My garden needs a makeover

Jemma01

Section62 said:

1) When you cut the grass the first time set the mower as high as it will go - if it doesn't cut anything at that height lower it by one or two notches. Leave the lawn to dry and recover for a few days before cutting at the lower setting you want.  Trying to cut grass to the finished height in one go is hard work, and the grass doesn't like it much either.

2) Cutting grass right up to a fence or wall with a mower is impossible, which means using a strimmer or shears to get to the very edge. Leaving a strip of bare ground allows you to cut to the edge of the grass without having to do a second job.  It also looks like the lawn slopes fairly steeply towards the fence, so the stip of soil is helping with drainage.  Personally I'd collect some second hand bricks (from skips, with the owners permission) and lay them in the ground (without cement or anything) next to the fence - forming a mini-'path' the lawnmower wheels can run over. I.e. a bit like the bricks either side of the path.

3) The soil just needs digging over - but if you keep soil there you'll have to weed it on a regular basis. BTW, if "recycling" means the bin the council provides then you'll probably find that isn't allowed, even in the garden waste bin most councils prohibit soil being put in.

4) "Cuprinol and Ronseal" are just brand names - lots of different products are sold using these names, some good, some terrible. There are other brands like "Barrettine" (e.g. sold by Toolstation) which are just as good on a like-for-like basis, but often much cheaper.

The green algae on the fence does need to come off before you treat the fence with anything, but you don't need special chemicals to do it. The white vinegar solution already suggested is fine.  But, is the fence actually yours, or does it belong to the neighbour?  If the neighbour owns the fence then you should ask if they are Ok with you doing anything to it.  Bear in mind some of whatever you apply on your side is likely to leak through to next-door's side, so make sure they are happy if they own the fence.

5) You're right to be cautious about pressure washing.  As a longer-term project, you might want to get the patio slabs cut back by about 150mm so there is a gap for drainage between them and the wall. That will help reduce the damp and green growth in the future.

6) The bricks next to the path can be cleaned with a pressure washer - but start gently until you know how much pressure they can bear.  The bricks might look odd when freshly cleaned though... most 'garden' things look better with some natural patina (which is a good excuse to just enjoy your garden rather than slaving to get it 100% right).

Thanks @Section62 always thorough and helpful.
Not sure why your post got me researching how to build my own fence 😅, but it was insightful figuring out what's going on underneath. 

3) I meant the actual recycling centre (to drive there and drop), I just checked, it looks like they'd take soil from DIY projects.

The amount of waste accepted for free in a single visit will be as follows:

• up to 100 litres of rubble, soil, plasterboard or asbestos or one bulky sanitary ware item no larger than 2000mm x 750mm x700mm in size (the approximate size of a bathtub).

That'd be two bags of 50 litre without the bags per visit.

4) I don't think Barrettine have paint? They have oils and other wood treatments. I'd think to go down that route I'd need to strip off the paint? I do like the existing colour in the garden, I think it complements the green very well. I'm not fussed about the brand, both ones I named seem to have a poor reputation with yellow 😅 so I'm already not impressed. 
**messaging my neighbour before I forget as I want to apply the vinegar today and scrub the fence if I can**

5) interesting you say that, the area looks completely flat, no way to drain rain water, no inclination that I can visually see. This is what it looks like


6) I'm still excited, it is my first time with a garden, wait few months and I'll be back to normal 🤣

WIAWSNB said:

Jemma01 said:

Hello 😇

The edge of the grass on the right is looking a bit dry, grey and lifeless, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do here? Replace it with a new fresh soil?


3. The edge of the grass on the left is almost covered with grass. My plan is to shovel it out to the recycling and also replace it with fresh soil. Is there anything else I need to do here to prevent grass from growing there again without damaging the adjacent grass (or slow down the process)?

That looks as though it was intentionally left grass-free, to make it easier to mow up to the fence. So, is that soil, or is it gravel? And, what is the 'gravelboard' made from - timber or concrete? (If concrete, it won't rot, so it doesn't matter what you place up against it. If timber, then soil against it will make it rot more quickly, so you may wish to replace it with coarse gravel chippings.)

To make future maintenance easier, and pretty much confined to simply running the mower up that side, a potential solution would be to install an 'edging' along that boundary, set at the height that the mower blade will miss if driven over, and then replace some of that bare soil with coarse gravel. If the gravel and grass blade tips are at the same height, then you should be able to run your mover up that side, wheels straddling the edging, and it could be as easy as that. But you'd need to get the edging height right! If you don;t mind a bit more work, then you can have the edging a bit higher - make it a neat feature - and then use a strimmer to tidy up the grass along the edging, before then mowing the rest.

Lots of different edging types - this looks nifty and easy, but I havn't tried it myself: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/312285949202?

If you like that idea, then you could replicate it against the brick wall side too.

Honestly I wouldn't have a clue, it looks a mix between gravel and soil, I'll be digging some of it out, paint the fence and replacing it with fresh gravel.
The gravel board is timber. It's not clear to me if the previous owner painted it or not, it looks really dusty, I'll need to inspect it closely, covered in algae. 
Oh I LOVE that edging, it looks so clean 😮 that'll cost me an arm and a leg 😭 one way is roughly 22.3m, I need a temu version 🤣 

WIAWSNB said:

Jemma01 said:

Reading about both Cuprinol and Ronseal, it doesn't sound like I need to prime the wood from these two? Thoughts?

The wood looks in a dreadful state esp around the end of the garden, it's almost gone green (or maybe not, what do I know!?), I feel like I need to do something before painting it?

First, check what the actual condition the decking is in. Yes, it looks untidy becuase it hasn't been treated in ages, but is it actually rotten anywhere? If not, it's completely rescuable.

Usually I'd recommend 'oil', (or I'm sure there are new products being developed for decking), as it soaks in and properly 'treats' the wood, keeping it from drying out. But for this you'd need to be able to get your decking pretty much back to bare wood first - it won't 'cover' old paint and stains as it can't soak in. So, depending on the decking condition, you may need to use a decking 'paint'. These can be very effective, but won't have any colour variation in the grain - you'll see the wood texture, but not the wood colour variation, as you would will oil. 

So, when a good prolonged dry spell is due, I'd pressure-wash the decking at close range, and try and remove everything from the surface that can be taken off - then you'll know what you have to work with. Be ready to use a stiff brush on any loosish bits, too, even gently with a wire type.

Next, and really worth doing, is to get a 25 litre tub of Everbuild Lumberjack wood preserver, and a garden sprayer. Give the timber a few sunny days to be bone dry, and then copiously spray the whole caboodle, but focus on screws, board ends, and the joists you can see through the gaps in the boards - these are the bits that will rot first.

I had to rescue mil's decking a few years back, and bits of it were surface-soft from rot. After scraping off virtually every trace of old stain - took days... - I then Lumberjacked it, allowing that to fully dry. As the old stain - whatever it was - was peeling off in large amounts, I decided to try something on the near-bare wood that I cannot recommend as it isn't what it's designed for, but it thankfully worked as I'd hoped; I gave it all a coat of Everbuild 406 stabilising solution. This soaked right in as I'd hoped, and dried very quickly. I then applied Ronseal 'deck rescue extreme' paint (as the decking was in pretty poor order), and the ease of which it applied over the 406'd areas was astonishing. There were some bits of balustrade that I hadn't 406'd, and it was like trying to paint over sandpaper in comparison. It needed two coats of the Ronseal, with the second coat being much easier in any case, and 2 years later it needed only the thinnest overcoat just to bring it back to new - only two tiny bits had peeled, and that was due to traffic. So, it worked, but I cannot 'recommend' it. 'English Oak' - actually chocolate brown...

oh wow, that's absolutely stunning, looks brand new !! What do you do for a living? Are you single 🤣🤣 JOKING!! 

I wouldn't say it is rotting no, looking at the sides it looks in perfect condition. The top corner panels have cracks on them, but that's pretty much it, no cracking sound when you step on it or anything. It looks painted the same colour as the shed and the fence probably 15 years ago when the house was built! I'm happy to repaint it the same colour as the shed and the fence, I'd prefer them to be cohesive unless I change the colour of the shed in the future. The shed looks very well cared for and recently painted.


I'll get the Everbuild Lumberjack wood preserver, that deck looks really neglected compared to the shed. I can tell it's not been of use since they already had the other patio area. I kind of like it more as it is naturally shadded, it just feels a bit creepy because it's not properly secured and it is a point where 3 neighbouring gardens meet.

Thanks again for your help, always helpful, and it's great seeing what the deck can look like with a bit of care. Now if my deck doesn't look like that by the end........... we have a problem 🤣

Spikeygran said:

It never hurts to chat with the neigbours and give them advanced warning.  The vast majority are normal pleasant people. Maybe find out what colour they have on their side, or whether they are planning on doing their side and use the same colour product (if its not too awful).

If you only put a small amount on the fence brush and work it well on before moving to the next section there shouldn't be too much bleed to the other side.  If you soak the brush and its running down on your side it will run through.

ah lord, as I was replying to you, I was going to say, I'll start with the very far end of the garden because my neighbour's garden is shorter than mine, and therefore won't see anything I practice on if something leaks, but then that part belongs to another neighbour few houses down that I doubt comes anywhere near my garden (it is preserved area and full of trees, I posted a picture of google earth, you'll see it is full of trees). Hmmm, I'll inspect the area a bit closely and see if there's any chance a human can even walk into this part, it is very wooded. Was there a second ago, I could've checked! 🤨

twopenny said:

The grass looks in excellent condition. Cut on a high cut to keep it like that. Do it as needed. If you can bear it mow in one direction one time then the other another time.

I use a strimmer to do the edges. Cheap one will do for this.

The grass in the border won't keep getting that much. It's been left and a wet year last year. Clear it, tap or shake the soil off the roots, don't need new soil. Keep that space wide enough for a hoe and give it a doing when you do the grass. Quick and easy.

That brick wall needs re pointing. You can get small bags of mortar from a builders merchant. Cheap shop tool. It's quite a nice job to do because you can see good results. Stool, sunny day not too hot gather your tools and put on some music or a podcast.

I've used some Ronseal Fence protector - nightmare to open even when you've released the seal. Its easy to put on and looks good but seems to wash off in a year or two.

Ducks Back is more durable.

ah thanks for that, I was thinking there must be something for the wall. The walls are very old, they were there much earlier than the house (2009 build), they're in the deed that I can't replace them with anything other than another brick wall.
hmmm I think the duckbacks aren't suitable for the deck (high traffic areas), and my cheap self wants a product that can apply to all three shed, fence and deck 😅, I'm not sure I'm saving myself much if I'm going to have to reapply. I'll look further into this, cuz that deck is unlikely to be used much.

This may sound a bit stupid, if I dust off the grass around the border (it is pretty healthy), can I plant it in another area that's a bit dead near the deck? Not sure what killed the grass in that corner 🤔

thanks for dropping by.

twopenny

It's tricky to replant grass at this time of year.

But it's free so no harm in trying..........water throughly the area and the grass before you pull it up. Scratch the planting area throughly with a small fork or similar and if you can, bury the roots in. Tread down.

Then keep it damp for a week or more.

Grass seed is cheap if necessary.

Couldn't see a poorly corner. Usual reasons are overhanging trees and shrubs, concrete near the surface, a pot or similar stood on it at some point.

Jemma01

twopenny said:

It's tricky to replant grass at this time of year.

But it's free so no harm in trying..........water throughly the area and the grass before you pull it up. Scratch the planting area throughly with a small fork or similar and if you can, bury the roots in. Tread down.

Then keep it damp for a week or more.

Grass seed is cheap if necessary.

Couldn't see a poorly corner. Usual reasons are overhanging trees and shrubs, concrete near the surface, a pot or similar stood on it at some point.

I'll give it a go, the area is at the very edge of the garden, just by the deck to the right, and yes it is overhung by the trees from both sides of the neighbours to my right and back of my garden, I plan in the future when I have some cash to trim the one to my right, it sheds in autumn unlike the beautiful ones at the back that also have a purpose of blocking noise and pollution. Wish they cut it like they trimmed half of their garden.

FreeBear

Jemma01 said:

FreeBear said:

The wall, I'd give a once over with a wire hand brush just to remove any loose paint & crud. Then give it a couple of coats of limewash. Don't use a modern masonry paint on it - Moisture will get trapped in the bricks if you do, and after a few winters, the bricks will start to spall.

I didn't realise people paint brick walls 🙈, thanks for the heads up.
On the limewash, researching this implies that it is some form of a paint that would change the colour of the brick wall? Is that what you're referring to? I'd like to preserve the life of the brick wall (because it'll cost me an arm and a leg to fix 😅) but keep the same natural colour. Is there a sealant or something that's made out of brick powder that I may need to apply to worn out bricks? Not really inspected the walls properly up until now, they're much older than the house.

Some people do paint brick walls cos they don't like the red colour. If you want to retain the natural colour, I'd just go over it with a stiff brush and then leave well alone. Don't waste your money on sealants as they will have the same affect as masonry paint trapping moisture in the wall.

The wall appears to be constructed with a soft red with lime mortar - If it is, the white stuff between the bricks can be raked out with an old screwdriver. Get yourself a tub of lime putty and mix it one part putty with three parts soft sand. Rake out the mortar joints to a depth of 10-20mm, and trowel in the lime mortar you have mixed up after giving the wall a good soak. The following day, whack it with a churn brush, job done.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3yVPIIuE3L0

Keep the unused mortar (and lime putty) in a sealed container in a frost free location. As long as it doesn't dry out, it will keep for years. Just make sure there is a bit of water covering the surface, and pour it off before mixing up when you want to use it again.

stuart45

Jemma01 said:

I didn't realise people paint brick walls 🙈, thanks for the heads up.

It's normally better to avoid painting brickwork, as once you start it's more maintenance.  There is a method known as German smear, although it's not to everyone's taste. But like shabby chic paint on kitchen cupboards.

Jemma01

Update1:

My lawnmower arrived today 🥰 and I wasn't in the mood for the gym 🙄 and since it's been two weeks of straight sunshine, i thought I better try the lawnmower before a monsoon of rain hits!! 

So this is my first time mowing and the first run on the grass with the highest setting and it went mulching away; not sure why I was so intimidated by the process, it was pretty straightforward, and the mower was very smooth. Very pleased.



Then I disrupted the peace of my garden worms 🪱 and fluffed up the borders of the garden (on the fluffed part, some cluster of soil look like stones, they're not, just the grey side that I dug out). This right side is done all the way.

 

On the left, I didn't get a chance to finish, so this bit is left, a lot to pick out, and I've been in the garden from 16:30-19:45



This bit is done (ground wise), I'm content, the surroundings need some love.

Section62

Jemma01 said:

Update1:

My lawnmower arrived today 🥰 and I wasn't in the mood for the gym 🙄 and since it's been two weeks of straight sunshine, i thought I better try the lawnmower before a monsoon of rain hits!! 

So this is my first time mowing and the first run on the grass with the highest setting and it went mulching away; not sure why I was so intimidated by the process, it was pretty straightforward, and the mower was very smooth. Very pleased.



Then I disrupted the peace of my garden worms 🪱 and fluffed up the borders of the garden (on the fluffed part, some cluster of soil look like stones, they're not, just the grey side that I dug out). This right side is done all the way.

 

On the left, I didn't get a chance to finish, so this bit is left, a lot to pick out, and I've been in the garden from 16:30-19:45



This bit is done (ground wise), I'm content, the surroundings need some love.

Impressive, you seem to be a natural gardener.  If you're bored when you've finished you're welcome to come and do mine.

Jemma01

Section62 said:

Jemma01 said:

Update1:

My lawnmower arrived today 🥰 and I wasn't in the mood for the gym 🙄 and since it's been two weeks of straight sunshine, i thought I better try the lawnmower before a monsoon of rain hits!! 

So this is my first time mowing and the first run on the grass with the highest setting and it went mulching away; not sure why I was so intimidated by the process, it was pretty straightforward, and the mower was very smooth. Very pleased.



Then I disrupted the peace of my garden worms 🪱 and fluffed up the borders of the garden (on the fluffed part, some cluster of soil look like stones, they're not, just the grey side that I dug out). This right side is done all the way.

 

On the left, I didn't get a chance to finish, so this bit is left, a lot to pick out, and I've been in the garden from 16:30-19:45



This bit is done (ground wise), I'm content, the surroundings need some love.

Impressive, you seem to be a natural gardener.  If you're bored when you've finished you're welcome to come and do mine.

🤣 Awh that's such a lovely thing to say. You came to my mind when I changed the height of the cut, I put it on 6/8 🫣 then I thought "no 😡 @Section62 said put it at the highest first, and if nothing is cut move it down" 😆

I'm very grateful for all the help.

WIAWSNB

Jemma01 said:

So this is my first time mowing and the first run on the grass with the highest setting and it went mulching away; not sure why I was so intimidated by the process, it was pretty straightforward, and the mower was very smooth. Very pleased.

Wow, you've struck lucky with that garden! That is a very lovely wall, and you shouldn't entertain painting it imo. Don't even worry about the discolouration - it's just 'patina'... And FreeBear's link to that repointing ( https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3yVPIIuE3L0 ) is fab - that should be such a pleasure to do, and nothing like using cement mortar which can be tricky. At the moment, tho', the wall looks not at all bad, so not a priority.

Interesting what you said about the decking and fence looking to have been treated using the same product - I was told with mil's decking that the wrong stuff had been used on it, likely to have been 'fence' paint, and it was peeling away extensively. And, it looked the same red-ruddy colour as yours!

Once you close-pressure-wash the decking, you'll know what you'll be able to coat it with. In essence, if all the existing 'red' comes off, leaving bare timber, then you'll have the option of using decking oils (easier to apply, soaks right in, and gives a more natural finish which still shows variations in the wood grain). But if some red remains stubbornly attached, and not even scraping it removes it easily, then you'd be better off going decking 'paint' so it is fully overcoated. 'Paints' are 'solid' colours instead of translucent, and is also thicker and usually much more resilient to wear. Comes in lots of colours. You don't use the same stuff as on fences. Anyhoo, another job that isn't a priority, tho' you could try the pressure-washing at any time. Before then treating and painting the decking, make sure it's bone dry - wait until high summer, and a good long dry spell.

The only thing that lets down that garden is the boring fence, and its horrible colour. You may even wish to consider planting posts on your side, and suspending your own choice of panels or trellis in between them? That will give you better control over its appearance. Obviously one for the future and more thinking, but do spend time looking at pictures of 'nice' timber fencing and trellis, and bookmark anything that looks promising.

But, seriously, with that upper patio, bordered path, and lovely garden wall, you have the main ingredients in place.

Jemma01

WIAWSNB said:

Jemma01 said:

So this is my first time mowing and the first run on the grass with the highest setting and it went mulching away; not sure why I was so intimidated by the process, it was pretty straightforward, and the mower was very smooth. Very pleased.

Wow, you've struck lucky with that garden! That is a very lovely wall, and you shouldn't entertain painting it imo. Don't even worry about the discolouration - it's just 'patina'... And FreeBear's link to that repointing ( https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3yVPIIuE3L0 ) is fab - that should be such a pleasure to do, and nothing like using cement mortar which can be tricky. At the moment, tho', the wall looks not at all bad, so not a priority.

Interesting what you said about the decking and fence looking to have been treated using the same product - I was told with mil's decking that the wrong stuff had been used on it, likely to have been 'fence' paint, and it was peeling away extensively. And, it looked the same red-ruddy colour as yours!

Once you close-pressure-wash the decking, you'll know what you'll be able to coat it with. In essence, if all the existing 'red' comes off, leaving bare timber, then you'll have the option of using decking oils (easier to apply, soaks right in, and gives a more natural finish which still shows variations in the wood grain). But if some red remains stubbornly attached, and not even scraping it removes it easily, then you'd be better off going decking 'paint' so it is fully overcoated. 'Paints' are 'solid' colours instead of translucent, and is also thicker and usually much more resilient to wear. Comes in lots of colours. You don't use the same stuff as on fences. Anyhoo, another job that isn't a priority, tho' you could try the pressure-washing at any time. Before then treating and painting the decking, make sure it's bone dry - wait until high summer, and a good long dry spell.

The only thing that lets down that garden is the boring fence, and its horrible colour. You may even wish to consider planting posts on your side, and suspending your own choice of panels or trellis in between them? That will give you better control over its appearance. Obviously one for the future and more thinking, but do spend time looking at pictures of 'nice' timber fencing and trellis, and bookmark anything that looks promising.

But, seriously, with that upper patio, bordered path, and lovely garden wall, you have the main ingredients in place.

Honestly, I got lucky with the whole house, it ticked every dream box.

Some part of the wall needs attention, this is a close up for some part of it (it is not necessarily the worst part, I didn't inspect). I think some bricks might need a replacement. I'm looking forward to doing, but as you can imagine it runs end to end the length of the property x2 + 5m wall that belongs to my neighbour to the right. I'd have no arms by the end of it all🤣 or the hulk arms!! 



Whacha meannn boring fence colour 🤣 I'm obsessed lol, it goes nicely with green and doesn't clash with the brick colour, feels xmasie 😁. The thought of having a garden wall is brilliant, the driveway def needs something.