Friday, 12 July 2013

Some like it hot ~ {$100 Bunnings Giveaway}

We are now so close to moving into our new home, less than 50m from our current temporary dwelling.It will happen in the next week ...it's been 18 long months.

When we lived in Sydney my husband's pride and joy was HIS lush, green turf lawn.


"The grass is always greener on the other side, until you jump the fence and see the weeds up close."
- Albert Grashuis 
Shortly after we moved into our suburban home about 8 yrs ago Hubby got a bobcat guy to totally removed the top layer of the entire backyard - to get rid of the weeds as nothing else was working... or so he told me ! I just wanted rid of the tears bindii with toddlers !!

Though we could have just sprayed and keep killing them, we had a time issue with little boys who loved the outdoors.

We have a few native grasses and lots of weeds here. Hubby has to be content with slashing the long grass. It was very zen for him to mow the lawn in Sydney.


On the farm we are looking forward to planning and establishing the turf / lawn for the 'backyard' and landscaping over the next few months.

It is quite a mess at the moment because we had to dig holes and trenches for the septic and pipes. We have a fenced backyard for the dogs in our temporary home and will do a new one shortly. [We have to fence the cows out and stop them eating our garden or damaging our the tank lids].

The old water tank is being relocated too.

We need to keep the dust down and dirt/mud out of our new home too- with busy boys who forget to remove shoes.

I was offered a consultation with a local Turf Australia grower and it was perfect timing.

Winter can also be a good time to consider a complete lawn replacement and can see it established and thriving by spring. If you are considering a lawn makeover, make sure you get a professional consultation to consider factors such as climate, usage and budget.

Most turf retailers can help households choose the right grass variety for their requirements - they can lay it or tell you the best practices for laying it yourself and maintaining it.

Alex, advised us to encourage the weeds to grow and then spray them to kill them. We may need to do it a few times. Alex gave us a few tips on best grasses for HOT full sun and his recommendations. I'll leave that decision up to my husband. It gets very hot during central west summers.

My husband relished tending the lawns and refused to palm the job off to the teen because he just didn't cut it right. 

Warm season grasses such as soft leafed Buffalos, Kikuyu and Couches are used in many temperate and subtropical regions within Australia and they require a few basic maintenance rules or “tips” be followed during winter, particularly if they are being grown in the southern parts of Australia.
“Cold weather conditions and minimal daylight during winter can really affect your lawn, but there are plenty of ways to make the most of the winter months and get your lawn prepped and ready for spring,” - John Keleher, award winning turf grower and president of Turf Australia.

How often should you water established lawn during winter ?
  
Many of us overlook the need for watering our lawns when the hot weather passes, though it still requires watering in winter. Cutting your summer watering down by half in winter is a reasonable guide.

How do you treat weeds in Winter ?
It’s normal for lawn growth to slow during winter, sometimes making it easier for winter weeds to take over. There are many selective weed control options that won’t harm your lawn but will help keep it clean of the weeds. Always remember to treat them small and get them all, and of course follow the manufacturer’s label when applying.
 
Other Winter Tips ?
Raise your cutting height slightly. Longer leaf blades catch more light, and will also protect the roots from frost damage and foot traffic. Try to limit traffic in shaded areas as lawns don't recover as quickly in winter.
What about Fertilisers ?


Fertilising your lawn in autumn is great preparation for the winter months. If you missed this timing, a light fertilizing in early winter containing a balanced nutrient mix is still recommended.

Otherwise application is recommended every 6 weeks or so from October to March (follow pack directions and water it in well).
 

Last week I took my boys to the Botanical gardens to soak up a little Winter sunshine and guess what we found.


They had patches of turf on display, I only had my iPad so the photos were not clear.

Turf retailers also advise on lawn care programs - how much or how little fertiliser it needs, how to fix brown patches, how to fill in gaps and weeding, etc.

On with the giveaway - 
I have one $100 Bunnings Gift Voucher to giveaway with thanks to Impact Communications and Turf Australia. Plus a few Lawn Care books.
Have fun planning a garden make-over, so your lawn is always ready for a BBQ with family and friends !
Tell me in the comments what is your dream backyard or what you would do with the $100 ? 

1. Only Australian Residents are eligible to enter.
2. Entries not answering the question will be deemed invalid. The winner will be chosen by originality and creative merit, not by chance. Judges decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.
3.There is are 3 prizes as above. 1 x $100 gift voucher and 2 x Lawn Care books.



4. Entries - Open 12/7/2013 - Close 11.59pm 26/7/2013 AEST. The winners will be notified by email, and posted to mylittledrummerboys.blogspot.com.au after they reply - Winners have 7 days to respond or a new winner will be drawn.
5. Prizes are not transferable, changeable or redeemable for cash.
6. Prizes sent out by PR firm directly will not be replaced in the event that they are stolen, lost or damaged in transit.
 
7. Subscribe to my blog  to receive MLDB updates.
8. Follow via Facebook or Bloglovin on the sidebar .

Disclaimer:
Turf Australia provided me a free consultation as part of Turf Australia campaign and I received a gift card too. All opinions are my own. 

Find out more about Turf Australia here 
 

Comments (40)

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We used to have a nice garden - then we got a dog! She loved to dig holes and totally trashed our garden, and although she outgrew the digging, the garden never recovered, and neither did my husband, so I would use a voucher to buy some good-looking plants to make it lok good again, and stop my husband from staring wistfully out of the window, remembering how his garden used to look!
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1 reply · active 627 weeks ago
Jennifer B.'s avatar

Jennifer B. · 627 weeks ago

My dream back yard is the one with the lush green lawn and a Husquvarna lawn mower quietly doing it's mowing business while we go to Bunnings with a $100 win and buy three or four citrus trees to supply endless fresh juices!
1 reply · active 627 weeks ago
How funny, my hubs is a bit of a 'Lawn Arranger' as well! My dream backyard has a decent sized lawn for the boys to run around with the dog, but it also has room for a small orchard, a large vege garden, some massive trees (avocado, mulberry and magnolia grandiflora) a chook shed, a pool, somewhere for the hills hoist, and a nice courtyardy area with an outdoor fireplace. I'd also like a large herb garden and some sort of jungle adventure area, for interest. So I guess if I win $100 Bunnings gift voucher, it will go towards that. I don't know how far it will go, but a girl can dream...
xx
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2 replies · active 625 weeks ago
Mary Preston's avatar

Mary Preston · 627 weeks ago

My dream back yard would be fully fenced for privacy. Keep some people out and other people in. It would become my sanctuary.
1 reply · active 627 weeks ago
Rachel Kriss-Newell's avatar

Rachel Kriss-Newell · 627 weeks ago

Our backyard needs a lot of T & C. After renovating and running out of finances, the final stage of completion has not yet happened. With a veggie garden bed plonked onto the clay base ground and much needed lawn to be laid, we have also run out of puff.

Winning this $100 Bunnings card would give us the motivation and means to build wooden screens under the verandah to disguise the kids bikes and toys, plant some shrubs and lay new turf. A water feature has to be thrown into the mix as well. That $100 is going to have to go a long way!
Amanda Gorton's avatar

Amanda Gorton · 627 weeks ago

My dream, and it really is quite achievable, is to establish a vegetable and herb garden. Oh the benefits are endless, physical exercise through gardening, fresh produce for cooking, economically sensible, family time........I could go on and on.
My garden is lovely, full of all things green, but my lawn, if you could call it that is a mess. The builders threw all their scraps, half bricks etc on the dirt and then covered it all with the cheapest turf they could find. We have never had the time or money to do anything about it, but that can be this years project I think, finding out the best way to sort out our horrible grass!
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My dream backyard would include a veggie patch, lots of native plants and citrus trees and an awesome cubby house for our 15 month old.
We've redone the retic, the grass has been removed, next will be a new wall for the garden bed. I'd love a Bunnings voucher to buy some plants to finish it all.
My dream garden is an edible garden. Growing your own veggies and experiencing the way veggies and fruit is meant to taste, rather than that cold store old taste, is the way of the future. Grow your own!
:-) Great for green thumbs, inwhich i'm not!

:-) My lawns are knee high at the moment!!

:-) I'd rather buy two more or three door airers ($9.72 ea from Bunnings) & stand clothes airer ($59 from Bunnings).

:-) Great for hanging your washing - tea towels, bedsheets, underwear, clothes, though with bath towels, throw, rugs, blankets - you have to watch how much weight on put on them.

:-) Saved heaps of moving over the last two summers in not having a clothes dryer.

:-) They are also excellent although i end up in agony after (Fibromyalgia Syndrome affects muscles right through my body, drugs do not work also suffer from Chronic Fatigue Sydrome + more.) Cuts the stretching of hanging on the outside line although still use during daytime. Usually do my washing at night time or early in the morning.
My recent post Some like it hot ~ {$100 Bunnings Giveaway}
My dream backyard is is huge i would need alot of acreage i would have a forrest maze, a dirtbike track, a small vineyard,a huge vegie garden and orchard, an indoor pool separate from the house with bathroom and BBQ areas and last but not least a place for some chickens, a couple pigs , some llamas and a goat. With the $100 i could probably get a couple fruit trees and seedlings for our vegie patch but as you can see i dream big and one day i shall have my dream and it will be amazing!
My dream backyard would be a safe place for my 19 month old to play, our current yard in our rental has a rocklawn which seemed great when we moved in but a toddler wasn't in the plans then! I would spend the $100 on outdoor toys for her and possibly on some sort of gate or other option to keep her away from the rocks.
My dream garden is a secret garden with little unexpected surprises in every corner, a hideaway from the noise and busyness of daily life.
t.boult@hotmail.com
Its funny how we miss our garden beds, the other day we saw a portable Garden bed at Bunnings and our youngest son {who is 8} has been asking us to buy one ever since we spotted it!!! We would put the Voucher towards the Portable Garden Bed to grow fresh veggies while we are here in Wollongong, and then we would gift the Garden Bed to the residents here at the Caravan Park when it was time to move on :)
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My hubby totally LOVES our lawn - but we have MAJOR probs with clover right now. I've written a few things about lawn maintenance over winter.
My dream backyard is a few acres, where the kids can roam, my hubby doesn't care about the lawn and I can say "go out and play" and have to yell for them to come back.
xx
My recent post A guest post from a travelling teddy – be warned – he’s got attitude!
My dream backyard has lush green grass for running around on, a small veggie patch down the back and a wonderful patio of some type for barbecuing and enjoying the outdoors :)
Steph Veljanovski's avatar

Steph Veljanovski · 627 weeks ago

My Dream Backyard would have a Tranquil Balinese Feel with Beautiful Greenery, Water Fountains, A Pool and Beautiful Wooden Cubby for the Kids to Play in.
Gemma Westacott B's avatar

Gemma Westacott B · 627 weeks ago

My husband is obsessed with our lawn. I seriously think he may love it more than me, he spends that much time looking after it! Lol.
Problem is, we've only got a small yard. So our dream backyard would be much bigger, with space for a proper big veggie garden and wooden cubby house for the kids. And enough lawn to keep hubby entertained for hours!
And if course the Bunnings voucher would have to go towards lawn fertiliser. (And maybe a few tomato plants for the kids and I!)
Ooh, we have a problem with bindiis too. We have ne problem area that I'd love to fix - one particular place on our lawn that the neighbourhood cats seemed to have deemed their toilet area. I think I'd use a $100 Bunnings voucher to deter the cat poo issue!
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Stacey Shailer's avatar

Stacey Shailer · 627 weeks ago

The $100 would have to be spent on new plants for our gardens. We've cleaned the yard up nicely since moving in and the lawn is starting to grow and look lush due to hubby's TLC, but the half-empty, straggly gardens are starting to look worse the more the lawn grows...
We've just moved too! $100 would go a long way towards building the kidlets a little sandpit and setting up their own vegie patch...
Well Trish I would actually use the voucher for some beautiful new turf. I have recently moved my kiddies and myself into a town house, and they are missing their backyard. We have a little courtyard area that has a lovely spot for them to play . . . if only it wasn't muddy looking dirt spotted with some very persistent weed varieties. Hmmm. I want to turn the area into a fairy garden area - and I hear tell that fairies are really into soft, lovely grass over scungy old mud. Right? :D
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