What would you do ???
Hello, my son and girlfriend live in a rented house & can't tell a weed from a plant. The front has a small lawn then a concrete driveway. A low boundary wall has 2 x old shrubs that he has cut right back but the lawn is forever looking grotty due to the resident fox pooping over it & dandelions. The landlord who lives up the road is quite happy for my son to do whatever he wants to improve the garden. My suggestion was to dig out the shrubs and make a border around the edge & put in some low growing, easy to maintain perennials that way it's less work for them (and me !!). Also to use weed/feed on the rest of the lawn. Or dig up the grass completely and use chippings/pea shingle but not sure if the fox will still use that as a toilet as well. All ideas welcome
thanks
shaz
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Have you got a photo?
no sorry didn't think to take one. all I can say is that it's a small patch of garden typical of 1950's semi-detached houses. it gets the sun in the morning then the sun moves around the back from lunchtime onwards. they already have 2 x mini conifers in stone planters that are doing ok, but because none of them have a clue about plant needs (only that they should be watered) I wanted something easy for them to maintain as I don't really have the time to look after their garden as well as my own and working full time.
thanks
If they have no ambitions for gardening, if the landlord proves willing and the lawned area is small, then take it up and put down membrane and gravel. A few groups of 2-3 shrubs and maybe a small tree will give it a bit of interest.
Don't know anything about the toileting habits of foxes!
I'd go with your first idea, keep the lawn and add borders! It's cheaper if they don't own the house and it'll make the lawn quicker to mow.
Are they interested at all or do they just want it to look pretty with no input? If there's some interest there but they don't know how they could have a look for ideas of what they like and learn! I only got into it when we first had our own garden. My family helped to start it off and then once I realised how nice it is to watch things grow I found that I really enjoyed it.
My only problem was that I was wary of spending too much money because I knew we wouldn't stay. I'm like a kid in a sweet shop now we've bought a house!