-
Tackling an over grown garden
The first stage is to have a really good look around your garden and decide what you like, dislike or simply don’t understand. Look where gets the sun and when, are you over looked and to what extent; most gardens will be overlooked by some bedroom windows but in practice people spend little time looking…
-
Dealing with woody garden rubbish
After cutting back overgrown trees and shrubs you will find that you will be left with a surprisingly large amount of woody rubbish which you need to do something with. There a several ways of dealing with this waste: take it to the tip, put it in a skip, re-use it or grind it up to make…
-
Clearing the weeds from a bare piece of earth
If your find yourself faced with a piece if ground containing nothing but weeds the first thing you are going to have to do is to clear it. There are a number of ways to tackle this problem all with their advantages and disadvantages. Your first thought may well be to dig them out with…
-
Choosing a tree
The first stage is deciding where the tree is going and why you want it there. This may seem obvious but unless you are clear about this from the start you are almost sure to end up disappointed. A tree will provide height and structure to your garden and with careful placement can provide privacy…
-
How to plant a bare root tree
The important thing to realise is that you will kill a tree before you get it in the ground or after you’ve planted it, to actually kill a tree when planting it is very difficult. Equipment: Tree Spade Outdoor clothes Tree stake Tree tie 25 mm nail or screw Planting compost Hammer or…
-
How to make a new lawn
Once we have decided to create a lawn one important question has to be tackled – are you going to do it by sowing grass seed or by turfing and each has its pros and cons. Sowing: Cheaper More tolerant of drying out Needs better preparation Can only be done when frost is not a…
-
How to design a drive
With drives, probably more than any other thing in gardens, the most important thing is it actually functions as it is intended. No matter how nice it may look, if it does work as a drive it is a waste of money. As ever there has to be some compromises, for example: you may what…
-
Garden Myths: Number 14
It’s a dwarf conifer! Gardens are littered with 6 metre high conifers with a small group of rocks around its base. Invariably this is the last resting place of a garden rockery with a dwarf conifer planted in it. For some reason people have no problem with seeing an oak seeding will grow into a…
-
Garden Myths: Number 13
Lawns are less work than borders. No, but they take less thought on the part of the reluctant garden. Just think about the time you spend following the lawn mower up and down the garden every year. Now compare this to how much time you spend looking after an established border of similar area. Initially…
-
Garden Myths: Number 12
Clematis need lime. It is an old belief that clematis need plenty of lime, and it was often recommended that mortar rubble should be buried under a clematis when planting one. I have also heard people claim a clematis growing in clay soil was only succeeding because it was against brick wall, no doubt ignoring…
