Joe_the_Gardener

Identify bug?

However, it's not a bug (Hemiptera) but a beetle (Coleoptera)

Identify bug?

Sue,

Hadn't thought of Cantharis rustica - you may be right.

Joe

Identify bug?

yarrow2,

Looks like a Cardinal Beetle - Pyrochroa serraticornis. Harmless, lays eggs in old wood. Likes a sunny day on a flower head.

Joe

Deadheading RhodedendonDead

The American Rhododendron Society (quoted above) seem to suggest that there are other reasons to do it. I can understand the tidiness argument in certain situations and as a personal preference, but plant health is a diiferent issue. I wonder if the gardeners at Inverewe Gardens and other arboretums with 10 metre high species spend a lot of time precariously swinging about taking off every last seed head.

Deadheading RhodedendonDead

It would be interesting to take the dead flowers off just half the shrub and see whether it made any difference.

Logo

TkD,

You seem to want to use it as a way of implying your credibility (as a gardener, I assume). This would be not far short of immoral and certainly deceitful, since you are using someone else's proven expertise, without their permission, to suggest that your practice is somehow approved by Gardeners' World. How would you explain this to a prospective customer?

There's no recommendation like a satisfied customer.

My new project. Where do I start!

The key is definitely pale, calming colours, Insomnia. I see what you mean about your green fences. I've used B & Q's 'Oregano' green, and blues with names like 'Forget-me-not'. Other brands are available! Perhaps as an alternative you could paint some openwork trellis panels and fix them to the fence (not continuous, but just to break up the appearance of your existing fence). You would need to decide whether to fix them in landscape or portrait format.

Replanting between leylandii stumps

How old are these leylandiis and what is the diameter of the trunks at ground level?

My new project. Where do I start!

Insomnia,

Before you go for the red paint.....it will make your garden seem smaller and not very relaxed. Think about the paler blues and greens. They will expand and brighten your plot. They also show off theplants that you grow in front of them.

Joe

Leaving the garden to itself for a year - what to plant?

The thought of a non-gardener hiring a so-called gardener to do someone else's garden is pretty frightening. Make sure you hire a reputable gardener before you go, Viola.

Hedging shears

Malvern