Gardeners!

[Tin Pot]

A year on, my front garden is worse than it was.

The sorry tale here:
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/gardeners.201539/

So I've bought a rose bush, a thing with long leaves and some other bits and bobs to plant, but I'm sick of the "scrubland chic" I've developed and want to pour stones all over it until it goes away...so: what gravel do I buy?

http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/rhs-horticultural-washed-gravel---handy-pack-372917

To cover this blighted landscape:

I've also destroyed This Monster, but what in the name of all things holy do I do with the hundreds of cubic metres of branches and leaves now?

Look I have a shed!

Also, neighbours!

 

[vickster]

Chop it smaller, take to tip. The most tedious part of gardening.
(I pay for the big shrubs to be dealt with, the rubbish is then chipped by the pros and they dispose of it)

 

[Tin Pot]

Chop it smaller, take to tip. The most tedious part of gardening.
(I pay for the big shrubs to be dealt with, the rubbish is then chipped by the pros and they dispose of it)

Yeah, so my wife is a bit angry with the state of her car after just six bags of the stuff.

My composter is full of grass already, but I could get another - do laurel leaves compost well?

The branches I could dry out for tinder next year?

 

[vickster]

Bag it up better and clean the car afterwards? Use your car?

No idea if it composts, I'd get rid to the tip, let them do the composting

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Pay a gardener to do a blitz once or twice a year. Well worth the money. Laurel won't compost and if you burn it, your neighbour's will die from the toxic, white smoke.

With gravel, choose the smoothest, flint-like aggregate. Anything like Cotswold gravel just greens up in a year and looks pants. Algae doesn't take to flint as well.

 

[Tin Pot]

Ok.

Any thoughts on the gravel?

 

[Tin Pot]

Pay a gardener to do a blitz once or twice a year. Well worth the money.

With gravel, choose the smoothest, flint-like aggregate. Anything like Cotswold gravel just greens up in a year and looks pants. Algae doesn't take to flint as well.

Is horticultural alpine gravel the former or the latter?

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Is horticultural alpine gravel the former or the latter?

Neither. The former and latter are path/drive aggregates. Alpine gravel/grit is usually sold in small amounts for staging, pots, planters and parts of rockeries. Alpine plants need quick draining substrate. 1 bulk bag of aggregate (850kg) will cover about 14m2 btw.

Also it occurs in large amounts on alpine MTB trails. Gawd knows who bothered to carry it up there.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Ok.

Any thoughts on the gravel?

Yes. Go for a flint in 20/40mm flavour for the reasons above, but also any sort of 'pea' gravel will make ideal cat litter as @User13710 says.

 

[mjr]

Yeah, so my wife is a bit angry with the state of her car after just six bags of the stuff.

My composter is full of grass already, but I could get another - do laurel leaves compost well?

Nope. The leaves gum up some garden shredders too. Line the car with plastic sheeting and use rubble bags instead of the thin shoot they sell as "garden waste bags" - the bags are probably much more evil to make, but they're smaller/easier-to-carry, they tip out more easily (no farking handles and folds) and tear less easily so with a bit of care you'll still be using them for next year's prunings, whereas garden ones are unlikely to survive one trip. Then clean the car properly or pay someone to.

If you're going to keep the garden tidy little-and-often, renting a garden waste bin saves a lot of time, if a local council or social enterprise offers such things.

The branches I could dry out for tinder next year?

Yeah - I need to sort my woodshed out Alternatively, strip the leaves and shred them and they'll take up much less space for transport. Some nutter on freecycle may even want to collect them for something.

 

[Tin Pot]

Mmm, I'm more of a "tidy up the garden twice a year type" maybe mow the lawn if the kids are disappearing, kind of guy. In other words, annoying to all Gardeners.

The proper reusable refuse sacks is a good idea.

So 20/40mm pebbles for the beds - I'm not laying a membrane though. Nothing new grows on this blighted soil anyway.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

 

[Alex H]

So 20/40mm pebbles for the beds - I'm not laying a membrane though. Nothing new grows on this blighted soil anyway.

I'm willing to bet weeds will, membrane or not

 

[Tin Pot]

£140 for a bunch of stones seems pricey to me, but then I think stones are free.

http://www.diy.com/departments/bq-green-monmouth-decorative-stone/261212_BQ.prd

If I order now, will arrive tomorrow, covers 9m2...

 

[fixedfixer]

........do laurel leaves compost well?

Not in my experience. I have a laurel that the previous owner planted. It just takes over. I've chopped it down with a chainsaw and have covered the stump. I also had two mega bonfires over it. But the damn thing still grows each year. Hope you manage to sort it.