Palaisglide

Deutzia dilemma

There are from 40-60 species of Deutzia from Rosa height and spread around three feet to Scabra height and spread six to eight feet, Bibrida can go over eight feet as well as Magnifica.
They are usually problem free and need very little pruning in June July after flowering, With taller plants it is best to selectively remove old stems from the base to promote new growth.
My own Deutzia Rosa Gracilis a pure white flower is a slow grower and with a sweep over with the trimmer every couple of years keeps its shape and height. Its roots are cool in good loam and with a mulch retains moisture, its flower heads are high enough to get almost all day sun (when we get any sun) and as I said has had two moves to this position where it thrives.
Any questions?

Frank.

Poorly plant

Julieh, Salix or Willow is a tree and depending on which of the 500 odd types it is can grow quite large though some do manage in pots.
Very wet or very dry conditions can cause leaves to discolour and buds to die back, there could also be something nibbling at the root ball.
Whatever it is needs looking at so if possible drop the plant out of the pot and look at the roots, it may need a bigger pot, if so pot it on, check it is not water logged, see if there are any wee creatures in there. See if you can get the pot into a bit of shade, not full shade but probably out of the mid-day sun, (mad dogs and Englishmen, the only things that like it).
I lost my quite old Willow to Honey fungus, they do seem prone to it although you would smell it if it had that problem.
Leaving it may work but we gardeners usually cannot abide a mystery and most would investigate, looking at the root ball in a pot is usually the first thing we do.
Hope all is well when you check often it may come down to a bit of feed and a little more water although I doubt that this year.

Frank.

Deutzia dilemma

Doris, Deutzia is very slow growing and needs little or no pruning, my own is now 25 years old, has moved at least twice to find the position it loves and this year flowered for a long time and very profusely, the early bees and hover flies loved it. The plant is only four feet six tall after all this time.
I did find some very long stems and on tracing them back to the root found they were bird dropped seed that had struck, what ever it was came out leaving it looking a bit raggy so the hedge trimmer gently ("err" well as gentle as you can be with a hedge trimmer) went over the top rounding it off nicely, I did not take off more than an inch or so.
Sometimes what looks cruel is a kindness and at my age the hedge trimmer gets a lot of use.

Frank.

What's the weather like in your area?

As I do not keep a bevy of widows here that should read WINDOWS,

Frank.

What's the weather like in your area?

Well, the forecast for Middlesbrough which includes us in Stockton, yet we have a larger population than Middlesbrough and usually different weather this side of the Styx is white cloud and 25c "Hm"?
At 05:30 hours this morning we had brilliant rising sunshine, looking out of the widows now we have some blue sky, a distinct weather front curving off the coast to the Hills in the South and patches of very dark cloud to the North and West.
The sun keeps popping in and out but 25c? I doubt it today, we must have the micro climate to beat them all round here.

Frank.

Acer Problem

Alina W wrote (see)

Wait until the leaves have dropped in autumn to move them, definitely not now. They're generally best out of the hottest sun, too - they grow naturally in the shade of larger trees.

You can move anything at almost any time if you take care doing it, they manage all the garden shows with some plants going from one to another.
Prepare the place you want it to go, dig the hole, put in a bit of grit for drainage and some compost to keep the moisture. That sounds a contradiction but it works.
Now dig round well away from the root ball as big a ball as you can handle, I wrap what I am moving in plastic round the root ball, drop it on a shovel and drag it to where I want it if too big to carry, drop it in the hole back fill to the level it was at before moving, heel in or firm down and water in.
If we were having a hot dry summer I would say wait but we are not so move it.

Frank.

wildflower meadow

As a lad we had hay making which did all the things Alina says, it scattered the seed as it was left to dry then raked up and put on the wain to stack for a nice healthy winter feed for the cattle.
You could in Autumn cut it with the blades right up, rake it up and either add to compost or green waste, this will scatter the seed if dry enough, it cleans up the meadow lets air and light in so it gets a good start in spring.
If you strim it then leave about four inches of stalk but always rake up the loose grass so as not to leave a mat.
Well done on trying to help wildlife, you may have to add some wild flowers by growing seed in pots and planting out in the meadow in spring, they will gradually spread if not over powered by bigger plants.

Frank.

Acer Problem

Stephen, it is possibly Acer Palmatum at a guess, and obviously does not like its position.
They need a sunny or partial shade position and sheltered, moist cool roots, You could move it to a more sheltered position and try it, as with a lot of plants this year it has probably been to wet and cold.

Frank.

What's the weather like in your area?

Weejenny, you should have called it a "should be summer house" this year.
We have had lovely sunshine all morning but as I hung out the last lot of towels the clouds arrived, keeping an eye on them just in case.
Teesside is still very hot even with some cloud although looking over the Valley to "Rains" hills it looks doubtful.
The garden got a good power wash yesterday I do have some decorative stepping stones and some brick work, the grand children love playing on the stones and when clean they do brighten things up, pulled a few weeds that just seem to pop up no matter how well I use the hoe. Still it is a pleasure to be outside without getting wet.

Frank.

getting on with the neighbours

Gardening Grandma, Funerals Weddings and Boundaries the cause of more wars than Politicians.
Brick walls I take it you must have an older property and to my cost I do know trees seemingly far from a wall can cause problems with root disturbance, but that is trees not bushes.
The garden is yours to do with as you please even sunbathe nude if the walls are high enough. I would wonder about their claim to own the walls as my deeds state exactly what my boundaries are and who owns which fence. I own the South and half the West fence, the North fence belongs to my neighbour. He once argued with me about a short wall I built to hang a gate, it was on his land? I had my deeds so got them out and proved him wrong. He then asked me to remove my hanging pots from his fence, I did, six months later it blew down and he asked me to go halves, he got a simple no and not the reply he deserved. Luckily he moved on.
My neighbour to the South a young lady living on her own asked me when i said I was renewing the fence if I would keep it low as she loved looking at my garden I said yes although there would be the odd high bush, the people at the back also said would I keep it low, they are good gardeners as is my southern one but she can only do a plain garden as she works hard.
If you put in posts on your own land six inches in say then hung what ever climbers you wished on it they have no come back,  Ignore them and do as you wish on your own plot after all you paid for it not them.

Frank.

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