Does anyone know anything about gardening?

I guess it's just that dogwood has such strong winter vibrancy.

Our predecessors did a great job on the gardens, but they lack year round interest. Now I'm getting round to planting up the front I'm keen to tackle that.

Camellia transnokoensis looks like another option - not red, just winter interest.

Fyi for rose enthusiasts, DA has a series of guides on his site:

https://www.davidaustinroses.co.uk/blogs/news/pruning-an-english-shrub-rose?om_campaign=omme_5f520ed6-a59_24223_73524&om_send=2f5a5ed51f4c41ce93f93b85f57c0509&utm_campaign=omme_5f520ed6-a59_pruning&utm_content=variation_a&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ometria

Witch hazel could be another one for winter interest. I’m trying to find a spot to get some in our back garden before next winter.

If you get the right Japanese/Chinese hybrid it’s apparently got a fantastic nutmeg-like scent and great flowers starting from January.

A section of a video here banging on about them, starting at ~3minutes in: https://youtu.be/lW-mk19eGSQ?feature=shared&t=182

They look cool. I really struggle with that lady.

Anyway, too late. I've pulled the trigger. White forsythia and magnolia shrubs to cover the bins. 'Fire Power' to grow in front of the peony - sort of referencing the 'Red Robin' bushes we have on the street side wall.

The hellebore collection for under the fur tree at the back and probably in a couple of other places - probably the two light ones underneath the forsythia / magnolia.

Plus some others just because.

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I was really close to trying the dogwood in a pot, but then decided it was too much faff, and ultimately I want the front to be relatively low maintenance.

I put a Nandina next to a peony too, really good choice for an evergreen (ever-red?).

I really struggle with that lady.

Yeah, gardening content is generally presented by a peculiar set of people. Nice trees though!

Your selection sounds really nice, post some photos when you’re done 🙂

Cheers. For reference this is where we're starting.

Had meant to get more things planted last year when the drive was done, but equally I also wanted to give a few of the keepers some time to settle. I'm a bit annoyed I didn't take the time to save more of the bulbs when they were digging it out, but it wasn't really practical at the time unfortunately.

The campanula and aubrieta are hopefully going to give ground cover next to the top brick wall. The water access is under the black pot, so there isn't much deep or decent soil there

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Bit late to the hori hori action, but as I have quite a bit of weeding coming up I thought I'd grab one. I know the Niwaki and Barebones are the forum choices, but I thought I'd try this one out as it has markings, a nicer looking handle, and is stainless. If the Barebones + a sheath was more reasonable, I'd have probs gone that way.

https://www.japeto.co.uk/products/weeding/hori-hori-knife-deluxe-leather-holster

Anyway I'll report back.

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That looks good with the depth measurements for bulb planting too.
I'll stand by for your report.

what’s the forum approved low maintenance alternative-to-grass ground cover (that can be over seeded over an existing lawn)? I’m done mowing

I have yet to find something. I just want a lawn that is generally green, not bare patches of mud and can be walked on.

Grass is the traditional solution 😉

Seriously though, the limitating factor is walking. If you have a spot you just want to look green, then there are loads of options.

The only other thing is to go for something a bit more out of the box, like designing in paths made of something more durable

I’m done mowing

What about a robot mower?

I know they are expensive, but how much will removing the existing lawn and replanting with an alternative lawn cost?

Fwiw the cheapest one that Which? say is decent is the Gardena Sileno Minimon 250 - which can do 250ft² and can handle slopes up to 25%. Bosch Indego M700 is top - 700m² up to 27% incline.

I'm looking for something with all the qualities of grass apart from the repeatedly disappearing trick that my grass seems to pull.

Moss, clover and daisies seem to be the patches of my lawn that are stealthy enough to avoid the mower.

Plant couch grass, creeping buttercup and other weed grasses that you'll never get rid off? It keeps ours evergreen ;)

Joking aside, there are some people that give grass advice, like planting the grass rolls on a few CMS of sharp sand. Soggy boggy clay kills a lot of lawns around here.

I'm not sure the standard grasses are the most durable as the weedy grass lawn we have won't give up even though it's waterlogged.

We have a senecio cineraria, the goldfinches rip it to shreds to use as nesting material every year

in a fit of fairly severe procrastination, I've started sketching out what I think I want to do with the garden. We moved in about 9 months ago, garden is shit and I had hoped to have made a start on some of the prep during the autumn, but this did not happen (opposite 'future workshop' is the base of a former workshop which is going to need smashing up and removing, so no idea how decent the soil is on that side but it gets good sun).

Main aims are to hide the fences where possible, add year-round interest and keep thing's nature-friendly. A sparrowhawk has been spotted in the garden before, probably coz we get a lot of small birds. Woodland area is overshadowed by a tree in next door, but I want to mix in lupins, echinacea and stuff, hopefully they'll be ok. It's mainly ivy at the moment.

Future workshop will only come in when the conservatory comes down.

So, hive mind. What mistakes am I going to make?

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We just got this one and my parents have the Niwaka.

Niwaka is better made overall (wood has started to chip on this one already).

Blade on this one seems sharper and serrations more effective however.

Robot mowers are deadly to 🦔. Little hogs curl up and the mowers just cruise straight over them. Mow stuff yourself, you’d be more likely to notice something and stop, hopefully.

500£ robot mower also seems like overkill for 10sqm of lawn. I just don’t want to have to get everything out the shed, tidy up, put it all away etc every fortnight :/

I think you have to be a parent to appreciate mowing. An hour (minimum) of pure peace and quiet. Blessing.