In message , Mike Lyle
writes
Sue Begg wrote:
[..]
Thanks to everyone for your replies. At £40 a cu metre I am having
to
do a lot of sweet-talking to hubby but at least I am clearer of
what
the options are now

While you're sweet-talking, consider why you want the stuff in the
first place. It looks awful, and has no nutritional value. Earth
should be covered with plants, not refuse the Forestry Commission's
desperate to get rid of.

Yes I do agree with you and in a couple of years it will be, but it is a
garden in its first year. The bed is about 35m x 4m and already has over
300 assorted shrubs and perennials in it. (It is probably overplanted
really) but at the moment it has enormous amounts of bare earth and
because the ground has never been garden before, I am getting the last
50 years accumulated seeds all seeing daylight and germinating. In the
space of a couple of weeks it has sprouted a fine crop of rape seed :-((
The bark is the only thing I can think of to keep me sane while waiting
for the plants to spread and cover it. I don't want to put anything too
permanent on as I know I will have to move, divide and swap plants
around once they really start to grow.

--
Sue
Remove the puppies to reply

"Sue Begg" wrote in message
...
In message , Mike Lyle
writes
Sue Begg wrote:
[..]
Thanks to everyone for your replies. At £40 a cu metre I am having
to
do a lot of sweet-talking to hubby but at least I am clearer of
what
the options are now

While you're sweet-talking, consider why you want the stuff in the
first place. It looks awful, and has no nutritional value. Earth
should be covered with plants, not refuse the Forestry Commission's
desperate to get rid of.

Yes I do agree with you and in a couple of years it will be, but it is a
garden in its first year. The bed is about 35m x 4m and already has over
300 assorted shrubs and perennials in it. (It is probably overplanted
really) but at the moment it has enormous amounts of bare earth and
because the ground has never been garden before, I am getting the last
50 years accumulated seeds all seeing daylight and germinating. In the
space of a couple of weeks it has sprouted a fine crop of rape seed :-((
The bark is the only thing I can think of to keep me sane while waiting
for the plants to spread and cover it. I don't want to put anything too
permanent on as I know I will have to move, divide and swap plants
around once they really start to grow.

Do you want the bark chips just for mulching or is visual appeal a factor.
It seems to me that you would save a bundle by getting contract mulch rather
than bark chips.

What part of the country are you in by the way?

Steve

In message , shazzbat
writes

"Sue Begg" wrote in message
...
In message , Mike Lyle
writes
Sue Begg wrote:
[..]
Thanks to everyone for your replies. At £40 a cu metre I am having
to
do a lot of sweet-talking to hubby but at least I am clearer of
what
the options are now

While you're sweet-talking, consider why you want the stuff in the
first place. It looks awful, and has no nutritional value. Earth
should be covered with plants, not refuse the Forestry Commission's
desperate to get rid of.

Yes I do agree with you and in a couple of years it will be, but it is a
garden in its first year. The bed is about 35m x 4m and already has over
300 assorted shrubs and perennials in it. (It is probably overplanted
really) but at the moment it has enormous amounts of bare earth and
because the ground has never been garden before, I am getting the last
50 years accumulated seeds all seeing daylight and germinating. In the
space of a couple of weeks it has sprouted a fine crop of rape seed :-((
The bark is the only thing I can think of to keep me sane while waiting
for the plants to spread and cover it. I don't want to put anything too
permanent on as I know I will have to move, divide and swap plants
around once they really start to grow.

Do you want the bark chips just for mulching or is visual appeal a factor.
It seems to me that you would save a bundle by getting contract mulch rather
than bark chips.

What part of the country are you in by the way?

Steve


I'm 30 miles north of Aberdeen.

The visual appeal is a very temporary thing as I hope by next summer (or
certainly the summer after) there won't be any bare ground showing. I
tend to like wild and woolly cottage style beds :-))

All I need really is something that won't become a pest in the future
-therefore anything stony is out. I have used broken slate on another
bed and have found it a nuisance when moving plants as it is quite
difficult to clear a patch and not end up burying any.
--
Sue
Remove the puppies to reply

The message
from Sue Begg contains these words:

I'm 30 miles north of Aberdeen.

I'm Strichen with curiosity...

--
Rusty
There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who read binary and
those who don't.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

In message , Rusty Hinge
writes
The message
from Sue Begg contains these words:

I'm 30 miles north of Aberdeen.

I'm Strichen with curiosity...


Oldwhat - between New Deer and Maud :-)
Used to go to the Mormond pub in Strichen - fond memories
--
Sue
Remove the puppies to reply

The message
from Sue Begg contains these words:
In message , Rusty Hinge
writes
The message
from Sue Begg contains these words:

I'm 30 miles north of Aberdeen.

I'm Strichen with curiosity...


Oldwhat - between New Deer and Maud :-)
Used to go to the Mormond pub in Strichen - fond memories

I used to have an Aunt Maude, but she was about five miles to the east
of New Deer, IYSWIM.

(I know where New Deer is, but I've never been to/through Maud AFAIK. I
had a schoolfiend who lived at Banchory though.)

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"Sue Begg" wrote in message
...
In message , shazzbat
writes

"Sue Begg" wrote in message
...
In message , Mike Lyle
writes
Sue Begg wrote:
[..]

Do you want the bark chips just for mulching or is visual appeal a
factor.
It seems to me that you would save a bundle by getting contract mulch
rather
than bark chips.

What part of the country are you in by the way?

Steve


I'm 30 miles north of Aberdeen.

The visual appeal is a very temporary thing as I hope by next summer (or
certainly the summer after) there won't be any bare ground showing. I
tend to like wild and woolly cottage style beds :-))

All I need really is something that won't become a pest in the future
-therefore anything stony is out. I have used broken slate on another
bed and have found it a nuisance when moving plants as it is quite
difficult to clear a patch and not end up burying any.
--
Sue
Remove the puppies to reply

Ah, I'm 8 miles outside Bournemouth, so you won't want to pay my delivery
charges there!

But anyway, for the purposes you describe, I would suggest contract mulch,
the basic mulch, the stuff the builders use between the shrubs at
supermarket sites etc.

I don't know your local suppliers, but if you check out ecocomposting, they
have pictures, specifications etc to help you choose.

Steve