wrightt

Pruning acers

Wait until all the leaves have fallen otherwise it might bleed as I suspect this is the same as what I have to do with my Acer Palmatum.

pets and why they are called what they are called

My dog is called Candy because we thought she was so sweet.

A book on roses

Can anyone suggest a good book on roses that I can use to find out what the roses are in my garden before I bought the house 10 years ago?

Scented flowers

How about a list of scent for shade which is a little more challenging. Roses like Zephrine Drouhin, Lily of the valley, Phlox, some clematis, Gardenia and honeysuckle as well as Sarcocccca, Daphnes and some Azaleas and Rhododenrons as well as some Hostas.

slate soil and slugs

For slugs, use nematods which work well in warmer weather if you are not on heavy clay. If you are on heavy clay, you could try small sharp gravel, used as a mulch. Put used coffee granuals, broken egg shells or wood ash around plants also work sometimes.

Steel mesh covering wildlife pond?

It should not be a problem if it does not rust but the gaps in the grid should be big enough that wildlife can get in and out.  I have always had a pond even when my chidren were born and still small. I always watched them in the garden and they learnt from a very young age to never go near the pond and could both swim by the time they were 5. i had a very small garden so it was easy to watch them but if your pond is out of the way I can see why you would like to put a grill on it. Someone my husband worked with lost their child when they fell in a swimming pool at a party and the child drowned, very sad but I think parents should always watch their children.

Ponds for wildlife

I get tadpoles, newt larvae, water beetles etc near the top of the deep pond around the edge which spills over into the very shallow area though rarely in the shallow area I suspect this is agin so that they can rush deep if they see a heron.

desperate for advice please

You could buy an old half barrell and line it with plastic and make a pond out of it with a ramp so frogs etc can get in and out. You can put bricks in it to make shelves for water plants etc and you then may get dragonflies. In addition, hedghogs may still visit if they can get in so make a hole in both sides of your fence. My mother has a small completely paved garden and she has a vixen and cubs under her raised small garden shed.

Moss

I wouldn't because I do not think it will break down.

Talkback: Black spot

A book on roses

Dead Daphne

Ponds for wildlife