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Thanks for sending in your entries to our Does your Lawn Need Loving Competition. There are certainly some unloved lawns out there! Due to technical issues I will post the entries with photos here. If you feel inspired, please email pr@propertyfinder.com with supporting evidence!
When we moved in, the garden was horrendous,
But we mistakenly thought we could make it tremendous,
Firstly, there was no grass to walk on,
So we attempted to plant a brand new lawn,
The turf started to turn yellow and die,
And we didn’t know what else to try,
So we decided to plant some rose bushes next,
But they didn’t really flower, as one would expect,
We then tried to sort out the gravelled section,
But with the ever growing moss, we could never achieve perfection,
Please could you put our minds at rest,
Please help our garden become one of the best!
- Chris Milward
Beverley Kerry says:
I like to keep my lawn a little on the longer side, as I rescue abandoned and abused guinea pigs. There is nothing in the world like a little fresh grass to tempt a sick piggy into eating on his own, but when I recently "lost" Frodo Piggins in my back garden, I knew it was time I did something about it!
As you can see, I asked him to help mow the lawn - why should he live here rent-free - but I think at the rate he's going, it'll be 2010 before he gets it done. A blade at a time! To be fair, he was ill in these pictures and was thus excused for being remiss in his duty, but you can see how shamefully long the grass has gotten!
PS. The front garden isn't much better!
Paul Burke writes:
Well, it doesn't look bad here does it? This was some weeks back, I got the mower out at the weekend (its a great big petrol thing) and it has bitten the dust.
Just as well really because it was sooooo noisy (it frightened everyone and everything in the vicinity!) and so heavy I found it really difficult to push it around.
I would love one of these mowers so that I can spruce the lawn (and not be embarrassed in front of the neighbours with my old antiquated thing) up in time for my nieces communion party.
Thank you!
With ‘Love your Lawn Week’ just around the corner (23 - 29 April 2007), why not give your lawn the VIP treatment it deserves with the new Flymo Visimo.
We are giving away two of these little beauties. All you have to do is tell us why your lawn needs some loving. Maybe your lawnmower is ready for retirement, or the grass is housing a family of foxes, we want to hear from you. Make sure you support your case with some photographic evidence!
Entries Close on 29th April, so make it snappy and get writing! Send your emails to pr@propertyfinder.com, or add your story below.
About the Flymo Visimo
The Visimo lawnmower, with narrow front wheels and a rear roller, makes cutting up to edges a piece of cake, and helps you achieve those perfect stripes.
As an added benefit, the Visimo lets you know when the collection box is full. Its handy ‘Vision’ window feature shows just how much grass there is in the box so you know when to empty it.
With a motor power of 1200w, the Visimo has a metal blade cutting system, cutting width of 32cm and 29-litre grass collection capacity, helping you to maintain your lawn quickly and easily. In addition, it is light to carry and has a facility to store the cable on the handle making it ideal for use in small and medium sized gardens.
Search for property on propertyfinder.com
Some of our entries have included images. View these here!
The 'Endo' Magnet Clip is a pretty cool one-piece all-purpose alternative to other fridge magnets - with its ingenious "clip" design eliminating the need for any clips or springs.
The magnet features a rare-earth magnet encased in a single, bevelled piece of vinyl, which makes it possible to rock the magnet up and down, simulating the action of a magnet clip without any springs or moving parts.
A solid mass of neodymium, silicone and steel, “Endo” presents an elegant alternative to conventional means of magnetic attachment.
Available for purchase now, The 'Endo' comes in a range of six colours.
Innovative product inventor Adam Frank is set to launch a new form of ambient lighting next month, aimed at creating the impression of sunlight streaming through a window on to an interior wall. Reveal™ is a new type of ambient interior lighting for homes that fixes an image on a facing wall giving the impression of sunshine flowing through the room. In addition to this cast image a light breeze appears to move through the trees, adding to the effect.
The product, created by Adam Frank will be available for purchase in April 2007.
We had an overwhelming response from people taking part in our 'Attention All Lovers' survey.
Thanks to all those who entered and told us about their most romantic rooms of the house, first impressions of partners and what they learned after moving in. The latest edition of Insideout Magazine will be winging its way in the post to these lucky people:
Sreeman Anole, Leeds
Cherry Anthoney-James, Penzance
Joy Balfe, Surrey
Carol Bennett, Wolverhampton
Sheila Brady, Kent
Pat Cann, Surbiton
Patrick Clint, Newtownards
Daniel Comrie, West Midlands
Hartley Fear, Salisbury
DeVere Forster, Watford
Marie Gladden, London
Kate Gowers, South Croydon
Jane Graham, Glasgow
Peter Grimshaw, Co Durham
Peter Hawkins, Hertfordshire
Angela Hill, Bishop Auckland
Gemma Humpreys, Chandlers Ford
Simon Johnson Victoria, Australia
Rebecca King Llarnharan, Pontyclun
Carla Knight, Pembrokeshire
Pamela Kosky, Edgware
Kim MinSun, London
Gail Morley, London
Tim Pegum, Hertfordshire
Janet Pulley, Worcestershire
Sandie Randle, London
Lesley Scrimshaw, Halifax
Sukhdeep Sidhu, Warwick
Ashley Ward, Kent
Leigh Westgate, Leeds
Going by the recent spell of sunshine we’ve seen over the past week, it’s fair to say that warmer weather is just around the corner, and with the lighter evenings what better time to get back in the garden and revitalise the place.
March is the perfect time for ‘springing’ life back in to the garden by planting early flowering shrubs, clearing out the pond and of making up hanging baskets.
It’s also a time for maintenance so don’t forget to cut back last year’s rose stems, dead head daffodils by removing all faded flowers and clear up the borders whilst turning the soil.
This month gardening website Doctor Greenfingers suggests you get cracking on these essential jobs to make your garden the envy of the neighbourhood:
Divide Perennials and Re-Plant
Divide and re-plant your perennials like hardy geraniums, Crocosmia (montbretia) hostas, solidago (Golden rod) Astilbe & peonies. Snow drops can be divided too.Dahlia Cuttings
Start taking cuttings of dahlia and outdoor Chrysanthemums.Pruning
Prune back large flowered clematis, roses & early flowering shrubs.The Pond
Check your pond for debris, such as dead fallen leaves and clear them out. Take out over crowded water lilies, split, divide and re-pot.Slugs and Snails
Slugs and snails will be slipping out at night as the temperature rises, nibbling at them nice new plant shoots. So keep your eye out for them. Get some slug pellets down as soon as new shoots appear, especially hostas.Keep Planting
Plant early flowering shrubs, Gladiolus bulbs, potatoes, onion sets. If your planting perennial plants don't spread then out here and there, plant them into groups for a more effective display.Tidy your Borders and Feed
If you haven't already done so, then clear away any debris from the borders, turn the soil (avoiding new spring flowering bulbs) and add some compost or fertiliser.Roses
Spray and feed your roses to help then get off to a good start and prevent pests.
These helpful tips have come from gardening website Doctor Greenfingers.
So how are those New Year's Resolutions going? Feels like we have just committed to changing our lives and before you know it it's spring cleaning time!
Well, it is a good habit to get into, and About: housekeeping provides lots of advice on matters about the house. Here are the top chores that need to be done this spring:
Clutter Control
Spring is the perfect time to de-clutter the home. Figure our items that need to be kept, sold, given away or trashed. If paper clutter is one of your problems, consider making bill payments online, open your post over the rubbish bin, and have a sensible filing system.
Storing Seasonal Clothing
When warmer spring weather arrives, it's time to pack away sweaters, coats, and other cold weather clothing. Make sure the storage containers and areas follow the rules of clean, cool, dark, and dry will keep clothing in good shape for next winter.
Check Appliances
We expect our appliances to perform whenever we need them, but sometimes their care can be neglected. Each spring take the time to inspect your major appliances for wear and tear. The coils of the refrigerator should be vacuumed, and the drain pan should be cleaned out. Accumulated lint needs to be cleaned from the dryer vents. Clean out accumulated gunk from your oven and refrigerator. Clean dishwashers, disposals, and washing machines. Heating and cooling units need maintenance as well.
Garage Storage
Perhaps one of the last places you want to go, but chances are that garage tidy you have been putting off needs to be addressed, and spring is the perfect time for it. Does your garage need organising or cleaning out? Whatever the answer, take the time to organise storage of sports materials, christmas decorations or whatever your family hides in your garage space.
Outdoor Areas
Spring is a great time to get your outdoor entertaining area ready for those sunny days. Clean the patio and outdoor furniture. Do some basic landscaping repairs to the lawn, shrubbery, and plants. The exterior doors and windows of the home may need some attention. Check for fence and exterior reparis. Lawn maintenance or pest prevention may need to be performed as well.
The advent of spring always marks a busy time for the vegetable gardener.
As the temperatures slowly rise, it becomes possible to plant a selection of seeds direct in their growing positions, meaning you are spared the effort of growing on, hardening off and transplanting seedlings. Direct-sown plants need regular weeding and care.
Carrots, cauliflowers, parsley, parsnips, spinach, spring onions, peas, calabrese, broad beans and brussels sprouts can all be sown straign into shallow tranches in the soil whenever conditions are suitable.
Check your seed packets for planting depths and sopwing times. The earliest parsnips are planted the better; as they need a long germination period as well as taking a few months to grow into decent sized roots.
If you have been growing young plants in the greenhouses start hardening them off by putting the plants outside during the day and remembering to bring them in at night.
Improve your plot
Growing plans from seek is not difficult - so why not start this weekend?
Make sure you have all you need to hand first - clean seed trays, pots, compost and a fine-nozzled watering can.
Fill the tray or pot with compost stopping about 2cm from the top. Firm down gently. Scatter seed evenly across the survace. Place large seeds in place.
Cover with a thin layer of compost and water in. Do not allow to dry out.
If you are planting peas, sweetcorn, courgettes or cucumbers - you may be wise to cover the containers with a layer of netting to prevent mice eating the seeds.
Peas can be planted in a piece of old drainpipe so they can be simply slid out into their final planting position.
This story appeared in March 2007 Move to the Country magazine.
