I've cleared this space in my new rental up to this point, but I'm not sure what it's going to look like if/when I cut/strim that grass back…lots of stalks and brown clay?
Is there time left this year to turn over/fertilise and enrich the soil and sow a fresh lawn in what's here? It's pretty depressing as it stands 🙁
I'm also depressed at how many snails and critters this might harm because the place is absolutely moving with them after dark. I just want something that's kinda half manageable.
by the_0tternaut
7 Comments
I’d stsrt with painting the walls, a nice bright colour, cream or something, and go from there? You’d be surprised how much of a change it can make
I would be asking the landlord before turning any soil, it might work out great, but it might not… Best to get the go ahead from landlord first….
I’d just mow the grass down short and keep it short. Will look rough for a while but it’ll eventually fill back in and look ok.
I’d mow it and cover it with carpet, card, plastic for the winter. Deal with it next spring. Maybe it could be turned into a little meadow!
If you’re worried about the critters, check out the Resources page on Pollinators.ie [here](https://pollinators.ie/resources/). They have a how to guide on creating & restoring meadows in gardens, with mowing schedules etc.
You need to do a better job of striming. No work done there.
Maybe you could try cutting the grass a little at a time, using a gentler method than strimming? Give the critters some time to find cover? You could set up some bug hotel style shelters for them!
If there are gaps in the grass after cutting, you could throw down some native wildflower seed, or naturalise some bulbs like snowdrops or bluebells in the lawn? Even if you are left with some gaps, you know something nice is coming up in a few months! Maybe consider leaving a bit of the grass long? I think some wildlife use it for nesting/feeding.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/lawns/creating-wildflower-meadows
RHS have a nice guide here for a wildflower meadow, if you were interested in doing a mini version of that?