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Where should I store pots of bulbs?
I've planted up spare 5-inch terracotta pots with Hyacinths and miniature Narcissi. They are intended to be sold to raise funds for the charity where I volunteer. Where should I store the pots for the Winter? Could be outdoors, in the cold greenhouse, or in the house. They'll be taken in to be sold as and when they look…
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Lawn replacement
I'm looking to replace my small back lawn and I am considering wood chips. It'll cost about £30 to buy the wood chips and I'll also need weed matting. I was wondering if I could maybe get some ideas for alternatives? I don't want gravel or anything too hard as my nephew plays out there when he stays over. Any…
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Best gardening tools?
Looking for a nice set of gardening tools for a Christmas present (just hand fork and trowel, probably), does anyone have any recommendations for something that's going to last a long time?
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Begonias still going strong.
I really cannot believe how my hanging basket begonias are still growing and flowering well, especially as we put the baskets down on a shaded part of the patio before we went on holiday in early September. What time do they normally die out and then need lifting and drying for next year?
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Cordless Leaf vac
Looking for a good cordless leaf vac, blower has anyone any ideas please
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Moss removal - organically
Being in a very clean wet area I get a lot of algae and moss. Can anybody tell me an organic safe way to rid my lawn of it that involves minimal scarifying? Moss is a problem in shady areas, sunny areas, well drained areas (and those not so well drained!). The grass grows quite well, especially in moss killed areas ( I do…
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When can I cut back (prune?) my damson tree?
I have a damson tree just outside the back door. It has expanded a fair bit in the last few years since we bought our house. It's now as high as the upstairs windows and the branches have loads of smaller ones sprouting off them. When I google it, advice is to prune it in spring to avoid some diseases but I have blue tits…
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Box plant leaves being eaten
My box hedges and plants suffered from a terrible attack of Box tree catepillar this year. Did anyone else suffer from the pest this year?
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Easy container plants
I have small yard/alleyway next to my kitchen that Im trying to fill with some nice plants but Im really not that greenfingered so would like some suggestions for some low maintenance, slug resistant! plants that do well in containers. So far I have got a couple of mini conifers, a hydrangea (which has gone very leggy and…
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Hotbin voucher codes
I've been thinking of getting a Hotbin to make compost and avoid all that turning, which gets harder by the day. On the verge of purchasing, I noticed a box for a "voucher code" but don't know where to find one. I thought green-fingered folks here might know, being into money saving. Any suggestions? Thanks. :j
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brambles, roots, water absorption and damage
I have some cracks in my garage wall. A builder blames the bushes and wants to remove them and drill out the trunks at quite a cost. Structural engineer suggests a different cause and ignored the bushes, though the builder has pointed out a valid-sounding reason why the SE is wrong - I can go into detail if folks are…
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Which Tree Should I Plant?
Hi I am a complete novice and would greatly appreciate some ideas on type of tree I should invest in. We live in a very busy "A" road that has traffic 24/7, our front garden is about 20 meters long. I am hoping to plant a tree that will be about 15 meters or so away from the house (should not impact light too much or…
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How to protect tender plants
Would like to know what other gardeners do regarding tender plants. I do not have a greenhouse or cold frame. I want to protect a climbing black fuchsias plant. I do no know whether I should bring it in and leave in kitchen, leave in shed or outside and cover with barks in a sheltered position. Thanks
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Lavender
No real point to this thread, just venting my frustration that every year my lavender reaches full bloom in October, to nicely coincide with the first decent frosts! I know we are at the most northerly end of its range, but all the gardening advice is to get it pruned back well before any risk of frost, which would mean…
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Leaf Blowers
Can anyone recommend a decent leaf blower for under £100? I've toyed with the idea of getting a second-hand Stihl petrol blower for a while but this may be a bit overkill so an electric one will suffice but cant be too bulky and I'm not that bothered about it being able to vacuum the leaves up.
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Ivy
Hi, I have recently moved into a new house. I noticed that one of the fences has ivy growing quite out of control from my side of the boundary. The neighbour recently told me that the ivy has destroyed the fence and is growing up the side of her house. She has asked the 2 previous owners to sort this but they never did. We…
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Where are all the other birds
We’ve got several feeders in our garden, and until a month or so ago had many different species of bird visit every day. But now, we only ever really see Goldfinches, any time of the day there’s between 10 and 20 feeding Just wondered where/why the other birds aren’t around anymore?
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Storage -sharp apples
Have just been given a large batch of perfect but rather sharp tasting apples. Variety unknown as they came from an old tree in the garden the owners inherited. Are they likely to sweeten over time if kept in storage? Any hints on how they might sweeten up, apart from adding sugar or honey when cooking them? Think they're…
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Dandelion disaster
Moved into a house in December where the garden hasn't been cultivated since it was built 20yrs ago. The grass had been kept short and there wasn't a weed on it. Even the grass didn't grow until summer. Suddenly it started growing and it is almost wall to wall dandelions, clover and moss. I had 65ft garden before and only…
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Any Sales on Cheap Seeds?
I used to look forward to the local Wyevale garden centre reducing their seed stock to 50p at the end of the summer season, but as they've recently been taken over by Dobbies, they don't do that anymore. I know I missed out on Wilko's sales and I've visited independant GCs but their stock have been replenished. Does anyone…
