Diggetty

Dwarf Cherry Tree

We also have a dwarf cherry tree, it's only about 6 years old & for the first few years it hardly grew at all although it blossomed great. But that's the thing, it's a dwarf - it's not supposed to suddenly shoot up to the label-stated height and then stop so don't worry! Last year we took a punt and moved ours out of the raised bed where we wanted to grow veg, into a large half barrel. I noticed this week that it's now covered in buds, so that's a relief that it's moved ok.

The only pruning I've done to it is to aesthetic, to remove a few straggly new shoots near the base, and some minimal shaping. Maybe you could check the ph etc of your soil against what the optimum recommendation is.

I'd say perservere, the birds & insects love ours.

Get thrifty

We don't buy expensive canes from the garden centre. We got ourselves a non-invasive variety of bamboo which grows at the back of the garden & acts as a screen - it's so easy to use the mature canes from that each year for plant supports, plus they can be bent when freshly cut, and the used dried out canes are good for making homes for overwintering insects.

Talkback: The no-dig method

I've never done more than is called for, being a rather fair-weather gardener, so I don't dig empty beds over for the sake of it. But I did my back in this year leaving me out of action for a couple of weeks - that was from digging up roots & weeding to prepare a bed and that pain & helplessness was enough to convince me to go no-dig. On with the plastic & winter mulch!

Dividing perennials

Is it too late to divide perennials? I started to dig up my veronicastrum a month ago but was defeated by an unexpectedly huge rootball which I needed help for & didn't get so I covered it back round again.

If I do manage to get it out of the ground, how small should the clumps be after dividing & how far apart should I space them? would they benefit from some bonemeal?

thanks

How to deter Field Mice?

Worried about me wood!!

Old decking used for raised beds 

Dividing perennials