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St George
18-04-2012, 02:31 PM
hi need help to do something with this area in front of a customers house.its all sand and has grass or weed growing,not sure what it is but she doesnt want to spend much to make it reasonable looking.i could grow another grass in there
but not sure.any help appreciated.

Stripes
18-04-2012, 02:43 PM
I would poison it all a few times and then plant something tough like New Zealand Flax in a zig zag pattern/two rows off centre- judging by the pic you would only need 5-6 (the plain old purple ones are tougher than the rest), scatter a few Liriope around, and mulch very thickly to keep the weeds down.

Wombat Garden Services
18-04-2012, 04:12 PM
Maybe lay a few big square pavers in a pattern, plant some dianellas, lomandras, maybe some dwarf bottlebrush, then weedmat & mulch or just mulch heavily with a chunky mulch like a pine bark chip.

fairdinkum
18-04-2012, 05:10 PM
Big cheap coloured concrete pavers a few pot plants and a cheap outdoor table and chairs. You could probably pave right over that sand if you get rid of the vegetation and level it off. Even look around for some 2nd hand pavers.

courty
18-04-2012, 05:51 PM
hi need help to do something with this area in front of a customers house.its all sand and has grass or weed growing,not sure what it is but she doesnt want to spend much to make it reasonable looking.i could grow another grass in there
but not sure.any help appreciated.


I would poison it all a few times and then plant something tough like New Zealand Flax in a zig zag pattern/two rows off centre- judging by the pic you would only need 5-6 (the plain old purple ones are tougher than the rest), scatter a few Liriope around, and mulch very thickly to keep the weeds down.

I'd be doing the same as Stripes
If you start adding pavers and pots etc the costs go up. Find a wholesale nursery to get your plants from or make the recommendations to the client and let her get them and the mulch then you just have to charge out the labour.

PaulG
18-04-2012, 06:32 PM
A beach chair and an umbrella...


Other than that I agree with the last few posts.

St George
18-04-2012, 06:52 PM
Thanks stripes I just checked out these plants and they sound good!now with the mulch I don't want to go with the sugar cane so what would be a good cheap choice?

St George
18-04-2012, 06:59 PM
Actually I just bought a greenfield shredder so could I use the mulch produced from that to put around the plants? Mulch is mulch right?

courty
18-04-2012, 07:16 PM
Actually I just bought a greenfield shredder so could I use the mulch produced from that to put around the plants? Mulch is mulch right?

Not If you want it to look any good. I pretty much only use cypress fines which go for about $75 a cubic up here

Stripes
18-04-2012, 07:39 PM
Not If you want it to look any good. I pretty much only use cypress fines which go for about $75 a cubic up here

Same as Courty. Cypress mulch is all I use because it is the only naturally termite resistant mulch. It also looks great and is easy to spread.
Actually here is a makeover I did using those exact plants and mulch!
http://www.autoirrigation.com.au/modules/gallery/view.php?a=makeovers_2&image=120224115600_greenbank_front_finished4_(Smal l).JPG

ian
18-04-2012, 08:53 PM
Actually I just bought a greenfield shredder so could I use the mulch produced from that to put around the plants? Mulch is mulch right?
depends on how it looks if it's a bit chunky you could try running it through again it would certainly be more cost effective to use your own mulch than buy it from a supplier but it does come down to presentation

St George
18-04-2012, 09:21 PM
Looks good stripes I will pitch this to her and see.thanks

GardenGuy
18-04-2012, 09:24 PM
Depends on how the client intends to use the area and what their budget for the project is, and how it will fit in with the rest of their garden areas and how it will suit their house. I do like Stripes' idea for planting.

The soil needs to be repaired, so maybe some suitable aged manure or composted material would be a start - after weed killing/removal.

After that, the sky, and the budget, is the limit.

Cheers - GardenGuy.

Fred's mowing
18-04-2012, 09:49 PM
Depends on how the client intends to use the area and what their budget for the project is, and how it will fit in with the rest of their garden areas and how it will suit their house. I do like Stripes' idea for planting.

The soil needs to be repaired, so maybe some suitable aged manure or composted material would be a start - after weed killing/removal.

After that, the sky, and the budget, is the limit.

Cheers - GardenGuy.
x2 & we also need to know the budget.
When quoting a job like this I tell the client, there's only 2 ways I can quote.
1. U tell me exactly what u want & I'll put a price on it.
2. Tell me your budget & I'll tell u what I can do.
Cheers Fred.

355 tonner
18-04-2012, 10:57 PM
Not If you want it to look any good. I pretty much only use cypress fines which go for about $75 a cubic up here

Courty,

whats wrong with bush mulch @ 35 a cube??? cheap and looks natural!!!!

GardenGuy
19-04-2012, 12:57 AM
whats wrong with bush mulch @ 35 a cube??? cheap and looks natural!!!!

Stripes hit that on the head: termite resistance. The job appears to be in the St George area and there is a consistent termite issue around some parts of southern Sydney. Better safe than sorry, especially some customers being as litigious as they are (i.e. the barrister will cost a LOT more than $75 per cube for his f4t 455, let alone claimed 'damages' and 'compensation' and 'other crap').

Cheers - GardenGuy.

courty
19-04-2012, 07:22 AM
Courty,

whats wrong with bush mulch @ 35 a cube??? cheap and looks natural!!!!

Nothing wrong with bush mulch but I find it's quality can vary a lot and you can end up with more weeds than you started with.

Woodchip
19-04-2012, 10:55 AM
I absolutely agree about using Cypress chips/mulch if it is up to you to decide on what mulch to use, & you should definitely only use something "termite resistant" up against a house (& obviously not build the mulch up over the dampcourse/weepholes & termite barrier (which is usually at the same place as the dampcourse), can often mean excavating some soil away & this needs to be taken into consideration when quoting.

If the customer decides...well then its up to them!, you can only make suggestions.

cheers

Kathryn
19-04-2012, 04:09 PM
Same as Courty. Cypress mulch is all I use because it is the only naturally termite resistant mulch. It also looks great and is easy to spread.
Actually here is a makeover I did using those exact plants and mulch!
http://www.autoirrigation.com.au/modules/gallery/view.php?a=makeovers_2&image=120224115600_greenbank_front_finished4_(Smal l).JPG

i cypress pine mulched a nursing hostels flowerbeds on monday. the manager told me that a council worker had seen the mulch delivered and had said that the mulch would kill every plant in the bed. my answer was that if this council fella knew so much about gardening then why were they getting a private contractor in to tidy the gardens, . dumb ass

courty
19-04-2012, 04:29 PM
i cypress pine mulched a nursing hostels flowerbeds on monday. the manager told me that a council worker had seen the mulch delivered and had said that the mulch would kill every plant in the bed. my answer was that if this council fella knew so much about gardening then why were they getting a private contractor in to tidy the gardens, . dumb ass

You should have notified the coppers so if any reports of a village missing it's idiot came through they would know where to find him.

Kathryn
19-04-2012, 08:03 PM
You should have notified the coppers so if any reports of a village missing it's idiot came through they would know where to find him.

I like that. Cheers for the chuckle