August 2015

After wrecking Lil's lawn by using it as a parking lot for surplus soil (making Ecobeds) for the last couple of years, its time to put things right.

Once I've trimmed the sleepers and bolted them together, I will lay the brick mowing strip on a concrete base and grout it in.  The ground will be dug and the subsoil broken up with a large crowbar.

A layer of compost will be added to the surface and drip line irrigation installed.  When the turf arrives I will spray the roots with aerated compost tea (high fungi concentration) before laying it.  The aim is to encourage the roots and attendant micorrhizal fungi to penetrate deep into the subsoil looking for ground water, and be as independant of irrigation as possible.

I have a few King Alfred daffodils in flower at the moment, they certainly help brighten up the garden in the rather bleak wintery weather we have been having lately.

Miniature cyclamen are great in a small urn like this one.  Once they have finished flowering, they will be transplanted into an adjacent irrigated garden bed.  I have a few of them scattered around the garden grown in the same way last year.  They will last several years with minimal care.