Palaisglide

Can I save my spring/summer bulbs

Liz, Spring bulbs need to be in the ground by mid October, the reason being they need a cold spell to waken them up, Hyacinths in pots for Christmas have been in a fridge to prepare them and start them off to bloom early.
You can grow bulbs in deep pots and even mix them and I do that as well as planting in the beds, they would go in as usual in September October and be left to winter.
Soil only a spit deep needs some work, why is it only a spit deep, builders rubble? clay? or other? would like some feed back on that.
A solution is to raise the beds either with slabs, bricks, or boards and put some good soil into the raised area, we are only talking six to nine inches higher and you could then deep plant bulbs and leave them then bedding on top after the bulbs are done.
It sounds as if you have lost your bulbs although you could pop them into pots with fresh compost and wait to see what happens.
next Autumn you will be able to buy bags full of bulbs and get them into the ground or deep pots ready for the arrival of Spring which this year in my part of the Country is four weeks late.

Frank.

Hello i'm new and would like advice

Deborah, how about your own mountain ash although not good for children the berries are deadly. I live in the northeast and we get icy northerly winds but my two Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Green Pillar and Lanei never faulter.
They are slow growing aromatic foliage and with gentle clipping will stay conical and low if you wish. The Green pillar is deep green and gets a golden tinge in Spring, the Lanei is golden yellow and fruits, both evergreens, I let mine go and in thirty years are around twenty feet they get tipped every few years to keep them at that height.
Small trees could also be Juniperus Hibernica, speaks for itself. Any Thuja or Taxus, very slow growing and need a trim now and then, Picia pungens have conical style needles they form an open cone, quite squat and slow growing but all have interest through out the year.
Hope this helps,

Frank.

What's the weather like in your area?

Stockton on Tees, windy wet and warm.

Frank.

Just moved into an old house... huge ANT nest in flower bed :)

My father had sandy soil and ants were a nuisance, he a quiet kindly man would pour petrol round the nest and drop a match on it, end of problem, we had no H&S back then though.

Frank.

lawn maintenance, under poor conditions

Looking at the picture I see part obviously the back of the house out of the immediate line of sight so yes a Dalek with a screen made of reed, you buy it by the roll and make a frame, or a couple of large pots with say Lilac or Herbs in front just to take the eye away.
nothing is impossible say I an engineer retired.

Frank.

lawn maintenance, under poor conditions

Djjjuk, Why would you want a compost heap in line of sight? my double wooden bins self made are out of sight up against next doors garage wall on a part of my bungalow with no windows. Camellia once established do not like moving, with a corner build up behind it with a couple of shrubs and some low planting under it it would become a feature.
Right heavy clay then dig in the gravel paper compost stuff you empty out of old pots sand old woolens and manure if you can get any. That will mean some hard work although whoever said gardening was easy, do a section at a time and plant it up then do the next section and so on. My priority would be hiding that fence and then work back from that along the sides, all else would stop until this was accomplished.
Preparing the bed will take time, once you have part of it done then visit a Garden centre and look at what they have, I always wander around the sale section first, read the labels and they will tell you what likes shade, part sun. full sun. and usually what kind of soil. You will usually see them in flower too so will know if you like them. Acid soil can be made better with some lime dug in you can get that from a G/C.
A couple of Golden Cypress would look good and draw the eye away from the fence, they would need trimming lightly to keep the slim shape and topping when they reach the height you need, too high could upset neighbours. My choice of plants may not be what you like so wandering around Nurseries and G/C's is the best bet.
Sitting in the garden on a sunny day with a pencil and paper plus a long drink is a good way to plan things. Watch where the sun actually touches, roughly where the most sun is and make notes.

Frank.

lawn maintenance, under poor conditions

Djjjuk, Having looked I am afraid looking at all that fence would drive me mad.
Why not cut the lawn back, make a border and then plant a couple of climbers plus some shade loving bushes to hide at least the back fence.
My Daughter had the same problem and we tackled it planting up a border which in one year hid the fence, now you do not see any of the fences and the garden is a picture.
There are many plants shrubs and small trees that will prosper in shade remembering they will have their heads in the sun in all probability.
It needs a serious revamp in my book.

Frank.

worth buying primroses now?

My Primroses have provided colour and put a smile on my face through out this long bitter winter, the have bloomed continuously for nearly five months in a long row at the front of the border, if it was me I would get them.
Prepare a plot or strip of border then drop the Primroses out of the pot and plant them, open up the base of the root gently so they will travel into the surrounding soil.
When the flowers die off which will be soon leave the plants alone apart from weeding, the top growth will also die back then start to come again in Autumn. Clean around the plants and a mulch of compost around them then leave to flower.
After flowering next year lift and divide the plants re-planting them where you wish them to grow you will double your plants doing that. They can be divided each year after that. My plants came from one given to me and divided each year until I now have a lovely glowing row of yellow flowers.

Frank.

lawn maintenance, under poor conditions

Lawns need some sun to stay healthy as do we all, be it early morning or late afternoon that would be enough to prosper.
It also depends on what type of lawn seed was sown a soft grass will suffer more in shade than a tough all purpose grass.
Time to weigh up the reason the grass is there, could there be another feature of shade loving plants that would be better or is some hard standing with pots a better bet.
If you wish to try a bit longer then use a feed and weed preferably when it is raining or going to rain if not wet it in with a hose and that means really wet it. In six weeks do the same again. Leave the lawn to settle cutting it slightly long, blades up a bit.
Autumn rake it aerate it and then after aerating dress with a mix of compost and sand sweeping it into the aerating holes with a stiff brush then put down an Autumn feed and weed this is slow release then leave until spring.
It may work and lawns can be brought back to health with some work although I always say if something is not working then change it.

Frank.

What's the best way to shade a greenhouse?

JulieS2, exactly, and why I never shade the greenhouse these days it is a waste of time and money. Being retired I am always about so "if and when" we get a scorching day I can simply open every vent wet the flags and gravel then drape some net or even put a couple of loose plywood boards in position to shade the plants and having a fan I put it on fast blow. Never had scorch on plants and tomato's love the sun, I keep them what I call finger damp not soaking, dip a finger in if it comes out with a bit of soil stuck to it well and good if it comes out muddy not good and if it comes out clean as it went in well very not good. Bottomless pots on gravel I find best, you water the gravel and every couple of weeks top up the pot with more compost. When everyone around me lost their tomato's to blight mine were OK.
All this is from my own experience over many years others do things in a different way, there are no right or wrong ways it is what suits you and the way you garden, when I was working all day I did things in a different way.

Frank.

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