Grass-seed germination in November

You can find almost anything on search engines these days including when the optimum time is to plant grass seeds. It appears that as a general rule of thumb the deadline for planting is late October. It was probably not ideal but we started to plant our grass seed in early November when the Latvian workers cleared the garden. The weather in South East London has not been too cold and thankfully there has been an absence of frost at night so far this year so the seeds appear to have germinated and we think we have got away with it leaving it so late.

Grass seed needs a lot of sunshine and water so the best time for planting is probably mid summer to late September. Of course if you live in a more temperate climate then it is possible to plant until mid November.

Our makeshift scarecrow (see below) - made of a gardening centre stick and an old T-shirt - appears to have succeeded in warding off the birds from eating the seed. The wooden duck also appears to have helped. It is advisable to cover the seed with a straw blanket, one that has been designed specifically to cover grass seed. This will ensure that the straw protects the seed from light frost. The straw also helps to protect against birds and animals from swooping and eating the seed. It is also advisable to thoroughly water the appropriate area and to do so regularly for about two weeks as the soil needs to stay moist (although not soggy) for grass seed to germinate.

The most significant risk associated with planting grass seed so late is that the seed germinates only for a cold spell to occur that destroys the young blades. Seed that is planted in late winter stays dormant and germinates in spring, but once seed germinates and then dies, you have missed the boat. 

The grass should now hopefully appear as a straight line of green rather than a patchy map of grass (which it looked like when we first moved in).  Patience is now required.

The planting of Spring bulbs

Today was the perfect day for planting Spring bulbs as London enjoyed blue skies and reasonably warm sunshine.Yesterday was wet and dreary so it was good to see the sun.

The three pictures below are showing the planting of Daffodil, Red Lady Tulip and Narcissus bulbs in the front garden.

Resources
How to plant bulbs
Planting Spring bulbs
Top 20 tips for planting bulbs 
How to plant bulbs for dummies

The three pictures below show the planting in the back garden. Now the trick is to wait and see the results.They say patience is a virtue. Whoever they are!

Our garden receives some treatment

These photos capture the scene after the gardening labourers paid a visit. Three hard working souls, originally from Latvia, tackled the garden with their tools and rolled up sleeves and I was very pleased with the results. 

The whole garden has been levelled off with some tlc. The grass has also been cut and lawn seed placed down so now I await the outcome of the seeding. It also means I can go ahead with planting bulbs in readiness for the spring.

The bbq area (below) now looks worthy of being a culinary area and Buddha looks happier too.

The herb area (below) has had some care and the out-sized bush has been trimmed back leaving it to look a bit more more lively. It helped that the garden was benefiting from glorious Autumn sunshine when I took the picture.

(Below) The rosehip and the rose bush has been removed as they were blocking out too much light.This was important as there is now more light around the seating area.

The garden now has a more spacious feel (below) compared to when we first moved in and we can now see the garden shed more clearly as we look down the garden..Patience is required for the grass to grow in the treated areas.

The patch at the foot of the garden (below) under the tree had been a place where stuff was dumped and where the local cats came to deposit their waste. It has now been levelled off, rubbish cleared, and lawn seed planted.

The job now will be to add some colour.

The hydrangea (below) has been replanted in the back garden.

You gotta have a water butt

Given the level of rainfall we endure in this part of the world it made sense to acquire a water butt. However, it was then essential to find a water butt with character.  We could have gone to a regular high street store and acquired a plastic green appliance.  Instead we headed off to Bexhill on Sea and to Eras of Style, a fabulous antique store on the south coast.   We found a great looking galvanised water butt, a former wash tub, which will probably outlive us all.  So far I have emptied it a few times and it never ceases to amaze me how quick it fills up.

Rain water is quite useful to use on plants and shrubbery as tap water contains chlorine so it is advisable to have a butt and reap the benefits of natural rainfall. According to Southern Water it only takes one water butt to hold sufficient rainwater in order to completely fill a watering can 25 times.  Average rainfall in the South East of England can fill a water butt up to 450 times a year.

The front garden takes shape

These two photos show what the front garden looked like. There were lots of different features in the garden but unfortunately it had become overgrown and began to look like a jungle.

The next photos show the garden after the employment of three Latvian gardeners who got stuck in to sorting it out. The hydrangea has been replanted in the back garden as we felt that the front garden was too messy. The colours will be replaced by the addition brightly coloured tulips, in time.

All that is needed now is to plant some bulbs ;)

Sunset in our garden

This photo was taken in October 2013 looking towards Crystal Palace and shows the tall neighbouring tree that blocks the sunlight. Something will need to be done about this :)

The same trees earlier in the day.

This plant had to go

This plant was not only growing at an alarming rate but it also had been planted in probably the worst part of the garden, almost right in the centre. This mean't that it was difficult to see down the stretch of garden. With spade in hand I tackled the beast with a spark of energy one morning. The beast was up rooted and ready for disposal.

The work starts with some cutting back

The garden receives its first trimming and cutting back service a few days after moving in.  I couldn't wait to get started. The cutters were sharpened and off I went complete with thorn proof gloves. The results (below) show a bit more light coming in as well as the beginnings of a neater look.

Sasha in the garden

Sasha is a 7 year old golden retriever and to me she looks like she is wondering why I don't do any gardening.  She visited soon after we moved in.

The front garden

The front garden looked like a jungle when we moved in.  The rose bush was completely overgrown and the shrubbery looked unsightly.

The task will be to make it look and feel neater whilst retaining the boxed hedge. 

Our new garden in South East London

Welcome to my London Garden Gardening Blog. As you can see from the attached photos we inherited a messy and overgrown garden.  It is my intention to chart the progress of the transformation of the garden from a suburban mess to a place that looks cared for.

The garden is located in Sydenham,  South East London, with views towards the famous BBC television tower at Crystal Palace.

The garden is west facing so the sun potentially shines over it for most of the day from late morning to evening. I say, potentially, as the sun is restricted due to neighbouring trees.

I am not an experienced gardener and, therefore, would welcome any suggestions or tips on improving the garden. I had previously lived in a raised ground floor flat in SW London so it is really exciting to have a 70 foot garden to play with.

The garden had benefited from a previous owner's love and care and there are quite a few plants planted but had fallen into a period of disrepair in more recent times. It is my intention to plant a herb garden, create a path along the grass towards the shed, relocate some of the plants and cut back some of the bushes and plants to give a more airy feel.

The photos were taken in September, 2013 on the day we moved into the property.  This gardening blog will chart the progress of the garden as work is carried out to improve the appearance and layout of the outdoor space.

This was what we inherited after moving in.