Help im a beginer!

candie_gill

Hi Everyone

Well i have decided to have a go at learning how to 'garden'. So far i have grown sunflowers in a pot, and poppies.. both from seed. The pots where given to me, i just filled them with normal garden soil and the seeds where 19p a pack from netto- so a bargain!

Now this will sound really stupid but i have a flower bed that already has 2 dwarf connifers in and another smallish tree- the bed was took over by next doors weeds which came under the fence, so im wondering if i use weedol will it kill the trees? Also is it effective to kill all types of weeds?

Once the weeds are gone i plan on digging it over, levelling it and putting blackout lining down then shingle pebbles on top. I arnt going to attempt to grow anything there but the trees that are already there as the weeds from next door just kill anything!

moneymabel

No idea on the weedol but as a fellow newbie just wanted to wish you good luck-you will be as addicted as the rest of us v v soon! Perhaps do a search on the net about Weedol-i expect they have a website with info on or a contact form?

Kay_Peel

Well there you go.

I've never, ever been able to grow poppies from seeds (and I'ver been gardening since Eve was running round in the buff scrumping apples from the Garden of Eden), and along comes a new gardener with the magic touch and grows them just like that!

Well done you. :j

Weedol is safe to apply around and under trees and shrubs (just don't do it on a windy day), so go ahead and zap those trespassers.

Don't be too quick to put boring old shingle on your bed - for one thing you might find that
* local cats will use it as a convenient stopping off spot
* weed seeds will blow across from your neighbours' garden, land on the shingle and germinate on all that lovely sand that clings to the stones.

Once you've Weedol'd your beds and got rid of the tough perennial weeds like dandelions and docks, and once you've filled the bed with bulbs, poppies and other things that grow under conifers and trees - there won't be much space for the weeds to colonise.

Welcome to gardening - and please tell me how you managed to get those poppy seeds to grow!

[Deleted User]

I have poppies with massive flowers (name escapes me) that I assume I planted last year.

After they flowered, I left the bulbous whatever's on there.., and let them dry out to see what would happen. When I shook them it was like shaking a rattle. Ahhh.., seeds I thought. Collected thousands of the things lol.

I gave some to a neighbour who seems to grow flowers out of her ears, but she said she couldn't get them to do anything. As I'd just gotten Lavender seeds to flower by putting them on a damp paper towel on a normal plate, putting that into a clear plastic bag (either a zip one or any one that's big enough to catch the open end under the plate so it stays watertight)., I did the same with my poppy seeds. Within a week I had sprouting seeds.., and about four/five days after that (when the roots were just under a centimetre long) I potted them. They seem to be growing nicely.

Once u have one plant, u'll never have to grow from seed again.., they seem to be quite prolific.., I just did this as an experiment.

If anyone wants some, pm me. I have enough seed to keep a couple of streets of gardens going. The poppies have massive red and orange flowers with hairy green leaves. They're quite a feature but do need some support because of the weight of the flowers and some watering in hot weather.

alys_fowler

hi i am also a nebie to here and gardening this is my second year and i have the philosophy of bung everything in and see what comes up,hence why i chose my used name i find af an inspiration and totally my way of gardening

delmar39

Welcome to gardening. I've been into it for about 4 years now and just love it. I love watching things grow. It's best to put your weed retainer down before you put too much in. Simply put it down and if you do decide to put more shrubs or plants in then cut a cross in the membrame for the whole, dig it, put the plant in, replace the four sides of the membrane and cover - simple. I you get too much in first it becomes a pain. All the best.

kaja86

Welcome to the green-fingered board. I started just like you with sunflowers and poppies and now i'm really into it in a big way!!
I dug over 1/3 of my lawn to plant veggies and it gets more exciting/addictive every year. You will have such fun. Trial and error is the best advice-you learn by your mistakes so give anything a go.
Enjoy your garden.

candie_gill

Thanks everyone for the kind messages, wishing you all the best of luck with your gardening!

Hi Kaypeel, alls i will say is that i did nothing special! Infact im suprised the poor things are still alive, i grew them in garden soil, only watered them a few times and then got seedlings. Now i have been watering them more they have grown loads, i give it a month and i reckon il have fully grown flowers! No plant food used as yet but i have these little all purpose plant food balls that i may pop in.

Does anyone think it would be ok to add some small flowers at the bottom of the sunflowers in the pot? there is plenty of room but it may mean disturbing roots?

thanks