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tasty strawberry recommends please
I've grown strawberries off & on over the years, more "off" lately This year is an "on year" plenty of yummy looking berries, but taste is just not there, not what one would know as proper strawberry taste of yore It maybe my old taste buds of course but I suspect it's the variety I've got. And of course in true gardener…
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Can I prune overgrown shrubs in July?
I know I can't prune back when the birds are nesting but I think they've finished by now. I have lots of lovely shrubs around my garden which seemed ok in early spring but they are massive now. The ones that have finished flowering can I cut them back? My lovely raised bed that hubby made me is completely overshadowed now.…
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water butt
Thinking if getting a water butt now we are on a water meter Advice please on what we should get. Thank you
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Screening ideas for ugly house wall?
Good morning! We're tackling the garden bit by bit and I need some help please. Our kitchen window is driveway side and faces the neighbour's house, and their horrible yellow and tan (YELLOW AND TAN!!!) mismatched brick wall. There's a bed with hydrangeas there but it doesn't hide it well. I'm looking for ideas for things…
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Screening ideas for ugly house wall?
Good morning! We're tacking the garden bit by bit and I need some help please. Our kitchen window is driveway side and faces the neighbour's house, and their horrible yellow and tan (YELLOW AND TAN!!!) mismatched brick wall. There's a bed with hydrangeas there but it doesn't hide it well. I'm looking for ideas for things…
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Can Pyracantha go in Planter Pot?
Is it wise to use Pyracantha Orange Glow/Fire Thorn in a large planter tub rather than in the ground, where i want it there is gravel with planter on the top. Could i keep this a certain size in a planter tub because the pic on the label shows it climbing up a wall. Planter is square 50cm high by 55cm wide.
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Cordon Sweet Peas - next steps?
I’m growing cordon sweet peas for the first time. They’re doing really well and are already 7” tall and producing amazing blooms. I’m about to untie them and move them all to the next stake so they’ve got more room to grow but I reckon they’ll reach the top of the new stake again in a flash. Do I just keep repeating the…
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Removing Dead Virginia Creeper Remains
Hello everyone :wave: First foray onto this board so please be gentle with me! I completed on a house purchase today and the house has fresh growth of Virginia Creeper as well as the dead remains of the plant that has been previously removed. Getting rid of the live stuff if not a problem as I'm going to dig it all up and…
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Petrol Lawnmower recommendation
New house has a tennis court sized rear lawn which is also slightly slopped towards the house. My old electric mower is just not ‘cut’ out for the job. Can anybody recommend a petrol, self propelled mower. Budget is up to £250. I don’t need side spraying, mulching etc and would prefer the money to go on a good engine…
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Allotment
Hi all We’ve just been offered an allotment by the town council :D The tenancy agreement says our plot is “5 lugs”. I understand it may be an old English measurement similar or same as a rod but in spite of massive internet search can’t find any helpful information. One site suggested a lug was about 40 sq m but that means…
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Where can i buy cheap terracotta pots?
I have some spare time on my hands and am going to have a go at making one or two terracotta pot ponies for my garden. Can anyone recommend where is a cheap place to buy the plant pots, please? I'm looking for box standard, plain terracotta plant posts - nothing frilly/patterned. Many thanks.
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Big pots, small trees
Made a rookie error and bought two very large pots for the two mini fruit trees I've ordered. Said trees are '7cm potted' so I don't know how big they are in practise but I am confident they will be tiny compared to the pots. The recommendation on the site I bought them from was 30L and I suspect we're a way off actually…
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Plague of Whitefly
I have the above both in my greenhouse and outside. I am getting some natural predators for the greenhouse but I don't know what to do outside. Any ideas for a safe (preferably organic) way of getting rid of whitefly on crops outdoors?
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Ash tree very close to house
Hi guys, As the thread states, I've got a small ash tree about a foot from my house. It's only around 3m tall and the trunk is barely even an inch in diameter so it will be very easy to remove....my questions are; do I need to remove it? I.e. will it cause damage to my house over time? And will I be able to replant it?…
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Home Farmer Magazine // blogs
Hello, I'm looking at some advice, I used to get home farmer magazine and loved how it was a general all around magazine and well as I'm slowly getting back into my self sufficient ways and trying to make what I want work I was going to re-subscribe and can see that it is no longer functioning :( . I was wondering if…
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Starting a herb garden
Hi all I have 2 belfast sinks. I want to turn them into herb gardens. I have some mint (which I know needs to be contained otherwise it will take over the whole basin) and some chives. Wheres the best place to buy herbs? (I dont know anyone I can take cuttings from). Shall I have the same herbs in each basin, or different…
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Stone Trough Planting Suggestions
I have 2 stone troughs outside my front door. Every year so far I have filled them with Summer bedding plants which, as long as I water them, looks absolutely lovely. Here's the rub though because they are in the porch area so don't get any rain they must be watered. Since we are now planning to go away more in the Summer…
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Growing on roadside windowsills
Hello, I'm looking for some advice and when I google it I never really get an answer. I live in a terraced cottage which fronts onto a road. It's not a massively busy road but it is used regularly and I was wondering whether I could use the three windows to grow extra fruit or veg? I know a lot of people in London grow…
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Is it too late to mulch?
Full disclosure, I know nothing about gardening, this is the first once I've had. Long story short, I've just moved into a new house which has some beautiful mature shrubs in the garden (mainly roses, rhododendrons and various conifers). These were obviously once impressive specimens, but the rhodos and roses especially…
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Experiences of garden shredders/mulchers
I'm recently retired, and spending a lot more time in the garden than I did before. As I do so, my ignorance is showing :) Large garden, rural, lots of trees and shrubs which have grown into monsters over the last few years. (My wife is a keen gardener, but disabled and can't do any of the heavy stuff.) I am gradually…
