On Mon, 24 Jan 2005 18:16:09 -0000, "Keith Hampson"
wrote:

please excuse me but I am totally new to gardening, I have just bought a
house so starting fro scratch, but would like to help I can get.

the problems I have with the garden are as follows:

1. the lawn last summer was covered in ants, making it very annoying when we
sat in our garden, how can I stop the ants this year? maybe put poison down?

Learn to ignore them, they are doing no harm (more likely to be
beneficial) and there's no way you're going to get rid of them.

2. I have some 4 old tree stumps in the garden which have been cut about 5
inch tall, how can I get shut of them, I know you can buy tree stump killer,
is it any good?

It kills 'em but it doesn't dig 'em up, you'll have to to that now or
in a few years when they've rotted. Or camouflage them by some well
designed planting.

3. All the lawn is very hilly and patchy, how is the best way of levelling
it, someone told me to put top soil down, another dig it all up and seed it,
I don't have much spare money, the lawn is 42 ft x 120 ft

Depends how bad it is, how picky you are and how much work/money you
want to expend. Small hollows can be filled with sharp sand or a
gritty compost mix in the growing season, add a bit of seed if needed.
Big humps and hollows can be dealt with by lifting the turf and
adding/removing soil, then relieving any compaction and re-laying the
turf. If it's *really* bad - like the builders specification
'Landscaped garden to rear of property' and you're a perfectionist,
then it's time to start from scratch.

=================================================

Rod

Weed my email address to reply.
http://website.lineone.net/~rodcraddock/index.html