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Garden Myths: Number 11
Peonies will not flower for years after you move them. I have moved peonies at all times of the year and they have continued flowering without interruption; and I am not alone in this observation. They do object to being planted too deeply, and this will stop their flowering; so care should be taken to…
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Garden Myths: Number 10
Plants will go to a particular size and stop. People often ask for plants to do things that are not realistic and the commonest one is for a plant that will grow to a particular size and stop. That is understandable but sadly some people in the horticultural industry will actually tell them a particular…
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Garden Myths: Number 9
Evergreens don’t lose their leaves. It is an old misconception, older enough for me to be for warned by my amenity horticulture lecturer, that people think by choosing evergreen you will not have to clean up fallen leaves. The logic is easy to see; if the plant is evergreen it has leaves all the time…
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Garden Myths: Number 8
Waterfalls and streams need a mains water supply. The first time, on discussing creating a garden pond, the customer carefully explained where the mains water supply was “as I would need it” I was taken aback; but it has happened now a number of times. The logic I presume is that as there is water…
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Garden Myths: Number 7
Cacti don’t need water. Every plant needs water. The amount they need varies greatly with a pond plant at one extreme and a cactus at the other; but they all still need some water. The plants grouped together as cacti have evolved to survive with very little water and very infrequent rainfall but like all…
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Garden Myths: Number 6
It’s a simple environmental choice. The road to hell is paved with good intentions The problem with the environment is its complicated; I mean REALLY complicated! Not just fiendish Sudoku complicated, more theoretical physics complicated. In the environment everything interacts with everything else, so the simplest change can have completely unforeseen results. Take a simple…
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Garden Myths: Number 5
Slugs and snails can be kept off Hostas by raising them high up or setting them in gravel. Hostas are a versatile and attractive genus of garden plants; used and loved by gardeners. Unfortunately the large succulent leaves that make them so attractive are also irresistible to slugs and snails. This has led to an…
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Dicksonia antarctica
As one of the most popular examples of this fascinating and fashionable group of plants, it is seen more and more available for sale. Appearing like a fern on top of a short trunk its slow rate of growth is reflected in its relatively high price. There is a lot of confusion over its hardiness…
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Garden Myths: Number 4
You can get grass to grow well in the shade. No you can’t. Grass will put up with a lot; how any plants will put up with being regularly cut down and walked all over? Like everything it has its limits and it is never happy in shade, needing full sun to do well. What…
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Garden Myths: Number 3
Garden ponds need a filter. Properly designed and planted a garden pond does not need a filter. Long ago when I was a child we had a garden pond, along with many other people of course, but no one had a filter on them. This was for a good reason; they didn’t exist for garden…
