Wildlife and Gardens Thread

[Countryfox]

And if you’re wondering why I’ve put down the plastic ..  this is what it was like and never got any better with the mutts trashing it on a daily basis.  One of my better ideas .. 

 

 

[blue blood]

22 minutes ago, Countryfox said:

 Nice! Can’t knock the brush technique.  Lawn looks in good nick too.

[blue blood]

Just now, blue blood said:

 Nice! Can’t knock the brush technique.  Lawn looks in good nick too.

Oh it’s plastic!!!! 😂😂

[blue blood]

14 minutes ago, Countryfox said:

And if you’re wondering why I’ve put down the plastic ..  this is what it was like and never got any better with the mutts trashing it on a daily basis.  One of my better ideas .. 

 

 

That could have been salvaged into something beautiful!!  I’m in camp turf over plastic.

[tom27111]

16 minutes ago, Countryfox said:

And if you’re wondering why I’ve put down the plastic ..  this is what it was like and never got any better with the mutts trashing it on a daily basis.  One of my better ideas .. 

 

 

That's what Rotherham away will look like 

[Sparrowhawk]

2 minutes ago, blue blood said:

That could have been salvaged into something beautiful!!  I’m in camp turf over plastic.

Anything's better than plastic. Concrete is better than plastic. Plastic gardens should be illegal!

[Countryfox]

47 minutes ago, blue blood said:

 Nice! Can’t knock the brush technique.  Lawn looks in good nick too.

Well it fooled you ! ..  

[Countryfox]

46 minutes ago, Sparrowhawk said:

Anything's better than plastic. Concrete is better than plastic. Plastic gardens should be illegal!

Well i sort of guessed that was coming ! ..  

 

The background was the mutts dug holes all the time ..  the actual grass was disappearing on a daily basis. When it rained they came into the house covered in mud and trashed the inside too !   Yes I could have returfed or put seeds down but the dogs would have had to be moved elsewhere (non starter) for quite a while ..  then would have just started trashing it again. So I did my research and eventually (and it took a while) found something that looked real and  ..  billy bonus..  was really really cheap !  The guy who imported it for the UK actually had it on his own front garden ..  I went round and was well impressed. Put it down myself and most people have not even realised it wasn’t real.  So  ..  no more mess ..  no more holes ..  no more mud ..  no more mowing ..  no more anything really ! … the dogs love it and sleep on it every night ..  and if and when the situation changes I can switch back to real grass any time. 
 

I was very sceptical but as I said ..  it was one of my best decisions ..  

[FoxesDeb]

59 minutes ago, Countryfox said:

Well i sort of guessed that was coming ! ..  

 

The background was the mutts dug holes all the time ..  the actual grass was disappearing on a daily basis. When it rained they came into the house covered in mud and trashed the inside too !   Yes I could have returfed or put seeds down but the dogs would have had to be moved elsewhere (non starter) for quite a while ..  then would have just started trashing it again. So I did my research and eventually (and it took a while) found something that looked real and  ..  billy bonus..  was really really cheap !  The guy who imported it for the UK actually had it on his own front garden ..  I went round and was well impressed. Put it down myself and most people have not even realised it wasn’t real.  So  ..  no more mess ..  no more holes ..  no more mud ..  no more mowing ..  no more anything really ! … the dogs love it and sleep on it every night ..  and if and when the situation changes I can switch back to real grass any time. 
 

I was very sceptical but as I said ..  it was one of my best decisions ..  

But it's so bad for the environment, not just because it's plastic and the way it's produced, but because it can't support any wildlife. The plastic leeches in to the soil, it doesn't have a great lifespan and is very difficult to recycle at the end of it's life, it gets much hotter than a lawn so isn't great for pets in hot weather...It might look aesthetically pleasing, but it really isn't nice stuff 

[Parafox]

32 minutes ago, FoxesDeb said:

But it's so bad for the environment, not just because it's plastic and the way it's produced, but because it can't support any wildlife. The plastic leeches in to the soil, it doesn't have a great lifespan and is very difficult to recycle at the end of it's life, it gets much hotter than a lawn so isn't great for pets in hot weather...It might look aesthetically pleasing, but it really isn't nice stuff 

All of this.

 

Please don't be tempted by the "no need to mow" argument.

 

Cut your grass but leave an area of "re-wilding" to attract the flying insects and others that need that sanctuary.

 

A lawn doesn't have to be like a bowling green. A garden should be an area of interest for humans and wildlife.

 

 

 

 

[Wymsey]

Like the look of the Secret Garden at Glenfield Hospital.

[Foxdiamond]

Good to see bees and other pollinators in the garden

[Countryfox]

11 hours ago, FoxesDeb said:

But it's so bad for the environment, not just because it's plastic and the way it's produced, but because it can't support any wildlife. The plastic leeches in to the soil, it doesn't have a great lifespan and is very difficult to recycle at the end of it's life, it gets much hotter than a lawn so isn't great for pets in hot weather...It might look aesthetically pleasing, but it really isn't nice stuff 

I can’t argue with most of that Debs but before I did it there was virtually no grass left ..  just a muddy mire with holes all over it ..  and the dogs never slept on it.  The ‘grass’ itself has moved on massively over the last few years and this one in particular is quite realistic ..  the expensive ones £40+ a sq metre do look like bowling greens but this one, at £10, with its multi directional appearance and inlaid with brown twitch doesn’t ..  I’ve laid it slightly unevenly and rough edged .. and with twigs petals leaves etc dotted about it looks ok to me.  The dogs have stopped digging ..  they now sleep out on it a lot  ..  and even during that really hot spell it was not too hot for them ..  I walked over it bare foot many times and although warm it was never too hot. With regards to @Parafox’s comment about not mowing ..  that was never a consideration just a byproduct ..  I actually liked mowing the lawn !   
 

And don’t worry I’m surrounded by fields  and fields of grass and trees and any insects haven’t got far to go to find a home ..  

[Countryfox]

Nice bit of rough edging ..  and reasonably authentic looking ..  imo .. 

 

 

[Parafox]

4 hours ago, Countryfox said:

Nice bit of rough edging ..  and reasonably authentic looking ..  imo .. 

 

 

Looks like it needs a good mowing/strimming 

[Wymsey]

Want to Kew Gardens.

 

Very much enjoyed the scenery and the several buildings of it.

Great afternoon tea and went on the boat from Kew Pier to Westminster on the way back.

 

Shame about the weather.., but can't have it all etc.

Edited 22 July 2023 by Wymsey

[Parafox]

15 hours ago, Wymsey said:

Want to Kew Gardens.

 

Very much enjoyed the scenery and the several buildings of it.

Great afternoon tea and went on the boat from Kew Pier to Westminster on the way back.

 

Shame about the weather.., but can't have it all etc.

Was it a full day or did you struggle to find things to do? Was it expensive?

 

I fancy going but it seems a long way when there's a decent, similar albeit smaller place, in Brum:

 

birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk

 

 

Edited 23 July 2023 by Parafox

[Wymsey]

1 hour ago, Parafox said:

Was it a full day or did you struggle to find things to do? Was it expensive?

 

I fancy going but it seems a long way when there's a decent, similar albeit smaller place, in Brum:

 

birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk

 

 

We were there for around 4 hours.

Nearly 2 of those was doing the Afternoon Tea.

 

There were plenty of big conservatory buildings to explore, plus The Kew Palace Museum.

 

As a. living in East London now, it took us a few trains to get there.

 

Heard that it's not easy to get there, from travelling to the location outside of London, so I understand where you're coming from.

 

We used a Virgin Experience voucher, so am not sure on the costs if we didn't use it.

Edited 23 July 2023 by Wymsey

[Bilsthorpe Blue]

swallows ready to fledge, 2nd brood this year they lost the first due to heatwave in May/June 

Edited 29 July 2023 by Bilsthorpe Blue

[Raj]

Abit of a garden theme as most gardens have fences!

Bought a electric paint sprayer (Rick n Roll lifestyle bitches!!!).

What a bloody godsend!

A day to spray everything which normally take me 4-5 days after work.

 

[FoyleFox]

On 29/07/2023 at 14:30, Raj said:

Abit of a garden theme as most gardens have fences!

Bought a electric paint sprayer (Rick n Roll lifestyle bitches!!!).

What a bloody godsend!

A day to spray everything which normally take me 4-5 days after work.

 

Interesting. Does the paint not go everywhere? Posts and floor etc. A mate had one and said the paint ended up all over stuff that it shouldn't. We've fencing along three sides and it takes forever to do it. 

[Raj]

47 minutes ago, FoyleFox said:

Interesting. Does the paint not go everywhere? Posts and floor etc. A mate had one and said the paint ended up all over stuff that it shouldn't. We've fencing along three sides and it takes forever to do it. 

Used cardboard pieces to cover areas and was fine.

Even brushed the paint into the fences once sprayed on.

It's a game changer.

Go for it, you won't regret it.

[Lillehamring]

On 19/07/2023 at 18:50, Countryfox said:

Well i sort of guessed that was coming ! ..  

 

The background was the mutts dug holes all the time ..  the actual grass was disappearing on a daily basis. When it rained they came into the house covered in mud and trashed the inside too !   Yes I could have returfed or put seeds down but the dogs would have had to be moved elsewhere (non starter) for quite a while ..  then would have just started trashing it again. So I did my research and eventually (and it took a while) found something that looked real and  ..  billy bonus..  was really really cheap !  The guy who imported it for the UK actually had it on his own front garden ..  I went round and was well impressed. Put it down myself and most people have not even realised it wasn’t real.  So  ..  no more mess ..  no more holes ..  no more mud ..  no more mowing ..  no more anything really ! … the dogs love it and sleep on it every night ..  and if and when the situation changes I can switch back to real grass any time. 
 

I was very sceptical but as I said ..  it was one of my best decisions ..  

I get your frustration, but there're other things you could have done than put down plastic - we have several wild flower meadows, for example - practically no maintenance and less likely to be terrorised, great for the environment and if they get a bit dug up, you can't see it.

 

[Lillehamring]

On 23/07/2023 at 11:58, Parafox said:

Was it a full day or did you struggle to find things to do? Was it expensive?

 

I fancy going but it seems a long way when there's a decent, similar albeit smaller place, in Brum:

 

birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk

 

 

Kew Gardens is fabulous - you could spend all day there, but a few hours usually suffices.  It is a bit out of the way but at the same time there's loads of other stuff round there to make the trip worthwhile.

[Lillehamring]

On 17/05/2023 at 11:59, davieG said:

Water Butts.

 

I have inherited 4  x 190L Water Butts.

 

I only want one of these so have 3 spares. If  anyone wants any of them they're free to whoever can collect them from Hinckley.

Obviously, we really need these!  Do you think i can sneak one on the plane home?