I have rather a large garden. One section about 25x25 yards is rough
grass. Until now I have cut it regularly, which is rather tiring
especially as there are a number of trees around which I keep the area
free of grass and weeds. Now the time has come when I am unable to mow
it, what will happen if I leave it wild? Will it become infested with
nettles and thistles, or just an attractive collection of various
"weeds"? At the moment there are plenty of interesting flowers growing,
however if it became thistle and nettle infested it may well upset my
neighbours. Is there an easy and acceptable solution please? I cannot
afford to have someone to come in every week or so to cut it.
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Broadback writes
I have rather a large garden. One section about 25x25 yards is rough
grass. Until now I have cut it regularly, which is rather tiring
especially as there are a number of trees around which I keep the area
free of grass and weeds. Now the time has come when I am unable to mow
it, what will happen if I leave it wild? Will it become infested with
nettles and thistles, or just an attractive collection of various
"weeds"? At the moment there are plenty of interesting flowers growing,
however if it became thistle and nettle infested it may well upset my
neighbours. Is there an easy and acceptable solution please? I cannot
afford to have someone to come in every week or so to cut it.

Ultimately it will turn to scrub and eventually trees. The route it
takes depends on how rich the soil is - if it's rich, the route will be
via nettles and docks. If it's less rich, then via a number of
attractive flowers. The fact you already have a good range of flowers in
it suggests that it may not be very rich (in rich ground, the grass
usually wins the competition). Then you'll start getting brambles which
will provide cover for tree seedlings.

'Wild' grassland is maintained in that state by regular mowing - by hand
or machine, rabbits or sheep.
--
Kay

"Broadback" wrote in message
...
I have rather a large garden. One section about 25x25 yards is rough grass.
Until now I have cut it regularly, which is rather tiring especially as
there are a number of trees around which I keep the area free of grass and
weeds. Now the time has come when I am unable to mow it, what will happen
if I leave it wild? Will it become infested with nettles and thistles, or
just an attractive collection of various "weeds"? At the moment there are
plenty of interesting flowers growing, however if it became thistle and
nettle infested it may well upset my neighbours. Is there an easy and
acceptable solution please? I cannot afford to have someone to come in
every week or so to cut it.
--
Please reply to group,emails to designated
address are never read.


Until we had new neighbours, our next door neighbour had a very very
overgrown garden, and I can assure you, it will become unwelcome. Have you
thought of some sort of garden share? Someone to come and cut your lawn in
exchange for growing veg for example? Contact your local horticultural
society, or gardening club, I'm sure there is someone who can come to your
aid! Best of luck!

"Broadback" wrote in message
...
I have rather a large garden. One section about 25x25 yards is rough grass.
Until now I have cut it regularly, which is rather tiring especially as
there are a number of trees around which I keep the area free of grass and
weeds. Now the time has come when I am unable to mow it, what will happen
if I leave it wild? Will it become infested with nettles and thistles, or
just an attractive collection of various "weeds"? At the moment there are
plenty of interesting flowers growing, however if it became thistle and
nettle infested it may well upset my neighbours. Is there an easy and
acceptable solution please? I cannot afford to have someone to come in
every week or so to cut it.


Erect a wired tape electric fence around it around 4ft high.
Install a couple Shetland ponies. (Local stables might know where there are
some that would enjoy free grazing)
Enjoy their company, use the by-product as garden compost material and make
2 new friends.

On 2009-07-12 18:20:45 +0100, Broadback said:

I have rather a large garden. One section about 25x25 yards is rough
grass. Until now I have cut it regularly, which is rather tiring
especially as there are a number of trees around which I keep the area
free of grass and weeds. Now the time has come when I am unable to mow
it, what will happen if I leave it wild? Will it become infested with
nettles and thistles, or just an attractive collection of various
"weeds"? At the moment there are plenty of interesting flowers growing,
however if it became thistle and nettle infested it may well upset my
neighbours. Is there an easy and acceptable solution please? I cannot
afford to have someone to come in every week or so to cut it.

I tink Sheila's idea is a good one. Providing you know the people
involved, you would be giving a couple of people their own, private
allotments though I would suggest some form of legal agreement to
protect all of you.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-07-12 18:20:45 +0100, Broadback said:

I have rather a large garden. One section about 25x25 yards is rough
grass. Until now I have cut it regularly, which is rather tiring
especially as there are a number of trees around which I keep the area
free of grass and weeds. Now the time has come when I am unable to mow
it, what will happen if I leave it wild? Will it become infested with
nettles and thistles, or just an attractive collection of various
"weeds"? At the moment there are plenty of interesting flowers
growing, however if it became thistle and nettle infested it may well
upset my neighbours. Is there an easy and acceptable solution please?
I cannot afford to have someone to come in every week or so to cut it.

I tink Sheila's idea is a good one. Providing you know the people
involved, you would be giving a couple of people their own, private
allotments though I would suggest some form of legal agreement to
protect all of you.
The idea is good, however there are 2 negatives. First I live in the
country, so not as much chance unless they think it worthwhile to drive.
Secondly it is very poor soil, not only that, is is full of gravel, that
is lots and lots of of pebbles, from wee ones to large, impossible to
get a spade into the ground. A fork can be worked in with effort, but a
pickaxe is really the tool.

--
Please reply to group,emails to designated
address are never read.

On 2009-07-13 09:36:17 +0100, Broadback said:

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-07-12 18:20:45 +0100, Broadback said:

I have rather a large garden. One section about 25x25 yards is rough
grass. Until now I have cut it regularly, which is rather tiring
especially as there are a number of trees around which I keep the area
free of grass and weeds. Now the time has come when I am unable to mow
it, what will happen if I leave it wild? Will it become infested with
nettles and thistles, or just an attractive collection of various
"weeds"? At the moment there are plenty of interesting flowers growing,
however if it became thistle and nettle infested it may well upset my
neighbours. Is there an easy and acceptable solution please? I cannot
afford to have someone to come in every week or so to cut it.

I tink Sheila's idea is a good one. Providing you know the people
involved, you would be giving a couple of people their own, private
allotments though I would suggest some form of legal agreement to
protect all of you.
The idea is good, however there are 2 negatives. First I live in the
country, so not as much chance unless they think it worthwhile to
drive. Secondly it is very poor soil, not only that, is is full of
gravel, that is lots and lots of of pebbles, from wee ones to large,
impossible to get a spade into the ground. A fork can be worked in with
effort, but a pickaxe is really the tool.

Large wildlife pond or series of ponds? If you can do that, using one
of the companies that supply extra-large (but not inexpensive) liners,
you'd need to retain only enough ground to walk round it/them. And
you'd get a big plus from watching what visits it. Do you use a mowing
tractor or ride on mower now? If not, I recommend them. These are
expensive ideas at the outset but will pay for themselves over time.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Broadback writes
The idea is good, however there are 2 negatives. First I live in the
country, so not as much chance unless they think it worthwhile to
drive. Secondly it is very poor soil, not only that, is is full of
gravel, that is lots and lots of of pebbles, from wee ones to large,
impossible to get a spade into the ground. A fork can be worked in with
effort, but a pickaxe is really the tool.

In that case, you may be lucky with the nettles. Alternatively, is there
any way you could get someone to plant the area with trees and shrubs?
Lower maintenance than grass

Could be worth discussing the problem with the neighbours, if you are
not at daggers drawn with them. eg, if you did plant it with shrubs,
would they be happy to trim shrubs that came over the boundary?
--
Kay

In article ,
says...
I have rather a large garden. One section about 25x25 yards is rough
grass. Until now I have cut it regularly, which is rather tiring
especially as there are a number of trees around which I keep the area
free of grass and weeds. Now the time has come when I am unable to mow
it, what will happen if I leave it wild? Will it become infested with
nettles and thistles, or just an attractive collection of various
"weeds"? At the moment there are plenty of interesting flowers growing,
however if it became thistle and nettle infested it may well upset my
neighbours. Is there an easy and acceptable solution please? I cannot
afford to have someone to come in every week or so to cut it.

You could raise and plant all over it a selection of grassland weeds
include yellow rattle as it help reduce the grasses vigour, you will
still need to cut it at certain times of year or it will return to scrub
and the work of cutting can be quite heavy,
I left my Orchard un mown as meadow for a few years and kept a log of
hours spent and found at the end of my trial that I spent virtually the
same time on not cutting but Haymaking in August as I had on fortnightly
cutting and it made the area difficult to use so I abandoned the idea.
Fergus Garret at Great Dixter reckons its the most labour intensive part
of the gardens the wild flower meadows.
So as a labour saving measure it wont work, although it may well look
wonderful
How about planting trees with bulbs under, the grass will soon give up as
the canopy knits together.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

"Broadback" wrote in message
...
I have rather a large garden. One section about 25x25 yards is rough grass.
Until now I have cut it regularly, which is rather tiring especially as
there are a number of trees around which I keep the area free of grass and
weeds. Now the time has come when I am unable to mow it, what will happen
if I leave it wild? Will it become infested with nettles and thistles, or
just an attractive collection of various "weeds"? At the moment there are
plenty of interesting flowers growing, however if it became thistle and
nettle infested it may well upset my neighbours. Is there an easy and
acceptable solution please? I cannot afford to have someone to come in
every week or so to cut it.
--
Please reply to group,emails to designated
address are never read.

Perhaps you could compromise, and have your grass cut every 3 weeks, its
only the summertime, or perhaps someone with a goat, you could tether......