r/GardeningUK

So like everyone in the uk, my garden grass is basically straw. Now hopefully the roots are still alive and will start to show life again when the rain eventually returns. But my question is do I leave the straw like stuff on top or do I rake it all away and basically have a dirt lawn until new grass grows back up.

I had a dinner plate Dahlia Fleurel last year which kept giving out the best large flowers. Absolutely fell in love with it. (Got the plant from a Garden centre)

This year I ordered about 4 different tubers from Farmergracy. 1 didnt have any growth. 1 only grew foilage. One had 3 flowers only growth stalk. One did about 10 flowers and my original Fleurel did about 10 flowers so far.

I am contemplating if potting the Dahlias was the mistake, or the harsh summer meant everyone faced this? Or if I did something stupid?

Share your experiences guys

Hi all, Just wondering, when is the best time of the year to lay grass seed? Should I wait till March/April next year, or could I do it in September?

I've been ripping up my garden, which had loads of concrete in it, over the past couple of months and am not far off from just rotavating and adding topsoil. I wanted to know if I am rushing it by doing it in September.

I have a rental property in England, and there is a tree at the back of the garden. The neighbours have been badgering my tenant about it, and one of the neighbours has even turned up twice to my letting agents. My tenant says she loves the tree.

The complaints are coming from the neighbours on the left, right and directly behind the house. The tree is not taller than the house.

I am not keen on having the tree chopped down. I have no objection to the neighbours cutting back branches that overhang their boundaries, as the law permits, provided it is done properly. I don't know if there is a TPO (they can claim there is n't).

I think their main complaint is about the leaves and overhang and having to clean them up. I find this a bit crazy. Trees provide shade and help cool the built-up environment, and we have already been through four heatwaves since May. The area is bit of a concrete jungle.

The neighbours have apparently obtained a quote from someone to do work on the tree, but I have not been told who is this person is (and it may be an professional or some random person). The quote is £630 (which the neighbours want to divide in 4).

My concern is that if all 3 neighbours cut the tree back heavily from their respective sides, what effect could that have on the tree? Could it become unbalanced or be seriously damaged? Is there a risk the tree falling back on the house during high winds? Could the tree die?

I have also noticed that a lot of local trees are already shedding their leaves, presumably because of the prolonged hot and dry weather.

I just feel as though the three neighbours are going to gang up on me over this tree.

I am moving from rainy Scotland to Cambridge in the near future. My new house has a massive front lawn. When I went to view the house, it was essentially hay and dust, and I am sure it won't look any better any time soon. It is about 10 m wide, by 6 m deep, a decentish size, south facing, with a pavement/road at the far end. It has zero shade, no trees nothing. The neighbour the other side of the semi detached has tarmaced their front lawn over, with no plants at all, other than some potted lavender.

I don't think a grass lawn, with essentially zero shade, is viable any more in Cambridge. It's a very dry part of the country and prone to 35C+ now. I don't want to look at dead grass 3 months a year.

What could I do with the space that isn't grass centric? I would still like some space for some living (the back garden is somewhat smaller than the front). Any places for inspiration?

I have virtually no grass in my garden as my beautiful oaf of a German Shepherd tears it up running up and down barking at the postman/DPD/anyone walking within 2 miles of the house!

The earth appears more like dust than soil and when I have tried to seed in the past the roots have never taken deeply enough to become robust enough to withstand the doggo.

Suggestions please to prep the soil and for what seed to plant and when. Not going to lay turf but happy to spend a few pounds to get something that resembles a lawn by spring.
Thanks