How to refresh my backyard?

ssaw

Hi All

Some helps please 

I recently bought my home and there is backyard and require some maintenance. 

As you could see from the photos that there are some weeds have grown from between the gaps of the pavers. I am thinking to remove them by hand, and then spray the weed killer chemical and after that will use the high pressure washer to clean them . If that will refresh the pavers ? Also by stopping the weeds growing , what type of sand that I could apply ? I read some articles mentioned polymeric sand but not sure if I could get from Bunnings ? If any suggestions on this ? 

Also currently there are mulch already. However weeds still growing rapidly . The previous owner didn't put weed mat on the bottom before putting the mulch . I assumed to fix that I have to remove all the mulch and putting the weed mats and then soil then top with mulch to stop the weeds coming up in the future . 

Any suggestions of low maintenance of plants that I could plant them onto the spaces ? 

I am newbie for the gardening so have some silly questions on all these. I am also on budget and not looking for a big makeover . But more on refreshing the backyard, tidying up and plant some new plants that I am able to maintain in long run

Thanks in advance 

EricL

Hello @ssaw 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fantastic to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about your backyard.

Congratulations on purchasing your new home! I always feel that getting your own place is like getting a blank canvas, only your imagination can hold you back. In regards to your brick pathway, I suggest physically removing the all the weeds in the area, although you can use chemical means to kill the weeds its much safer for your family and pets to remove them manually. Put aside the mulch that you can recover and do a scorched earth approach. Remove any living thing that that looks like a weed and any plant you wish to spare must be put aside in another container.

Once the area is prepared you can decide what plants you would like to put in. I then propose putting down two layers of weedmat with cut outs for the plants that you've just put in. Our plant experts often suggest using native plants that can tolerate drought such as succulents, thyme, acacia, gazania, correa, lavender and agave.  

In regards to the sand for your bricks, I propose having a look at Easy Mix 20kg Paver Bond Polymeric Sand. There is also the option of using the traditional sand and cement mix if you are looking for something more permanent. 

Please keep yourself safe by wearing gloves when handling rough objects or plants and to use goggles and a mask when spreading the sand on your pavers.

Here is a link for ideas and inspiration: Top 10 most popular garden makeovers.

I also suggest having a look at this discussion - Low-maintenance backyard ideas wanted by @trietnguyen. There are heaps of excellent ideas in that thread that you should find useful.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric