Gardening Tips

[Cosantoir]

Hi

I have a really huge front garden that looks terrible at the moment.

I have managed to get it cut down.

Now i am looking for some cheap and easy ideas or items donated from jbtowners to help make it look gorgeous.

The main problems are

The old metal fencing how to make that look better
Nettles how to get rid of them permanently
Edging the garden what can i use
red ants how do i get rid of them
how to underlay for paving
how to underlay for decking.

Thanks a million in advance for all ideas and tips

[lolo1]

Hi There, When we put some paving down 6 years ago a neighbour helped as we didnt have a clue and it is still as perfect as the day it was laid. Firstly you need to know the depth of the paving slab then add about 2 inches to that and dig down the total depth in the shape you want to lay your slabs then pour a good helping of diesel all over where you have dug (on a dry day , not that we get many) as this will kill off any weeds then when its all dry pour over two inches of sand and level it all out. Then make up a mortar mix and lay your slabs using a spirit level on each corner and across the middle making sure its perfectaly level all the time when they are all laid put a good helping of the wet ready mixed morter or wet cement mix in between each slab and make sure there are no gaps then when its nearly dry point all the morter mix between the slabs and hey presto you have a perfect patio or drive or pathway for many many years to come I hope this is of some small help please let me know if you do it this way and if your happy with it I am realy happy with mine and none of the slabs have ever cracked ENJOY

[Bunty]

Lorraine, Wow,
Having read your step by step instructions, I really could do with you to help me with on-goooooing renovations. WELL DONE! B.

[kilk]

just a question lorraine, if everything is completely level where does the water flow when it rains? i intend to put down some slabs soon and was advised to have a very slight incline.

[paprika]

Dear Cosantoir,

there are great tips in the Amatuer gardening magazine.
For the fencing hammerite is great, i used it on my old gates, and it looks fab now.
For edging you can use bricks, railway sleepers or other kind of timber, roof or kitchen tiles or wattle panels, which are really fun to make!
To make the garden look more interesting you can paint an old wheelbarrow and plant it with colourful flowers, and scatter some plants planted in old sauce pans (maybe painted) or some interesting looking stones.
Old sinks and buckets make lovely containers, too.

[misstake]

have a look round when out for a walk hebies grow anywhere from cuttings thee are a good few different colours of leaves and flowers They cost a few bob to buy but one sprig picked from a hedge and you got a plant in the making Also honeysuckle or woodbine grows wild in the hedges along most roads they grow easily to and the flowers smell devine in the evenings All of these are easy grown and cost nothing and will look great in a large garden Then if you live near a wood land you will see lovley purple flowers frowing wild there cant think of the name lol but they are great in a border

[lolo1]

Hi Bunty, Thanks for that. Anytime you need help please ask and if i can help i will after all its what life is all about and i have picked up some great tips on this site myself. GO JUMBLETOWNERS. Thanks again Bunty,

[lolo1]

Hi Kilk, Lolo here our patio is completely level and with all the rain we have had this year it has been well tested and we have no poodles. I think its because the slabls are slightly higher than the grass and the morter mix is at a slight slant towards the grass on the edge and the water seems to just trickel off the incline at the side after that i cant explain but it works and it looks realy well. I hope this is of some use to you. Lolo

[Knecht]

Hiya, It might be worth checking out your local library for the DIY and gardening section, I have got great ideas from some of the books I havbe borrowed.

Regards

Ange

[bings]

Hi Ants hate mint plant mint in pots on your garden and every few days crush a few leaves on the ground near where the most of the ants are. You can also eat the mint Thats how I got tid of the ants from my garden It is also eco friendly

[pretty polly]

Please do not use deisel as it not only kills weeds but all the helpful bacteria, bugs who keep this plannet and us alive.
use weedblock arround €70 for a roll 50metres long and 1.5 metres wide. if you dig over the area you want to lay patio or path level with rake to make sure level. roll out weed block, place slabs at requited distance appart for the patio dig over level place weed block and then put sand and pound in to ground. lay your slabs making sure they are level (spirit Level worthwhile investment) then when finished you only need to put cement arround the outside to prevent the sand eroding. usinnt this method of laying is not permanant and if you break a slab it is easy to replace rather than having it all mortered to the ground. as for the decking i agree they just attract rats as they love shelter to scurry arround the garden. also create a compost area so you can use the compost in future years to maintain healthy shrubs. on the weed block you can put bark or small stones. the mint sounds like a good idea for the ants i never heard of that before. make suer you keep it in pots or you will have a mint problem in your garden instead as it just takes over. you can up root the nettels as said before. you can also use nettles as feed for plants. leave in tub of water for four weeks covered and them dilute the tea(smelly) 12parts water to 1part tea and pour over plants that have a lot of leaf and not a lot of flowre. you could also divive your garden to food area and pretty area and grow organic food. to do a course on organic you could attend the organic college in dromcollogher co limerick I've just completed my second year and got my diploma. if you can not attend you can look it up on line and do distance learning. google An t-Ionad Glas the organic college you will get the details. PLEASE DO NOT USE WEEDKILLERS AND PESTASIDES IT IS LIKE GOING TO THE PETROL PPUMP AND DRINKING PETROL INSTEAD OF WATER. AS ALL THE CHEMICALS ARE MADE FROM OIL WHICH PETROL IS MADE FROM TOO.

[Grizelda]

Hi,

I am in volved in organic gardening and wildlife protection. There are alternatives to diesel and the insecticides etc and they are much better for your garden. All species have a role in your garden. Nettles are brilliant for butterflies as are ants an important source of food for birds. If possible leave your wild plants even have an area which is wildlife friendly so this will mean no use of pesticides or chemicals as wildlife does not like it.

There are lots of things you can do with a garden but you will need to have some sort of plan. Gardening is about learning and enjoying so everyone does make mistakes along the way. Try to see what type of soil do you have. Is it sandy or very boggy? Also is it south facing? Some plants can tolerate lower light conditions better. An idea may be to see what you have and just take some good plant books and draw yourself up a rough plan.

As to patios on slopes. No you can have them on the level but need to see what drainage you have. Again what is the soil type? Do you have drains? and you could put the slabs on a sand base and concrete them in if you wish. Gravel around the slabs is also good for filtering water down and away into the soil.

Hope that helps.

G

[eddieconnors]

Hi,
We are supporting a lovely venture in co clare, which has an open farm for farm forest and river trails, hands on training to understand renewables and sustainable living. Children Parties, visitor centre, and training courses and also a huge indoor eco craft area with crafts like bird feeders from plastic bottles to spend hours at! Support this great amenity for Co Clare and beyond by having a look at www.imecofarm.com Thanks

[Seaview1]

Hi

First thing I would suggest would be to decide what you want
To use the area for.
Following on from that divide the overall area into sections, you can do this on paper to begin with and then use string to line out garden.

Beds and boarders are easy to cut out.
I've planned and planted 4 gardens of verging styles, anything from Chinease maintenance free to cottage garden.

There is an amazing garden fate coming up in glanmire in May and they have plants at really cheap prices and all mature and non garden centre

[TallStanley]

Originally Posted by Seaview1

Hi

First thing I would suggest would be to decide what you want
To use the area for.
Following on from that divide the overall area into sections, you can do this on paper to begin with and then use string to line out garden.

Beds and boarders are easy to cut out.
I've planned and planted 4 gardens of verging styles, anything from Chinease maintenance free to cottage garden.

There is an amazing garden fate coming up in glanmire in May and they have plants at really cheap prices and all mature and non garden centre

A good point. I would also add that you can make these areas into sections with a few small garden tents, this topic was covered in this review. By the way, these can be used both indoors and outdoors. This would allow you to mix the seed and grow different vegetables near each other, which is an essential thing in growing veggies fast.