More gravel or give up and lay turf?

[Toddlerteaplease]

My back garden is gravel with a membrane underneath. But I'm having a never ending battle with weeds. Should I put more gravel down or give up and lay a lawn? It's supposed to be low maintenance but it isn't!

You'll still have weeds with a lawn.... what about stone or concrete pavers? You could put gravel between or even allow maintenance creeping plant. Less noticeable weeds?

I don't mind spending 15 minutes mowing a lawn and the weeds with it. I think paving slabs will be too expensive and I would prefer a bit of colour. Not keen on plastic grass.

Have you tried a weedkiller, you can get ones specifically for paths and gravel.

go with lawn. get a small electric lawn mower and it will be nicer to look at and to walk on

you could also move the existing gravel to one side / one corner (double depth) and then put lawn + a few shrubs in the rest of the space.

come over to the 'gardening' topic with a plan and people can suggest easy low maintenance plants for you too.

Are you getting weeds because the membrane is old and disintegrated?? We had to move the gravel from ours, remove the old membrane, put down new membrane and then put down gravel ontop. Took a weekend. But now - no more weeds! If we do get the odd weed it can’t go beyond the new membrane so it’s so easy to pull up.

Are you getting weeds because the membrane is old and disintegrated?? We had to move the gravel from ours, remove the old membrane, put down new membrane and then put down gravel ontop. Took a weekend. But now - no more weeds! If we do get the odd weed it can’t go beyond the new membrane so it’s so easy to pull up.

How big is the space we're talking about op? Trying to work it out based on 15 minutes of potential mowing 😉

People do the membrane-and-gravel thing because it's Low Maintenance, but it's not No Maintenance.

The membrane decays over time, dirt and debris build up in the gravel and give something for weeds to root into. Gravel needs to be regularly raked to keep the weeds at bay, and periodically it will have to be lifted to replace the membrane and replaced with clean gravel. Spending more on better quality membrane can reduce the frequency of the latter.

Go with turf. It will looks nicer too.

Do you have trees overhanging the gravel? Leaves will fall in autumn and make a mulch amongst the gravel and then weed seeds will germinate in this in spring. Moss in the gravel creates the same environment for growing weeds and is common in shady areas. If the weeds are under the gravel but not under the membrane then this is likely to be your problem. If the weeds are growing through the membrane then the membrane needs replacing.

Go with a lawn. We just extended our lawn as part of our back garden was a gravel “dog and cat outdoor toilet” that the prior owners had.

If you’re going to do it though, you better get a move on. It will be too late in a couple weeks because the turf needs time to put down roots before high summer comes.

Please don't use weedkiller. Insects lamd on the plants to feed and die a horrible death. We need all the bugs we can get.
If the weeds are rooted in the gravel they should be relatively shallow rooted and easy to pull up. I spend about 5 mins an day pottering round doing my drive. Or otherwise I agree a lawn is easier and much nicer to look at...
Or embrace the weeds. Or as they are now known resilient plants.....

Lottsbiffandsmudge is so right about the weedkiller being no good at all for insects and also the animals that eat them such as birds and hedgehogs. They're all struggling so badly at the moment that anything we can do to help them is brilliant.

I'd vote for neither - why not go for a wildflower meadow? No need to mow once established, and indefinitely better for the local wildlife than either gravel or lawns.

Yes. The path ones don't work. But standard weedol does but it's still an on going battle!

That would be lovely. How do you start one.

Remove all the gravel and membrane, aerate the compacted soil underneath with a fork (or hire a machine), scuff the surface with a rake, top dress with a little sand and compost, sow wild meadow mix.

Practically, you will want a 1m border of gravel along the walls of your home to prevent damp. I would put down new membrane there, and buy those concrete borders pieces that are £6 each. Rake and shovel the gravel there nice and deep. Pull up and dispose of old membrane. You can then just spread the gravel out thinly and get a landscaping firm to bring you a couple tons of top soil. Rake that over and then you can sow wildflower seeds. If you want the whole back garden to be wildflowers you might want a gravel path or to mow paths.

There is a tiled patio in between the area and the house so damp isn't an issue.

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