I was mowing my mum’s lawn yesterday and it got me thinking, why is it that as soon as the sun comes out for a sustained period of time, that my mum’s lawn (and I’m sure many other garden lawns) always turn a shade of brown & never look like the grass at a place like Old Trafford.
Is this simply burnt grass or is it something else? Now as soon as I had finished I gave my mum’s lawn a few little tricks (that my grandfather taught me) to keep the grass healthy and shiny.
These tips were quite simple but very effective…
1) Always sprinkle water on before & after you mow the lawn
2) Sprinkle birdseeds over the lawn 1st thing in the morning & last thing at night
3) If you have an animal (cat, dog, rabbit etc etc) let them play out on your freshly cut grass
4) Water the plants, seeds, and garden every night during the hot summer days
5) Don’t cut your lawn more than once every 2 weeks
I have been trying to follow these simple guidelines for years but have found it difficult to stick to as I don’t live at my mum’s house and don’t have my own garden where I live.

If you’re trying to sell your house and are finding it difficult, as most people are right now, you’ve probably looked at just what it is that’s preventing your house from selling. The obvious things like cleaning up, making sure no cupboards or doors are broken, and not leaving embarrassing personal items laying around should be your first point of call.

Once this has all been done, you’ll need to look at some other factors of your home and why it’s not selling.

It’s a fact that most people make their minds up on a house in the first seven seconds, so if you’ve got a stunning bathroom upstairs it won’t help your potential sale if your downstairs is a shambles.

As a result, the outside of your home is the most important part, with your curb appeal being of paramount importance. How does your house look when you approach it? Does it look messy from the outside? Does your roof look shoddy, your front door dirty and your garden a mess?

If the answers to these questions is a resounding yes, you’ll need to do something about it. Spend some time (and some money) on your front garden and the outside appearance of your home. It’ll save you more in the long run.

When you’re redesigning your garden one of the most attractive things you can do is to add a water feature. Whether this comprises of a garden pond, a flowing waterfall or a full on water garden, the finished product is always something that looks great and adds a degree of tranquillity to your home.

Of course, if you have pets or small children you may be hesitant to consider a water garden, or even a small garden pond, as someone can drown in the smallest amount of water. While water features are attractive, safety should always be your primary concern, so when you’re installing your water feature make sure you take safety into consideration.

You can get a variety of mesh products to cover your pond, meaning that if a small child or a pet were to fall in, they would be protected from the water. You could also put up a fence around the pond which prevents access to the water garden area of your garden, although a fence will always provide the temptation to climb for a child (or even a dog if there’s a pigeon on the other side).

As ever, the most important safety precaution you can make with a garden pond is to ensure your children are supervised and to teach them the dangers of water. This is the best method all round.