Garden Landscaping

Turf is ready-grown lawn laid in rolls; it gives a green garden within a few days, needs heavy watering in the first weeks and costs more. Sowing seed is far more economical, but the lawn takes six to ten weeks to establish, cannot be walked on during that time and has weed and bird problems. Turf for a quick result and little waiting, seed for a large area and a tight budget is reasonable. In both cases soil preparation and drainage matter equally.

For a lawn area over fifty square metres and gardens where there is no one to water regularly, yes; a system with a timer waters in the early morning and uses water efficiently. Sprinklers suit lawns, drip irrigation suits rows of shrubs and trees. The system is installed during soil preparation, before the turf is laid; adding it later damages the lawn. In a small garden a hose and a simple timer may be enough; show the landscaper the area.

For planting and lawn, spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are the best periods; the soil is warm, rainfall is regular and the plants are not stressed. In midsummer new lawn and saplings struggle to take despite heavy watering; hard landscaping (stone, terrace, fencing) is done comfortably in summer. In winter, if the ground is not frozen, preparation and hard landscaping continue and planting is left until spring. Autumn planting roots in by spring and copes better with the summer.

If there is a garden use allocated to you in the title deed or the management plan, yes, but most complexes set rules on plant species, fence height, the proportion of hard surfaces and tree planting. Installations that spill into the common area or change the appearance need management approval. Trees that will shade the neighbour and fences planted on the boundary cause disputes later. Ask the management for the written rules before the site visit and have the plan drawn up accordingly.