auntie betty

Laurel tree troubleshooting

Thems some dead laurels boy

Small front garden planting

Low maintenance evergreens include: phormium, bergenia, heuchera, euonymous (some), carex, cotoneaster (some), flat-growing junipers, choisya, lavender, euphorbia (some), aucuba japonica, prunus (some), ajuga, festuca, hedera, saxifraga (some). Hard to be specific without pic, but there's some stuff to look up anyway.. Try to have a few bulbs or easy herbaceous things too, or you'll quickly get bored The odd clup of alliums and other few of hardy geranius would make all the diff. .Bx

pruning lavender

I'd dig one up, cut all the totally useless bits out, then bury it in a free-draining pot with just the active bits above soil level. They should then root, after which you can lift it, snip off the rooted bits just below the roots and bingo! New plant cuttings to replace your old ones

Ideas appreciated for shrubs to create structure in my new garden

I'd consider the crab apples for the tree (malus 'john downie's my personal fave'). these dont get too big for you, have the blossom you're after, and look well as part of a border. For shrubs, I'd consider pyracantha grown againt the fence like a climber to give you a good backdrop. I'd never be without cotinus coggyria for purple foliage - it can get huge, but mine never do as I use it to fancy-up cut flowers in he house. Its such a fabulous foil to show off  other things. I might consider a small flowering shrub next to or in front of cotinus - white potentilla looks amazing, as does pink cistus. And both of those are easy shrubs to keep (i never prune them) and easy to put perennials with - they seem to look nice with anything. I love phormiums - they give you an evergreen version of what iris foliage does for a border - a great vertical. Like the potentilla/cistus kind of thing, not for the very back - just slightly forwards, perhaps in front of pyracantha, to blend the shrubs with the herbaceous. I also use euphorbia wulfennii in the same sort of role. You can't beat the odd spire of conifer to break up looser shubs too. I use 'elwoodii' cos it tends to be cheaper than 'skyrocket'. Spireas are good shrubs for clipping - I keep mine as 3ft balls in my mixed borders. They still flower, but are a good foil for the blowsy chaos of tthe perennials around them, stopping it all getting too out of hand. I'd also recommend viburnum opulus for a back of border shrub. Again, can go big if not pruned, but so useful for cutting that it never gets the chance to be more than 8/9ft tall here. Easy to keep clothed right to the ground if you prune, attractive leaf shape in itself, nice autumn colour and those spectacular green/white pompoms. What's not to like? Hope that's some more food for thought - got a bit carried away! Bx

Jewell garden - suggestions

Some of the cannas are short enough for u. oriental poppies maybe? purple salvia nemorosa. allium 'purple sensation'. drumstick alllium. yellow achillea. daylilies. red astilbe. pink monarda 'prairienacht'.chocolate cosmos. dahlia 'bloodstone' or 'greenside antonia'. penstemon. lupin 'thundercloud'. Bx

Birds.

I've got a comedy pair of collared doves too - one does all the work, trying to build a nest in a tall conifer and the other just waits on a branch for it to bring each piece, then takes it out again and 'does it properly'. They've been a resident pair for a few years now and are obviously past the honeymoon stage! Wonder which one is the bloke...

white bugs eating roots of fuchsia

Vine weevil killer! Some plants are more susceptible than others, but anything in a container is a sitting duck for these. Google them to see what the adults look like so you can squish em on sight. I'd water VW killer on all your pots at once - otherwise they'll just come back sgain and again and use it prophylactically on things you know are at particular risk, like your fuschias. Tho not on edibles. The maggoty things turn into the weirdest looking little alien guys before becoming the adult weevil. Fascinating really, in a toe-curly kind of way. Fish love em tho, as do robins!

shrubs for cut flowers

Hi buds, I'm redesigning my pal's garden for her and want to include a small shrubbery. (Will that word forever start the Monty Python theme going in my head!?).This will involve adding plants to an area currently backed by laurel and a humongous weigela. She's not a gardener and has two very small children, so low maintenance is key. The area is half shade and the soil loamy, if a bit sucked dry by the laurel. She loves white hydrangeas and I'd love to give her some shrubs she can cut for the house. So I'm planning a white lacecap and also a snowball viburnum. Any more 'must have' ideas, perhaps for later in the year? Bxx

Crown Imperials

Yeah yeah Franco - nobody likes a smart a**e. I've got one (well, two now apparently) that were in my garden when I moved in 7 years ago, though I didn't discover that until I cleared the 6ft hedge of bramble that'd allegedly been there for at least 10 years previously. Shoot/s up every year, looks all promising, and then gets totally slugged OVERNIGHT, just as I'm hoping for flowers. Ah well. I only keep them as a decoy plant now - means the slugs get them and leave other things alone a bit longer!

herbs in oil

Golly. Who knew?! Whatever will we find out next.?. I can see it now - "Miraclegrow - my secret EBOLA shame"?! Ignorance really is bliss. Until u get botulism.

PVC Fencing

swell gel and plant food

shrubs for cut flowers

Shady spots

Soft yellow or hot pink climbing roses

new guinea impatiens

Pots of summer colour in partial shade

best annuals for shade / partial shade

Hops

Flowers for July?

Shadyish paving creepers

Associations

top 5

Plant suggestions please