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My largish lawn is on rather compacted clay and gets a lot of moss each winter and dries out quickly in summer. I keep on top of the moss with lawnsand, but there is a lot of 'thatch'. I have been dithering over whether to buy an electric scarifier

; a pile of sticks can offer shelter to passing beetles, dead twigs left on trees may be colonised by lichens and moss; and a log pile – partially buried and made using local, native wood – makes a complete habitat, which can cater for anything from

, that is the way we learn.My lawn is green all right... but it contains a lot of moss and weeds, at first I decided to try and make it look really good but now I am just happy it is green. This time of year I also have different types of mushrooms growing

to hold our breath. CUT THEM all DOWN, please.... THEY TAKE AWAY the sunshine and fill the grass with dry MOSS .... Wonderful story.

in the daytime, and at night if it's not cold. Thank You! A good tip to reduce algae /liverworts/ moss is to sow the seed in compost as usual but cover them with fine vermiculite rather than compost. Algae live off the nutrients in the compost - vermiculite

Bare patches can appear in your lawn after a thorough raking, where the grass is undernourished or where it's been worn out. These gaps should be reseeded or returfed to prevent moss and weeds colonising the soil and to allow your lawn to look its

, try to prevent the problem by encouraging your dog to urinate in a designated area of the garden. lawnsall year roundCommon problems affecting lawnsMolesCommon daisyGreater plantainLeatherjacketsMoss

, winterMore advice on removing weedsGreater plantainCloverDandelionMoss

, or even into the border.Treat timber fences, trellis and posts with preservativeInstall water butts to all downpipes on your houseApply moss killer to lawnsAround the gardenSow sunflowers outsideTrim winter-flowering heathersPick off faded flower heads

- and nothing could be fresher.Cut out any plain green shoots on variegated shrubs and treesTreat moss and weeds in lawns with weed killerHoe bare areas of soil to prevent weedsAround the gardenPlant gladioli in groups to depth of 10-15cmComplete outside sowings