Dog problem

al1973 · 22 Apr 2008

Hi

Just after a little advice please.

At the front of our house we have our front lawn, a stone wall then a 3 foot grassed area then the pavement, the grass is looking pretty ropey, mainly due to dogs urinating etc and people taking the short cut (hardly worth it).

Is there anyway/any recipes i can use to

1. Stop the dogs going anywhere near the grass.

2. Stop people walking over it. (Obviously sitting there 24/7 with a shotgun is a little extreme, least to say illegal).

Or should I not worry and just repair each year?

Thanks in advance

Al

JohnD · 22 Apr 2008

if it is outside your wall, then you are doomed.

What evidence do you have that the grass belongs to you and is not the verge of the highway?

al1973 · 22 Apr 2008

JohnD said:
if it is outside your wall, then you are doomed.

What evidence do you have that the grass belongs to you and is not the verge of the highway?

It's marked on our plans, house is less than a year old. Would love to know why they built the wall 3 foot from the pavement leaving a grassed area infront. Don't get me wrong, I'm a dog lover but it just looks so tatty and patchy now.

JohnD · 22 Apr 2008

you could dig it over and plant prickly low shrubs. If it does not look like grass verge you will create a psychological barrier. the wall may have been set back to enable view of road when emerging in which case you will not be allowed to plant anything tall.

You could put a post and rail fence round it

al1973 · 22 Apr 2008

Good point about enabling view, we're at the front of the estate next to the entrance. Was thinking of a short/small hedge, but I know the soil is quite shallow near the boundary due to the edging curb and 3 tonne of concrete the groundworkers used to sink them in. What hedge/shrub/bush would be suitable for shallow ground?

JohnD · 22 Apr 2008

I only know a few.

Cotoneaster Horizontalis, there are also low-growing conifers

I have one, it grows sideways not upwards, but I don't remember its name. Heathers, perhaps?

If there is not much soil depth I don't think you want anything leafy unless the leaves are hard and glossy like holly and ivy (which don't lose much water)

al1973 · 22 Apr 2008

Cheers John, I'll have a look around

bob-the-builder · 23 Apr 2008

Symptoms · 24 Apr 2008

al - pyracantha is the answer. Very attractive, easy to grow, fast to grow, evergreen, thorny, white flowers, scarlet berries (birds love it). A small annual snip to keep the vigour in check (I'd also clip off the outward facing thorns that are near the path). Once spiked by a pyracantha they'll never return!

2scoops0406 · 24 Apr 2008

Low growing confiers are no good, very susceptible to being peed on. Pyracantha, ow!, yes good deterrent. Maybe a bit vigorous though?

lx200gps · 25 Apr 2008

I would echo most of the responses , especially the one from Bob the Builder, and as already been said the Pyracantha has very sharp thorns which will act as a deterrent but it does grow quickly and is not really suitable where space is at a premium. I would be inclined to opt for some of the slow-growing dwarf Berberis shrubs instead. They too have lethal thorns but their foliage is a little bit more interesting and the dwarf varieties will take years to reach a metre in height. Something like the Berberis Candidula might be a good choice here. Or, you could go for different types of Berberis (bronze, yellow or green leaves) to make things a bit more interesting. Have fun.

Mr Pickles

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Dog problem

bob-the-builder

2scoops0406

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