backyardee

Keeping Chickens

thanks for that David, but my main chicken run is about 50' x 30' and I wouldn't be able to convince the OH that it would be money well spent.

Cotton Lavender

Becareful with the Lavender, that can't be cut back to old wood. That won't regrow.

Perennials

Harden off by putting outside during the day and under cover at night if any frost or near frost is forecast. You could cover them with a bit of old net curtain, sheet etc keeping whatever off the leaves. Then in a couple of weeks you could plant out into their final positions. No need to pot on. 

Talkback: Growing Verbena bonariensis from seed

V.B. are not too fussy about soil. Once established and happy they will self seed everywhere.  I have grown them from seed and taken cuttings. Which I needn't have done as they are so prolific I have to weed them out now.

Talkback: Magpies in the garden

I have a couple of families of magpies living around the plot. They take on average a coiuple of hen eggs a week which they go in the hen house to thieve, but they have also taken the odd chick before now, but then so have the jackdaws. Can't net the chicken run as it is too big. So I have to live and let live, until they get too many. 

Talkback: Rabbits and myxomatosis

I hope that the Roman who decided to bring rabbits and large brown snails to England to feed his troops during the invasion died uncomfortably of obesity or such like and is now full of remorse!

Having just started to be invaded by the pesky bunny wabbits after 9 years, and having a garden full of herbasceous perennials that 95% are classed as wabbit food is making me hopping mad.  Elmer fudd and I have a lot in common, but I intend to get my wabbit.

shape your hedge

Without knowing what shrub they are, it's a difficult one to answer properly. But I would suggest you leave them until they are a couple of foot high. You could trim either side when they get dense enough to make them 1' wide. Could you describe the leaves or may be take a pic the small ones or one of the parent and post on here. There are so many different hedges that are common. It could be privet, box, lonicera etc. Once we have something to go on, we can help you with the time it might take to grow and how and when to prune it.

Perennials

joslow wrote (see)

When is the last time that you can plant out perennials?

I have always stuck to the rule that if it is a pot and has been kept under cover and frost free than leave until you have either hardened it off or the risk of 'hard' frosts has passed. If it is in a pot and has been outside over winter then it can go in the border anytime. As long as the ground isn't frozen.

Cotton Lavender

I cut mine down to about 3" every winter and they re grow every year to a height that doesn't swamp the border nor look leggy.

Keeping Chickens

Mine get a set amount every morning, that I check about half hour after feeding them. If there's any left that gets collected up and placed elsewhere for the wild birds. Not that that happens very often.

David K wrote (see)

I quite agree, backyardee (the wild birds bring all sorts of bugs and diseases in) I mean....this is why I keep my chicken's run area netted.

I've done this since the avian flu outbreak.

Can't net my runs, as they are too big, and from Oct til mar, they get the run of the plot. They love scratching about in the woods or my back yard.