On Sat, 12 Mar 2011 14:19:50 +0000, SaintUpNorth
wrote:


Hi, I'm a bit of a novice gardener and need some advice.
In brief, to celebrate my parents wedding anniversary we want to 'plant'
there initials in flowers on a nearby grass slope.
So what I need is some advice on what to plant. I'm thinking:-

- Seeds that can be sown rather than having to plant seedlings.

- Seeds that are cheap. The areas quite big.

- An annual we want to return the slope to the owner 'as new'.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

A nice idea but unacheivable, sorry. If you need initials to be seen
as such, you will need plants that are about the same height, flower
at the same time (you don't say when the anniversary is) and you need
the seeds to germinate consistently and in the right pattern, not too
close together that they compete with each other and fail to provide a
good display. Too many problems sorry.

IMO, if you want something like you seem to want, you're not talking
about sowing seeds or planting seedlings, you're talking about
planting well grown plants, already in flower.

Don't forget that the grass will also be growing so you really need to
clear an area back to soil and then either plant the "initials" into a
patch of bare soil or if you want the green close around the initials
then fill in the cleared area with foliage plants about the same size
as the flowering ones.

May I offer another idea - something I did years ago for one of the
Garden Festivals back in the early 80s. Depending on how long you want
the display to be there for, get some plywood or some hardboard - the
latter will be good for a few days - and paint it whatever colour you
want (not green). Use a jigsaw to cut out the initials. Drill a couple
of holes for ground pegs and then lay them out on the bank and fix
down with "tent pegs". If money's a problem, get hold of some old
pallets - someone's always getting rid of some somewhere - the rough
wood won't matter when viewed from a distance and a bit of effort and
you can make a wide initial out of a couple of slats fixed together.

If the grass is cut short and you only want the initials for a day or
two, the grass won't suffer much and will recover once the "wood" is
removed. Plus you can do the job quickly while parents are asleep in
bed!