RubyStar

As long as you're happy with it! It would have been a bummer if you not only found out you could have gotten it cheaper AND it didn't work well! I always check ebay for purchases of anything these days, before I head to the shops. Most of the time, I resort to buying online.

Nope, that's not it And it's in my front yard, not an issue for the dogs, thankfully It's pretty though! Why are the pretty things always the dangerous ones?!

Thanks for the info! I had one tree quote today, getting another tomorrow. Hoping to make a decision very soon and getting them cut down ASAP! I wanted to move in on the weekend! Will keep the dogs inside then until the tree is gone.

Another ebay purchaser here for the Furminator Works a treat on Labrador coats! Those prices quoted by Petstock seem a tad outrageous!

So you can use Season that often? Should I do this while the top dressing is still present? Stupid gardens! Too much work! The flowers out the front need watering every day or the flowers die off! Talk about temperamental!! Couldn't tell you the name of the plant, though Except the flowers are small and I have some in purple and some in white! Doesn't grow very high but spreads sideways

Don't worry about the thread deviating from the original question, I think this has turned into more of a garden FAQ which I really need!! Clearly! The Clivia looks pretty! But do they attract bees? I don't fancy not being able to sit out on my patio because I have bees buzzing nearby, scaring the crap outta me!! The Jacaranda tree is sooooo pretty, but makes an awful mess and attracts a gazillion bees! So not my cup of tea My mum currently makes use of the lemon tree I'll have to find me some lemon recipes!

Don't worry! It's all related! Talk to your hearts content about gardens in here

About 8 weeks ago a wetting agent was put on, is that too soon to do again? The top soil that was put on on the weekend apparently has a wetting agent and fertilizer in it, too. Even though you said the top soil wasn't the best idea (my parents have been insisting for ages to top dress it!), what shall I do now that it is already on? Wait a few weeks then do the Seasol/wetting agent again? Do I let it keep growing or mow often while I'm trying to "resucsitate" it? The part of the garden needing plants by the patio gets no sun, it's all shade! It's between the patio and the fence with other trees over it (such as next door's lemon tree that hangs over). I just need plants that do well in shade, don't grow too tall, don't flower (I don't like attracting bees/wasps if possible! Fear them dreadfully!) and obviously safe for dogs. But I can just troll Bunnings or somewhere I suppose for some plants! Cos no matter what I get, I'm certain to kill it! Getting my first tree cutting quote tomorrow

Did you have a username change? Thinking about it more, I may just get the berry bunches removed from the palm tree as a short term solution. I have already removed one or two, but there is another REALLY high up, so I may have to get someone in for that! Gotta be cheaper than removing the whole thing at this stage! I may keep the apricot tree, and see if I can learn how to care for it to keep the bugs from eating the fruit and make sure I pick them before they fall - I just need to recognise when that time is! As for the big tree, as much as I'd love it to stay, that one looks like it must go So I'll shop around for quotes. I'm going to have such a busy morning before going to work each morning - palm tree berry patrol, toadstool in lawn patrol, poo patrol, and big tree berry patrol until I can get someone in to remove the bad boy! Or maybe I will just drop the dogs off at their grandparents house for free doggy daycare You give me hope with my lawn ;) I'll just have to see what the cooler weather may bring

I'd really love to, but wouldn't the pips be big enough to cause a blockage when the girls eat them? They are really hard pips, so can't see them breaking down in their system. Would be nice if I could get it to produce some nice edible fruit, but I worry for my girls :D A friend told me I should try selling the apricot tree, as it's quite well established. But it looks like it was pruned right back like my big tree was - actually, ALL the trees have been cut right back years ago, and have new branches off shooting everywhere. These trees aren't anywhere near as big as the one in the lawn that needs removing. It's HUGE, it towers probably 3 times the height of my patio, that I can't even see the top unless I stick my head out the side of the patio and look up. It's a cocos palm, not sure if anybody would want that? If I knew where to start hunting, this would be a great option! But I'm one of those lazy types, and one who hates making phone calls, that I think it would be easier in the end to just get it removed I may do a bit of investigation come to think of it - I had one of those old concrete laundry troughs that I wanted gone so posted on the net for anyone who wanted it, come and remove it themself, and it worked! Apparently those things are highly sought after!! Who woulda thunk it? I was all prepared to pay a tradie to come and get rid of it for me.

Another Lucy the Labrador? Ummmm :D Nope. My next dog will not be a Labrador. Please don't put a lock on the Lab thread to keep me out I hope to always have a Lab in my life, but my 3rd dog does not need to be yet another while I currently have 2 I had Lucy picked out for a Beagle, but the next dog may end up being an Aussie Shepherd instead :D

Ruby, Millie and Chloe And I have Lucy picked out for a future dog, maybe... hehe!

Yes they do drop a sh*tload!! Currently they aren't really dropping, but give it a month or two and I'll soon be tearing my hear out trying to keep on top of it! Not to mention all the leaves that drop. Tomorrow I think I will ring around a few places to arrange some quotes for tree removal. Kill THREE birds with one stone - I have a big palm I wanted removed as the berries they drop are enticing to my girls, too! Not to mention being a PITA all over my yard. There is also what I believe might be an apricot tree I want removed. The bugs got to the fruit so weren't edible (not living there currently and not being a green thumb, that was likely to happen!) and they drop and I think the pips could cause problems if the girls eat them. It's quite a well established fruit tree, sad to see it go, but I'd rather be content in the knowledge that my girls are safe in our backyard quite obviously! So I'm up for some serious $$ to get the 3 removed! While we're here, do you mind if I ask you some recommendations for some dog friendly plants I can plant in the garden? I have a strip down the side of the patio against the fence where I have ripped most plants out, and want to replace them with non-flower type plants that are nice and green, non-toxic and easy care! Maybe I need to book you in for an information session, horty

Ah well bugger me! I'm in a nice pickle then aren't I! Thanks for the info horty, even if it news I didn't want to hear Does anyone know what it costs to get a big tree like that completely removed? :D The times I have taken the dogs over there while I was working in the house, I have gone around the yard and picked up the "berries", even before I knew they were toxic! I was doing it more from a blockage point of view. They do like the eat them, but if I pick them up daily, how much would they need to eat to become a real problem? Gah! I'm gonna have to investigate tree removal, as their health and safety comes first. Just need to find the dosh, which I am seriously lacking. Kinda wish I knew all this before I invested in the grass, it might have helped in the long run! :D Must go away and think about things now.... so much to think about. Sigh

If it doesn't take, then so be it. The yard is the dogs domain, well at least that was my intention when I bought the place. My care factor for the back yard was pretty much 0, as it was for them. Now I wouldn't mind a compromise and having it looking nice, too Thanks, not sure what that is so off to google it! :D

If you've had new turf laid, pretty sure you can get an exemption in certain circumstances: Water Corp. Exemptions We gave up on the grass in our dog area, and are going with a crushed gravel instead. By the way, what a big beautiful tree nice and shady to relax under Thanks for the link. At quick glance, it appears you need an irrigation system in place to apply for an exemption. I don't , just me and my sprinkler and hose! I love the tree, too, even though it gives me grief by helping kill my grass and dumps its leaves and berries on the ground yearly PITA to clean up

Thanks. Except it was actually laid in September, Summer is contributing to it dying off. I know ideal time to lay it is probably around Autumn, but things just didn't turn out that way.

Budget, my dear. I would have installed reticulation could I afford it.

A bit like this? I actually think there is a worse patch in the yard, behind the tree. This is the best patch I have And just to see how bad I am at this gardening thing, this is what it looked like the day it was laid :D (no leaves on tree blocking sunlight here either, but I know this can't be the whole reason it's dying!)

Yes it would be easier, except, I want grass Makes the whole backyard feel cooler and "peaceful" with the tree and all, just how I view it I guess :D Thanks for the tip. How do you deep water a lawn though?

Gosh, really? Grass needs WATERING?! ;) Yeah I've been painfully watering it to no avail But hmm, not for an hour a day, that seems excessive! Plus we have water restrictions. Thanks, I hope so too! It's garbage grass though, and I suspect that the soil it was grown in at the turf farm is the culprit for the toadstools I now have growing there as well! They weren't there before the new grass Of course, I can't prove it, so just have to keep checking the grass every morning and night for them to pull them out before the dogs eat them! 7 or so weeks straight with no drop of rain here in Perth certainly hasn't helped matters, that's for sure. We neeeeeeeeed rain

I think the OP only wants to keep them off the grass for a few weeks to let it establish properly. The radio fences (work for some, not others) are supposed to teach permanent boundaries, aren't they? for my dogs it has taught a permanent boundary, as my bitch jumps the fence.. so by having the radio fence run along the existing fence, my girl stays away from the fence. Yes it's only for a few weeks/months so permanent solution not required - would be too costly and the grass is actually FOR them so I want them to enjoy it! I just want it to grow a bit before that happens!

Thankyou everyone for your suggestions, very helpful! I went away and thought about it and decided I'll do the barrier along the grass line, not the patio, so I can use star pickets. My mum actually suggested using mesh too If I'm blocking the lawn perimeter then the mesh will be more cost efficient I'm guessing, I think it's 11m long I need to block off doing it that way. Gretymate, thankyou for the toileting suggestion, a thing I didn't even think of!! I don't want them to go under the patio so yes I will do your suggestion and leave a bit exposed to them that has taken better than another area, then switch around (every 2 weeks you'd think would be sufficient?) The lawn was topdressed today and I trimmed more of the tree back so I am hoping for better results ;) Thanks again everyone!

Hoping you guys can help! I've had some new grass laid quite a few months ago, but it's not taking too well - practically dying! I am moving into the house in the next week or two with my two Labs, thinking by now the grass would be nice and establishe, ready for their playful zoomies! But nope, doesn't look like it, the grass is still too fragile to let the dogs have free run of it so I am hoping to find a way to keep them off it for a few months. I have read on here about the Bunnings garden waste/compost cages, but not sure if they will be suitable to what I want. I have a patio area that the dogs can be under while I'm at work, then as the house ends, the grass starts. I want to put a barrier up from the edge of the house to the fence, leaving the patio area the only area the dogs can access. Can anyone suggest anything please? Could I make the compost cages work in this scenario somehow? (not sure how do they stand up if they're not forming a shape with sides to make them sturdy!) Or can anyone think of another solution? I'm getting desperate now as I'm only about a week or so off moving in! I've put so much effort and not to mention money putting this new lawn down, that I want to give it every chance possible to eventually take enough so the dogs can enjoy it, before they wreck it while they play! Here is a picture showing the brick wall where I want it to run from, to the fence. And how ghastly my lawn looks!! Hopefully the picture will help with some ideas on how to achieve a dog free zone on the grass Looking forward to some help! Thanks!

Great, OK then If you guys can collate me a list of what you want to order, I'll see what the postage comes to and get back to ya's