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Old 16-04-2010, 10:32 AM
Scottyboy Scottyboy is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Apr 2010
Posts: 5
Question Advice clearing overgrown shrub bed for lawn

Hi All,

I'm not a confident gardener and typically in the past I would hire a gardener to do bigger jobs but I figure that if continue to do that I'll never learn how to do these things myself so this spring/summer I have a few jobs that I am keen to get stuck into it and all I need is the know how (maybe time off work too). I will attempt this task first and depending on its success you never know .. I could be hooked.

I have a shrub bed about 20 x 5 ft that is overgrown with weeds and the shrubs look dead or tired. It also contains 1 tree and 1 dead broken tree. I have a new baby in the house and get little time to tend to the bed so I'm planing on clearing it and sowing a lawn which should hopefully be less maintanance.

This is my plan thus far from reading various site. I would appreciate any advice or pointers:

1 Kill weeds - Treat the weeds with Bio Glyphosate probably spraying or with a watering can but being careful not to damage the remaining good tree. Leave for 1 week.

2 Dig out the broken dead tree. Will this be hard work?

3 Clear the area - Strim, rip and dig out tired shrubs and any weeds.

4 Till the bed with a hired tiller.

5 Add some top soil - Get some 50lb bags of tops soils Any idea how much I would need and do I need to get it delivered or just buy it from a garden centre?

6 Mix in top soil and rake to Level. The bed adjacent to an existing lawn so hopefully I can get it level enough to blend in with that.

7 Sow some grass seeds and water.


How does that sound to you guys who know what your doing? BTW if any of this is overkill please let me know as my back isn't looking foward to the tasks ahead.


Thanks


Scott