# The Joy Of Gardening



## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

NOT!
My g/f and I have spent the last week of our holidays sorting out a bit of our garden that was overgrown and un-useable.
It's nearly finished now, we just have to decide what we want to do with the new area.
We fancy turning it into a bird-feeding area, with bird-bath etc., and either turfing or putting bark down or similar.
This week shall be spent mostly relaxing now, in the run-up to my birthday.

In the beggining there was....this overgrown mess:



















Then we got to chopping and digging, and got it to this stage:




























Then I spent almost a whole day dismantling the stupid greenhouse (the foundations for which still need dug up) and we put up a new fence, and painted it today using one of those new Cuprinol Spray Guns.
I'd definitely recommend them. We did a whole 6' x 6' (1.8m x 1.8m) panel in under 4 minutes.



















I still need to saw a bit off the top of the fence posts, and then get started on sorting the ground out in preparation for whatever we decide to do with the new space.

I also pressure washed my driveway, re-sanded it, dug out all the flowers and weeds (you can see a bit of them in my sig pic), put lining down and then stone chips to tidy up the front drive.



















All in all, a good week's work, but now I'm bloody knackered!

Rogue


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## bec21tt (Feb 27, 2003)

Back to work for a rest then! :wink:


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

bec21tt said:


> Back to work for a rest then! :wink:


Not half! 

Rogue


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## mike_bailey (May 7, 2002)

If you've got kids then plenty here to consider!

http://www.furnishingzone.co.uk/outdoor ... =0/l3=none

Wot, me shameless and self promoting :roll:


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## Leg (Jan 11, 2006)

Looking nice m8, I like the long driveway.

Im doing the same this week although I garden like I mod, landscapers arrived this morning with a truck full of timber, sand and other stuff i like to sit on and look at when im having a beer in the garden. Will be nice watching them work from my office all week


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

Lol, I don't have any kids, although funnily enough we were talking about getting one of those big pools for the back garden.
With this weather, I wish we'd gotten one!

@Leg,

I'm normally a "get a professional in to do it" kind of guy too, but the older I get the braver I get at DIY. :wink: 
Apart from plumbing though.
Bugger that for a game of soldiers! 

Rogue


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

I am not sure, but it looks like you uprooted half of your garden there! There is nothing left in some places.

Aren't you meant to cut them down a bit instead of completely removing them?


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## Leg (Jan 11, 2006)

Rogue said:


> Lol, I don't have any kids, although funnily enough we were talking about getting one of those big pools for the back garden.
> With this weather, I wish we'd gotten one!
> 
> @Leg,
> ...


Wierd thing is Ill happily decorate, build things, do electrics, plumbing and a variety of other jobs and I stripped, restored and rebuilt a Westfield 4 years ago but I dont like touching the TT and I bl00dy hate gardening with a vengeance. Did our bedroom during June and fitted a whole new ensuite including one of those pod showers (mental jets everywhere, just make sure none are aimed anywhere delicate!!!!!).

If it was up to me I would astro turf the garden tbh!


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

vlastan said:


> I am not sure, but it looks like you uprooted half of your garden there! There is nothing left in some places.
> 
> Aren't you meant to cut them down a bit instead of completely removing them?


The house is on a 110mx110m plot.
That's only a bit of a corner we've tidied out.
And bear in mind, it's not finished yet.
I still have to decide what to do with the new space.

Rogue


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## The Silver Surfer (May 14, 2002)

That's coming on well. And your drive looks very clean.

My garden is looking fairly neat and tidy. Grass needs cutting again though and it's effectively a two hour job, front and rear. 

It's just too bl**dy warm to do it though.


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## Leg (Jan 11, 2006)

Landscapers are here now, f**k me they look hot out there :lol:


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## The Silver Surfer (May 14, 2002)

Leg said:


> Landscapers are here now, f**k me they look hot out there :lol:


Didn't know you were that way inclined. :wink:

Or are they of the female variety?


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## Leg (Jan 11, 2006)

The Silver Surfer said:


> Leg said:
> 
> 
> > Landscapers are here now, f**k me they look hot out there :lol:
> ...


Ill tell you what m8, I didnt even know there was flagging under the bit they just cleared [smiley=dunce2.gif]


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

Leg said:


> If it was up to me I would astro turf the garden tbh!


That's what we're planning. We've got so little grass that's it's not worth the effort of keeping it nice.

Probably going to go for this:



(Clicky Piccy)


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## che6mw (Nov 13, 2003)

Rogue said:


> Lol, I don't have any kids, although funnily enough we were talking about getting one
> 
> Rogue


Did noone have a talk with you when you were little about how these things work???


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

che6mw said:


> Rogue said:
> 
> 
> > Lol, I don't have any kids, although funnily enough we were talking about getting one
> ...


 :lol: 
I prefer to just keep practising!

Rogue


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## Dotti (Mar 9, 2003)

Rogue, you have really opened up your back garden there cutting back all that hedge  . Really impressed the amount of space you have achieved. Well done. Both front of your house and the back are looking lovely. Sit back and enjoy it in a nice steamer chair with your girlfriend and some cold beers 8)


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Rogue said:


> che6mw said:
> 
> 
> > Rogue said:
> ...


....and practice makes perfect so they say, although sometimes one can be match fit without knowing it. :wink:

Garden looks great. I love gardening and miss having one since I moved. Starting from scratch is far more satisfying than getting someone in (and cheaper). Watching it all come together and your planting mature is the icing on the cake.

Are you going to improve you soil quality at this point? Getting a few loads of quality weed free and rich loam topsoil is an effort well worth making in my experience. Everything grows better and the weeds don tcome through so quickly.

Bit hot for digging and shovelling at mo tho. Better to sit in shade with a cold one and contemplate the planting plan for next year. Sept is best month for planting.

Sterling effort though. 8)


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## Donners (Mar 24, 2005)

I'm enjoying gardening at the mo, only moved in in December so the first summer I've had to do it.
I've mainly been trimming and removing some of the rubbish and overgrown stuff and it already looks %25 bigger easily.


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## mac's TT (May 13, 2006)

Just finished,
Started @ 11:00 cut grass (after moving various childrens obstacles), strimmed around everything then cut hedges and cleaned up, finished 14:00, knackered, seriously considering changing hedging for fencing/ grass for astro turf and children for whatever I can get :wink: . Cant recommend petrol mower/strimmer/hedge trimmer highly enough. now for a long refreshment.


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

Cheers for the comments, folks. 8) 
I think what's made me so into gardening with this house is that we've decided we'll be here for the foreseeable future.
In the past, we've always just done stuff to a garden to help in selling the house.
This time, it's all about us.

@Mac'sTT

We're definitely going to be "upgrading" to petrol mower/strimmer at some point.
We've currently got a Flymo (mid-range model) and I don't think it cuts the grass as good as a traditional or petrol mower.
It tends more to "rip" the grass out.
And cables are a real pain.
We've got a system now where one of us cuts the grass, and the other is in charge of "cable management", which basically involves keeping the cable up off the ground so the person mowing doesn't have to bother with it.

@Gary,

I don't think we'll be planting anything in the soil there.
The soil isn't that great (although there was some cracking strawberry plants and rhubarb growing at the side of the greenhouse) hence we might just put sheeting down and bark/chips/decorative paving or something.
I'll probably just use plant-pots and stuff to plant some colourful flowers in to brighten the space up.

Rogue


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## Donners (Mar 24, 2005)

Going home now to start on the front garden... :roll:


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Finished in my garden (well, nearly) a couple of weeks ago, and I've been out enjoying it as often as I can since then!

It went from this:



















To this...














































I haven't finished spraying the planters in these pictures, and the irrigation system wasn't installed either, but I've done that bit now.

The large black things which look like security lights are garden heaters - they give a soft orange glow and a fair amount of heat. Very good for extending the length of time you can spend outside in the evening.

I've got external coax so I can carry an LCD out there and watch Sky+ in the garden 

Uplighters in the beds, and LEDs to mark out the steps.

The fountain just gives a nice trickle and adds interest.

Since taking the photos on 21st June, the clematis has already grown to the height of the pergola! I think it likes being watered automatically 30 mins each day... :lol: :wink:

There's so much seating, its great for entertaining.

Anyone fancy a forum BBQ? :-*


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

When you say YOU did it Tim...did you do the work and did you commision the work?

(Very nice by the way)


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Kell said:


> When you say YOU did it Tim...did you do the work and did you commision the work?
> 
> (Very nice by the way)


Erm.

God no.

I got a local landscaper to work on the designs that Lisa and I had in mind.

I added a few flourishes of my own - the fountain, the deck lighting, the clematis etc were my ideas, and having the heaters too... I wanted to have some warmth (as well as the BBQ, I mean) without having calor gas cylinder sort of things.

He originally thought it would take about 3 weeks but ended up being much much longer, but as I wasn't relying on a particular completion date, I sat back and expected quality rather than speed. There's 6 electrical sockets outside as well as a fair amount of lamp wiring, so he got trades in to do those bits.

The irrigation system was something I wanted too, so I put that bit in myself, and I did the spraying of the dark colour (which I still need to repeat on the other side of the garden).

But the amount of effort needed to make the frame / deck, then do the joinery for the raised beds? No thanks!!


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## Donners (Mar 24, 2005)

Looks really nice Jampott! Given me some inspiration.

One question though... What does the dog poo onto?...
Theres no grass. :wink:


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Donners said:


> Looks really nice Jampott! Given me some inspiration.
> 
> One question though... What does the dog poo onto?...
> Theres no grass. :wink:


I always hated them pooping onto the grass, they've always been trained to go down the far corner of the garden behind that little gate, but when left to their own devices, they'd often just go on the grass...

In the far space behind the little gate / fence is a fully paved area with their kennel at the far side (where dog cam broadcasts from!)

They still poop down in that area (gate is shown as closed cos I was painting it I think).

Much simpler clearing poop off slabs than off grass...!!!


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## Donners (Mar 24, 2005)

Nothing like a well trained pooch!


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

That looks excellent, Tim!
And you've got the same lawnmower as me, although yours will be a bit redundant now 

Rogue


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Rogue said:


> That looks excellent, Tim!
> And you've got the same lawnmower as me, although yours will be a bit redundant now
> 
> Rogue


I've given my strimmer to Lisa, but does anyone want a very cheap Flymo? 

Front garden is enclosed in railings and entirely given to plants, so I don't have a single blade of lawn to mow


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## NaughTTy (Jul 9, 2003)

Very nice Tim.

What's under the black covers that the cat is lying on?

P.S. How much for the Flymo?


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

NaughTTy said:


> Very nice Tim.
> 
> What's under the black covers that the cat is lying on?
> 
> P.S. How much for the Flymo?


There's a firepit under 1, and a bigger BBQ under the other.

No idea what the going rate for a barely used Flymo is


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

Needs a few more pots Tim, not a huge fan of decking myself but does look nice


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## The Silver Surfer (May 14, 2002)

Looking very nice, Tim. Particularly like the lighting incorporated in the steps of the decking.

I'm curious to find out what the three steel bollard type things are?

It must be something interesting as you've got a light pointing at it.


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

jonah said:


> Needs a few more pots Tim, not a huge fan of decking myself but does look nice


Pots? Nah. Just the big planters are fine.

I've a huge outdoor beanbag on order (a la Big Brother) and want to put a sail in the triangle of the pergola to make a shade.


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

The Silver Surfer said:


> Looking very nice, Tim. Particularly like the lighting incorporated in the steps of the decking.
> 
> I'm curious to find out what the three steel bollard type things are?
> 
> It must be something interesting as you've got a light pointing at it.


The 3 bollards are a water feature. Hidden reservoir in the ground and a pond pump feeding the 3 tubes. Water bubbles out and dribbles down the outside of the bollards back to the reservoir.

Pleasant noise, and a pretty decent cat water fountain


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## Sim (Mar 7, 2003)

Tim looking very good. 8) Just the weather for it too. Which reminds me I better go and water the garden


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Sim said:


> Tim looking very good. 8) Just the weather for it too. Which reminds me I better go and water the garden


I never have to remember to do that 

Each of the plants in the beds has its own micro dripper, and there's some mini=sprinklers and mini-jets feeding the plants in the gravel, and a couple of mini jets at the back of the beds just to give it a little extra wetting.

All attached to a timer, it does 30 mins each day...


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

jampott said:


> Sim said:
> 
> 
> > Tim looking very good. 8) Just the weather for it too. Which reminds me I better go and water the garden
> ...


Just as well you're not with Thames Water then. Or is it completely hidden?


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Kell said:


> jampott said:
> 
> 
> > Sim said:
> ...


Its pretty well hidden. :wink:


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## thejepster (Mar 29, 2005)

Kell said:


> Just as well you're not with Thames Water then. Or is it completely hidden?


Was just going to ask the very same question... my plants have pretty much had it now as I've not been around to water the garden... oh well not long to go before the new owners have the joys of spending half an hour with a watering can!


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