We moved into our new home end of summer last year and out the back was full of weeds and badly needed a clean.
Just over a month ago now I decided to finally give it a clean and it came up pretty well!!
However, it didn’t end there.. didn’t particularly like the thought of not having any greenery and wanted to be able to have a nice area for our newborn son to eventually play around in.
Thought I’d just check how easy it was to lift one paving slab, then another.. and another. Lo and behold I had all paving’s lifted less than 24hours after I spent half the day cleaning them all!
6 weeks on and there was been a mountain of thick clay dug out and over 4 tons of topsoil wheel barrowed in and raked, a shed built, a wall built and a back broke.
Yesterday, we sewed our grass seed and I’m very eager to see how it will all turn out.
For anyone out there looking to do something similar, don’t bother – get artificial grass lol.
Here’s some before and after pics!
by jamos10
11 Comments
That’s going to be so much nicer for him to toddle about on and fall over on than a bunch of paving slabs. All those grazed knees you’ve saved! Sure it’ll be worth it.
And later, would be very easy to dig out a flower/veg bed or whatever, to maybe grow a few things with him so he learns where food comes from, etc.
Wow, what a transformation! Well done, you! Given time for the grass to establish, it will be a lovely garden for your son to play in.
Real grass is a much better choice than artificial, which is bad for the environment, gets very hot on sunny days, can lead to drainage issues (as in, it it doesn’t drain and rain water has to go somewhere), and is much higher maintenance than most people seem to think. And you’d have had to do much of the same prep work anyway.
Nice work!!
Nice! did mine when we moved in.Totally worth it.
Mine currently looks like the 1st pic. Not looking forward to tackling it
Fantastic, the less hard standing the better in my humble opinion! Looks wonderful and so much potential now for nice plants, lawn furniture, or a swing set!! Hopefully we get the weather this year and you can enjoy a nice grassy sit down.
Well done 👌 it’s great to see a garden come back life
Digging that clay out must have been hard work with the weather fighting you at every turn. All worth it in the end, it’ll look great!
Popular child garden plant ideas I’ve found:
– Teddy Bear Sunflower (_Helianthus annuus_ ‘Teddy Bear’); easy, fluffy and small!
– Other sunflowers (_Helianthus sp._); many fun varieties, including the classic, which also may benefit pollinators and birds more
– Lamb’s Ear (_Stachys byzantina_); fluffy leaves!
– Poached Egg Plant (_Limnanthes douglasii_); easy, cute and loved by hoverflies
– Nasturtiums (_Tropaeolum sp._); easy and colourful
– Strawberry (_ Fragaria × ananassa_); easy, edible and low growing
– Cosmos (_Cosmos bipinnatus_); easy and colourful
Hope that helps 🙂
Great job 👏
I’m all for a plan and organising BUT impulsive gardening is always very acceptable. You’ve made a huge difference already and should be chuffed with your hard work.