Help with my lawn

Yorkie1

Hi all. I am new here. Have bought a new house and this is my first garden. I cut the grass last week with a Bosch Rotak 32R because of the good reviews and it looked like after cutting it hadn't made much difference. 

I was was wondering if you could help with the state of my lawn. I want flat, lush green turf and I wonder if the lawn I have here is redeemable to that effect, or whether it's worth buying new turf? 

also I have no idea how to keep all that shrubbery and flowers along the back and corner in good condition. Some good flowers came through but they now they seek to be wilting and dying. So again can I make this look good or do i need to rip out and plant new things? One of the things in that corner is a big structure which has lots of branches. So I would imagine that's difficult to get out. 

Thanks in advance!

Yorkie1

Lawn here 

Fairygirl

Hi Yorkie - I don't think your grass is too bad for the time of year, apart from being a bit long. Many people have an area of grass just like that right now!  The best method of maintaining a decent bit of grass is to mow regularly. Never take too much off - about a third of the height each time - and mow every week. That way, you encourage the grass to be stronger.

There's a few dandelions and probably a few other weeds as well, so a dose of weed and feed (available anywhere from Garden Centres to DIY stores) will help get rid of those. The usual type is granular, and you just apply as per the instructions. That's usually a few days after cutting the grass, when the ground is damp and not dries out, and if there's no decent rain within a few days, you need to water it thoroughly. That will leave you with a reasonable ratio of grass to weed! Keep up a good mowing regime htrough the season, and if necessary, you can repeat the weed and feed.

If the grass is a bit parched and yellow (very possible in summer if you're in a dry area) you can apply a liquid feed. Seaweed is ideal and again, that's readily available. 

I can't see exactly what you have in terms of plants, but if you can do a few close ups of each one, you'll get an ID on them, and some help with their care. You seem to have a few daffs and tulips, and a few shrubs like viburnum (possibly) there. The one in the right hand corner looks like it could be atree seedling that's just dropped in, or else something growing in from a neighbouring garden, but I can't make it out well enough I'm afraid. 

Hope that's a bit of help to go on with  

Loxley

Ha, I wish my lawn looked as good!

Fairygirl

Mine currently looks like a heap of sh**e Will!  

Shady front one anyway - back one's  perked up after it's feed