SillyOldBag

Well I am now completely out my depth ... I am faced with a whole new world of mystery on a subject I find it hard to care about! Gardening!

Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy seeing a beautiful garden, a neatly manicured lawn ... flower beds with shrubs and flowers etc... etc... But how to achieve all this is a mystery to me - yet my biggest adversary at the moment is garden tools shops! I am petrified!

As a bit of background information, I'm one of the poor people, not quite reduced to begging ... although I might take up busking, but just to annoy people not to raise money. With tax coming up though I should have money which I need to invest in a lawn mower, a whipper-snipper thingummybob and possibly a blower thingy. It is a matter of some urgency as I have my first house inspection this week and my garden is looking somewhat junglerific. I vaguely remember we had a dog when we moved in - I'm thinking she might be out there somewhere!

Anyway, to get to the point - which I must eventually do, I was wondering if anyone has some quick pointers on what I should look for in a lawn mower - whilst money is important, I want one that will last (i can't afford to replace) that will make the job as easy and painless as possible, and that is fair to middling idiot proof - yes, believe it or not, I am an idiot!

I just hoped that some of you gardening types might be able to point me in a direction, tell me what to avoid ... or at least give me some sensible questions to ask when I go to the shop later so I don't make a complete arse of myself - a partial arse is far less embarrassing If I go in without any knowledge i'm likely just to come away with the first blue one I see Btw - blue is not one of my requirements, it's just my favourite colour - I'm fully prepared to be brave and buy a green or red one - I'd really rather not have a yellow one. See what a sad case I am, I have opinioins on the colour - but 2 stroke, 4 stroke - what the hell? just sounds pervy to me

Thank you - even if you have nothing helpful to say, please feel free to point the finger and laugh at my woe! How I have got to my age without knowing anything about all this I don't know, but I have

GarryP

A strimer (whipper snipper) is one of the best ways of cutting down through large collections of weeds. Couple that with some Roundup in a sprayer to keep them down where you don't mind nothing else growing.

Australians have this thing about petrol mowers (built for Australian conditions) but in my experience it's bull and the same mowers you get in the UK are good for here. I ended up getting a Flymo sent across from the UK along with other stuff, in a box, because the price there was a fraction of the price here, and they were hard to source here. The Flymo helped with a 'lawn' that was in no way level. It's lasted 4 years to date, so, once again, take the whole 'aussie conditions' thing with a massive sack of salt.

SillyOldBag

We only have one flower bed and that's all ok - it's just the lawn ... and it's got that spikey long spindly grass stuff with the bits that get stuck in your clothes all through it, it's a pain in the butt! Our lawn isn't at all level so no idea if that's going to be a problem!

Thanks for your thoughts though. What's a good weed in the grass killer? I really am hopeless

GarryP

There are various selective ones, but you really have to ID the grass you want to keep and the weeds you want to kill, since the difference between the two in Oz is pretty minor and the wrong weedkiller kills the wrong stuff.

I tend to get concentrate and a 5l sprayer, rather than the premixed stuff.

SillyOldBag

Oh dear - this all sounds complex. I think I'll take a photo of my lawn and ask someone at the shop what kills the weed - that sounds like a plan! and i'll add a sprayer to my shopping list

Beoz

Sorry Garry no green thumb here. I thought you'd be pumping your tax return into those that need it. Perhaps a charity? Remember Bunnings are a tax avoiding, corporation who no doubt "rentseek".

Dreamy

Are you confused?

SillyOldBag

It would seem so - but as this is a gardening thread, digs are allowed - badoom tish

I wasn't planning on going to Bunnings anyway, plan was to go to a local shop for local people.

Dreamy

I'd try to post something helpful but I have 20-somethings to do my gardening. Supposedly.

SillyOldBag

I'm trying to convince YoungSOB that it's her job to do it - but i'm not convinced. I can't even get over the first hurdle which is buying the bloody machine!

Beoz

Very

paulry

Firstly, unless you have a huge lawn, stick to corded electric mower, etc - no need to fart arse with petrol and two stroke oil, let alone struggling to start the damn things! Look on Gumtree for things like lawn mowers, etc. My old electric mower blew up in the summer and I was able to get a bigger better and nearly new one on Gumtree for $15. Whipper-snippers (as they call them here) you don't need. Try some garden sheers instead, you can get decent ones and they're more multi-purpose for $5-$10 at bunnings. Other than that you'll need some secateurs (about $5), a fork and a spade (about a tenner each) and a hand fork and trowel (probably about $5 for the pair). Some gardening gloves are recommended too, to save the skin on your hands ($2-$5). That should do you for pretty much everything. Bunnings is as good a place as any to get the tools and they usually have a good range to suit all budgets. You can probably get away without weed killers - you'll almost never be able to stop them growing back. Just scrape the weeds off pathways using the spade. Other than that don't forget to protect yourself from the sun while you're gardening - you'll be surprised how easily you can get burned while sweating it out working in the garden!

Oh, and watch out for poisonous insects, spiders and snakes - especially when moving any rocks, or anything they could be hiding under, etc.

irishbloo

How big is your lawn.I'm wondering would it be worth getting someone else to cut your lawn every few weeks.I have no idea how much that costs but it maybe worth looking in to.Its a pity you aren't living near a neighbour like ours across the road.When he does his lawn,which is immaculate,he does the two gardens next to him.I think he does it so that it all looks lovely rather than helping them.But I could be wrong.

SillyOldBag

It's quite a big lawn and whilst at this time of year i could get away with not mowing much, in summer it has to be every couple of weeks really and i just couldn't afford it. Best to make the investment now in a mower and learn to do it has been my conclusion.

Pica

Weeds always come back no matter what you do. The only reliable weed killers are (here anyway) only available to buy under license, so-called selective weedkillers are crap and a waste of money. Just get a good diesel mower, grit your teeth and chop the lot down as far as you can.