Busy-Lizzie

Soil

You really need lots and lots of compost, manure, grit and sharp sand.

Weeds vs an old rickety back

You can spray the weeds with glyphosate which only kills the plants that have had their leaves sprayed. It is best to spray when the weeds are actually gowing then it will be taken into their roots, so may be a bit early yet. It won't hurt the apple trees. The weeds will take about 3 weeks to turn pale and die then put down your weed supressant fabric and cover it with bark chippings. Glyphosate only needs a few hours without rain after spraying it. I prefer to rake the weeds up before putting down the fabric, but I don't really know the answer to that one.

moving fuschia

It will be fine being moved at this time of year. I don't prune mine till early spring anyway when I cut them right down.

Fork Handles

Been outside all afternoon. The smoke bush was huge, now there are big heavy branches all over the lawn. Pruned the sambucus Black Lace and trimmed a load of lavenders which all look half dead. I'll have to take cuttings this year if any are available and redo the bed. Snowdrops all over the place. I plant them round the hostas as the hostas are still dormant.

Planting for a Philosophy Garden

My winter pansies and violas are still in flower in early May. I dig them up to plant the summer bedding in late May and sometimes it seems a shame when they are still in flower.

Fork Handles

I have sun! Love carrot cake

Fork Handles

Come in for lunch. Finished digging and manuring new strawberry bed. Cut branches off huge smoke bush and done some other bits of pruning. Now it's all lying on the lawn and needs clearing up. Any volunteers?

Ancient Apple tree

It may take a couple of years as it will involve removing some branches, especially central ones and crossing over ones, so don't do it all at once. Here is some advice to click on from the RHS.

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=279

Too early for annual seeds?

I start sowing annuals in March. I have 3 little heated propagators and a cold greenhouse with a sand filled frame with a warming wire in it, where I put the baby plants once they are up. I've found that if you sow too early plants can go leggy from not enough light and unless you heat the greenhouse (expensive) you may lose plants if there is a very cold night.

But sweetpeas are hardy and it's best to sow them in autumn or February to give them a good start. But the young plants will need some protection, such as cold frame, cold greenhouse or porch.

Climbers

You could try a clematis montana, but it will have to be a big pot without much sun shining on the pot itself. Put crocks in the bottom then good earth then compost. It will need a lot of watering as it is quite vigorous.

Gardens we have visited 2013

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Cleaning greenhouses

Rose pruning and frost

reviews

Why did you all start gardening?

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