Gardening Articles
Tips and Advice for the Garden
Articles and advice for your garden, try these great garden projects.
Put Decking in your Garden
Patios are out, decking is in. Some people will tell you that the decking fad is finished, but decking is still a very popular option with a lot of people. This article gives you some advice on how to lay decking in your garden, with tips on how to approach the project, construct the deck and install it properly.
The first thing to do is decide where you want your deck and draw up a plan of your design. Consider laying the boards in the direction that will cause you the least amount of work in cutting and shaping. Make sure that you can purchase the boards in lengths that are suitable for your design. The decking is going to be raised up on a frame and advice varies on whether this should be above or below the level of your damp proof course, but as long as water cannot run off your decking above the damp course you should be okay. Most of the water will run off underneath the frame.
If you are going to cover up any manhole covers, washing line holders or other items, make sure that you plan for cutting the necessary holes, or for occasional access that you can unscrew boards easily.
To build your frame, position the lengths of timber vertically rather like "I" beams. Lay up your cross pieces every metre or so, and screw the frame together. Leave enough height to take into account the decking board thickness to your final floor level. Use expansion bolts to attach your frame to the wall. Remember that your frme will be exposed to wather on the ground so treat the wood with a suitable water repelling product. Most decking boards will come pre-treated, but there are many products available if you want to add your own treatment, or re-apply at a later date.
A gentle angle of the decking will help water to run off, but don't make it too noticable. If you are adding steps into the decking, say to drop down to a lawn level, you can also lay these at a slight angle to avoid water pooling on them. If you are adding handrails or edging to your decked area, it will be more robust if you don't attach it just to the wooden decking & frame, but go through to the ground and a properly secured foundation.
Screwing the decking boards down is a big job and a power screwdriver is recommended. Self tapping screws can be used but consider counter-sinking in advance to get a smooth finish. Sand and rub all the cut ends smooth to avoid splinters.
Now add the garden furniture, make yourself a gin and tonic, and sit back and admire your handywork. There have been scare stories about Rats living underneath decking, so make sure that you don't drop old barbecued sausages and crumbs down there to attract the vermin. Weeds can also be a problem, so you could cover the gorund area under the deck with some bark chippings or even a sheet to prevent them coming thorough. Alternatively make sure you have access to spray underneath.
Mowing your Lawn
An often under-valued garden task. It is important to get into good mowing habits to keep your lawn in tip top condition. A well presented lawn will make the rest of your garden look even better. The two key aspects are mowing height, and mowing frequency.
Grass grows from the bottom and not the top. This is fortunate, else a single mow would kill off your entire lawn! The first thing is not to set your mower height too low. If you cut the grass too far down the stem then the growing will tend to be low wide spread, making for a tight knit and moss prone lawn. The rule of thumb is to cut one third off the height.
At the same time you don't want your lawn to grow into a wild jungle, so regular mowing is essential. However, leave enough height on the grass so that it has enough capacity to generate food for growth. Grass is just like any other plant, and if you remove all the leaves then a plant can no longer generate food from sunlight, and hence your grass will struggle.
If there is a period of drought, and hosepipe ban, not uncommon in the English summertime, then it is advantageous for the grass to be long enough to survive. Too short and those large brown patches will appear.
Weed and Feed is another good method to make sure that your lawn gets the nutrition it needs to stay in top shape. This is cheap to buy now and regular applications make sure your lawn is consistent across it's area, rather than certain patches being more prolific than others.
Different types of grasses demand different maintenance. Consult articles specific to your own type of grass to make sure you get the best advice for your own lawn.
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