adjusting the mower for intermediate heights.
What I do on my cricket squares is a different matter, but as JT says does it really matter if your lawn looks a tad pale for a day or two.
Of course there's no bounce, bend your back and put some bloody effort in.
Yes I think you're right, if I was a perfectionist like the pro's then I might be, but this is only my home lawn not a pristine golf course or cricket green.
I really appreciate your responses, it's really interesting how you all work. As for the seed, I looked at a few that were mentioned and haven't made a decision yet, need to get some ordered though!
As for the lawnmower, I'll just borrow my gardener friends new one I think!
19 Mar 2010 by Barry Pace Last edited 19 Mar 2010
Professional or Amateur..... if you allow grass to grow too long between cuts and then 'silage' it off by removing the majority of its leaf you will virtually guarantee wasting all the money spent and will end up with a sparse, thin weak sward, full of moss, weeds etc etc etc..... simples as...
Plastic.... it's The End I tell you... THE END!!!!
simples
yes, I do understand it's important. Taking all of this on board, and I thank everyone because I need this to work, it's becoming an obsession!!
LOL @Louisa.
It does become like an obsession, won't be long before you're out there with scissors removing weed grasses that aren't being got by the mower :)
Of course there's no bounce, bend your back and put some bloody effort in.
Ha ha, actually I did that last year when my garden looked a little nicer than it does at the mo
should I just gravel over the lot?
**awaits a barrage of NO's**
!
Will save you buying a mower. Would that also make it greener ??????
yep. might not attract so much wildlife but saves on petrol / elec
Can paint each bit of gravel, definitely much greener then !!!
20 Mar 2010 by sipho
yeah but how would you get that smell of freshly cut grass and a hint of two stroke in the air??
The grass is always greener on the otherside but its stilll gotta be cut !
Gogga International Affairs Officer
Louisa
try a strong creeping red fescue, or if you can find it then even better a tufted hair grass like 'barcampsia 'for the shade.
If you're not bothered about fine turf then try rhizonamatous tall fescue in with the mix.
I dunno if there's any rules/regs regarding these trees but the fact that no-one's mentioned this makes me wonder.
What's the situation with regard to pruning the trees?
From the posh end of the room!!
they are just outside my border, the responsibility of Kent highways. They wouldn't do anything despite their size. However, I'll be voicing complaint and hoping they change their minds, anyone with the trees in their garden has to apply for planning permission, and a certain % will be taken off or they will be pruned back away from the houses.
They look lovely, don't get me wrong, but the garden suffers all year round - leaves on the grass, caterpillar things mark the paving and spoil the grass, chestnuts all over the place - need head gear once they start coming off otherwise they're lethal.
One narrowly missed me last time!
Surely someone else has a similar problem!
they are just outside my border, the responsibility of Kent highways. They wouldn't do anything despite their size. However, I'll be voicing complaint and hoping they change their minds, anyone with the trees in their garden has to apply for planning permission, and a certain % will be taken off or they will be pruned back away from the houses.
They look lovely, don't get me wrong, but the garden suffers all year round - leaves on the grass, caterpillar things mark the paving and spoil the grass, chestnuts all over the place - need head gear once they start coming off otherwise they're lethal.
One narrowly missed me last time!
Surely someone else has a similar problem!
21 Mar 2010 by Nifty Last edited 21 Mar 2010
As I understand it , anything overhanging your borders can be cut back and even better you throw it over their side for them to deal with , other issues such as light , unsafe branches etc have to go through formal proceedings to be dealt with , at least they are not "mile a minute" Leylandii , the scurge of suburbia.
Its got to be purrrfect
japanese knotweed is the latest isn't it!
bring it on, I'm in the mood for a fight!
21 Mar 2010 by Nifty
There is a new development with that stuff , we were at the stage of injecting the stems with a control toxin which was the best way discovered so far but slow in comparison to the plants advance , I heard recently that a bug had been discovered that only fed on that particular plant and as long as tests show it won't affect indigineous species then they could release these to control the problem , if this works it could put us back in control of the situation. If only....
Its got to be purrrfect
All right, all right!! I take your point!! 
I believe RobX is correct in that you're entitled to cut back anything overhanging to your border.
Also look up 'Ancient Lights' 
From the posh end of the room!!
Unless they have tree preservation orders.
which I think ours do, its a pain but one of those things
I continue to saw down the conifers, not all but some. We've blackbirds nesting in one of them which is nice to see
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