Lawns & Gardens

Ready Lawn Installation - Free Quotes

2011-08-04T21:47:00.009+12:00

Just email me for a quote here .

I offer the service of the installation of ready lawn or instant Turf Grass.

Readylawn is the original New Zealand roll out lawn, so when you want a lush green lawn that’s guaranteed to perform.

Before Readylawn

No matter where you live, no matter what time of the year, you can have a beautiful, healthy, lush lawn growing in a matter of hours.

After a quick & easy Readylawn installation your space is transformed!

With Readylawn there’s:

NO messing about with seed sowing
NO chasing away birds
NO keeping the kids off
NO weeding
NO bare patches
And best of all… NO waiting!

Great lawns are an investment in adding beauty and significant value to your property. With Readylawn, there’s no uncertainty. You know you’ll have lush, springy, deep green lawn within hours – not months!

You can choose from a variety of different grasses that are hard wearing and look just gorgeous.

My trusty Readylawn truck

Just email me for a quote here .

The following are the services that I offer

*Lawnmowing - with or without a catcher or mulched. Edges free.
*Installation of ready lawn or instant grass
*Weeding
*section clearing
*hedge pruning
*tree pruning
*garden waste removal
*planting
*maintenance of gardens on a regular or semi-regular basis
*topiary

You can contact Darren on :

MOB - 021 505 767
BSN - 444 3327
Email - lawnsandgardens@gmail.com
Location - North Shore, Albany

c Lawns & Gardens 2011

Summer Daze

2011-01-17T21:24:00.003+13:00

During the Summer months your garden is going to need regular watering if there is no rain. Every second day for most plants and every day for fruit and vegetables.

Pruning to take off any dead plant matter and a haircut for any plants that need a regular prune.

Don't forget your lawn either. It is a living thing too!!

Remember to water deep and cut high on a weekly basis if have the time.

If you are interested in some help in the garden over summer I can come and lend a hand:

10% off for Summer.

The following are the services that I offer

*Lawnmowing - with or without a catcher or mulched. Edges free.
*Weeding
*section clearing
*hedge pruning
*tree pruning
*garden waste removal
*planting
*maintenance of gardens on a regular or semi-regular basis.

You can contact Darren on :

MOB - 021 505 767
BSN - 444 3327
Email - lawnsandgardens@gmail.com
Location - North Shore, Albany

c Lawns & Gardens 2011

Welcome - Lawns & Gardens: Services

2010-07-24T19:44:00.001+12:00

Welcome to Lawns and Gardens, my name is Darren Rickard.
I have been working for approximately 20 years ensuring that lawns and gardens look perfect on the North Shore of Auckland. I pride myself on going the extra mile and delivering customer satisfaction. I look forward to providing you a free quote.

The following are the services that I offer

*Lawnmowing - with or without a catcher or mulched. Edges free.
*Weeding
*section clearing
*hedge pruning
*tree pruning
*garden waste removal
*planting
*maintenance of gardens on a regular or semi-regular basis.
*Ready Lawn installation

You can contact Darren on :

MOB - 021 505 767
BSN - 444 3327
Email - lawnsandgardens@gmail.com
Location - North Shore, Albany

c Lawns & Gardens 2010

15% Discount for July - August

2010-07-24T19:43:00.004+12:00

With Winter upon us and a host of things to do in the garden to get it ready for spring growth I am offering customers who hire me in July until the end of August a 15% discount off my regular prices.

I can quote to do the job at most places on the North Shore of Auckland and if the job is bug enough I will even travel over the bridge to make your garden the envy of your neighbour.

Jobs to do in Winter include:

Feed and mulch plants
Cut back dead wood and prune trees, especially fruit trees.
Topiary
Planting
Lawn Preparation
Removing trees

Contact Darren @ lawnsandgardens@gmail.com if you have any queries.

c Lawns and Gardens 2010

Olive Tree Topiary

2010-04-26T15:43:00.005+12:00

I love working with olive trees. They are easy to care for, fast growing and can be pruned into just about any shape one desires. The round shape above is a popular one but they can be cut into hedges, obolesques, squares and many other forms.

I planted about 50 on my property 5 years ago when they were barely a foot high and the biggest ones now are 3 metres or more in height.

They don't have to grow big though as you can keep them small no matter how mature they are if you like.

The ones above were planted as standards - one nice straight trunk with all the branches removed to a point and took around 4 years to get the way they look above.

As far as care goes, they thrive on neglect and don't really need a lot of water to survive.

The soil has to be well drained and they grow well in poor soil if that is what you have.

If you need someone to cut and shape your Olives or any other trees or shrubs, I am the man for you.

I am an expert at it and have years of experience.

You can contact Darren on :

MOB - 021 505 767
BSN - 444 3327
Email - lawnsandgardens@gmail.com
Location - North Shore, Albany

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c Lawns & Gardens 2010

Lawncare

2010-02-08T15:34:00.000+13:00

Most Kiwis mow their lawns way too low and I am not just saying that to get extra work.

Ideally lawns should be mown often and high.

A healthy, easy-care lawn begins with the right mowing height. Proper mowing height is critical to the health of your lawn.

When you mow you reduce the ability of the grass plant to manufacture food, and thereby to form strong roots. The shorter you mow, the less the roots will grow. Deep roots are the key to a healthy, drought resistant lawn. Mow lightly and frequently. Mow the lawn when the grass is dry, and only remove 1/3 of the blade length at any given time. If you remove more than 40% of the grass blade the roots stop growing. The grass should always look green even after you cut it. Generally, if the lawn is yellow or brown after mowing, you are cutting too short. The shorter you cut the longer it will take the roots to begin growing again. At worst, if you cut too close, the grass roots may never grow again. Clippings 1/2 inch or smaller can be left on the lawn, and will help to reduce thatch build-up and help to provide your lawn with valuable nutrients. Many homeowners worry that longer blades will mean a less attractive lawn. In reality, the look of a lawn is determined by how even the grass is mown, not how long the blades are. In fact, a taller lawn will actually require less mowing than a lawn kept shorter. In addition, the taller turf grass will shade out many sun loving weeds. Lawns that are mown too short will require more work and result in a sickly hard-to-manage lawn. Mowing heights for most cool season grasses (Perennial Rye, Bluegrass, Fescue, etc.) will vary with the season as the grass grows at different rates throughout the year. Start mowing when the grass begins to grow in the spring. As a general guideline, cut the lawn shorter in spring (the actual height will vary with the kind of grass you are growing). This removes dead grass and increases the penetration of sunlight to newly forming blades. A short cutting in early spring also helps to invigorate the grass and will aid in warming the soil sooner. After this initial cutting, set the mower at around two inches for the next few mowings until the lawn begins to grow vigorously. By mowing higher you encourage the grass to thicken and grow new tillers, stolons, or rhizomes.

Allow lawns of cool season grasses to grow longer in the summer months in the range of 3 to 4 inches. A higher mowing height helps to improve the growth of the lawn and to shade the soil which aids in reducing water use and helps to suppress weeds.

Keep the mower set high into the Autumn. This allows the grass to replenish its store of nutrients in the roots. In late Autumn, after the leaves drop from deciduous trees, gradually reduce the mowing height again to 1-1/2 inches. Remember, never remove more than 1/3 of the blade length. Regardless of the time of year, the lawn should always still be green after mowing.

There is some evidence to show that by varying mowing heights through the year you may actually improve the drought resistance of your lawn. One of the great myths of lawn care is that clippings cause thatch. Clippings begin to break down within a week, and by the end of two weeks the nitrogen from the clippings is available to the growing grass. Grass-cycling can contribute significantly to the annual fertilizer needs of the lawn and helps to improve the soil and retain moisture. A good and quick way of achieving this is to use a mulch mower, thereby directly feeding the grass clippings into the lawn. The only exceptions would be for lawns suffering from some diseases like red thread or rust, for lawns with heavy infestations of weeds with mature seed heads, and during times of the year when clippings may be too wet or excessively long.

Remember to keep the blades of your mower sharp to reduce incidences of disease. Mowing lawns when they are dry will also help to reduce the spread of some diseases, limit the compaction of the soil, and aid in a cleaner cut and more even spread of the clippings.

Finally, after attending to the cutting of your lawn don't forget to water it well and deeply if it doesn't rain. Once every 2nd day in the middle of Summer. Remember, grass is a plant and it needs watering too!

From Amazon

The Lawn Bible: How to Keep It Green, Groomed, and Growing Every Season of the Year by David Mellor
Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $2.04
Usually ships in 24 hours

c Lawns and Gardens 2010