Mr. Gnome Watches On: Laying Turf in the Shared Garden

My neighbours and I have been spending a bit of time working on our shared garden over the past few weeks to make the space look much better for everyone living there. The plot had become quite overgrown and untidy. In previous blogs, I mentioned we spent a few days giving the garden a thorough clean up, pulling up the weeds, trimming back the shrubs, sweeping the paving, and bagging up all the loose rubbish and garden waste.

In fact, we are still trying to get rid of the garden waste. Mr Gnome is overseeing the clean up operation.

​

Before starting the next project, if there’s nowhere safe to put your reading glasses, just stick them on the hedge!

​

​We wanted a corner of the garden to create a nice spot where we can sit out in the summer. Another neighbour, who shares the garden with us, works in a toy shop. The company were throwing away some artificial turf offcuts, so he brought them home for our garden project. Since the entire garden is concrete apart from the small edges where the shrubs grow, the ground was already flat, so no levelling was needed.

So, I started to cut the turf down to size. The scissors were literally not cutting it, so I got the blade out, which was a lot better.

I simply laid an offcut over the concrete. It covered the otherwise boring corner and made the whole area look cleaner. I haven't finished the corner yet, but I've added a ceramic pot onto the flat stone slab I laid down last week to block the weeds. I am going to buy some hardy winter plants to put in it. At the moment, the corner is looking simple but refreshed, but we need some colour. I'm still not convinced about the artificial turf, but it might grow on me... although, as it's not real, there will be no growing!

I had to abandon the work for today as it started raining heavily and it hasn't stopped since. Until next time...