General Gardening Discussion

Firstly, it might be a good idea to test the pH of your soil. I'd assume from your location that it would be neutral to acidic, but mortar from the walls could make the soil in the immediate vicinity much more alkaline.I don't think lavender will do well in a shady location, and if it's...

Clematis can certainly take some shade. The other good thing about them is that they like an alkaline soil (it's likely that the concrete will have raised the pH of the soil in the surrounding area).

Jazid :D :D :D I used to be in Cambs with chalky soil. I always wanted Rhododendrons, azaleas etc. I know we are supposed to try to grow plants that suit the soil we have, but this 'inkarho' is said to be naturally occurring, so who are we to argue with it?

Again, I just cut mine back to about 1/2 size & put them in my cold frame over the winter, water a little every couple of months. I have successfully kept mine like this for three winters in a row. Good luck

Yes - there was some of that growing up from under concrete, pushing up through a brick wall, at a path up to a supermarket from the main shopping street in Hemel some years ago - and it took over the path!! The council didn't have any option but to deal with it - but whatever they did, it was...

We sowed a wild flower grass mix last weekend and threw in some poppies, cornflowers, scabious etc for good measure which I found at the back of the drawer. All the flower seeds were at least 2 years past their sow by date. They haven't germinated yet, am I being too impatient! Fingers crossed...

Hi Liz, That's exactly it...!!! Thankyou so much... I had another site & had waded part way through, but gave up for now. I often go to Daves Garden, it is a super site I think, but didn't have the correct name when I went there, that's how I got the link to Euphorbias that I had... Great I...

Many thanks for the instructions, Fran ... appreciated.

Thanks for your advice and info DaveP. Slugs are a problem here but I don't use pellets, so I will have to devise a cunning way of protecting it.

Hi Mil let us know how it goes

there is a nice bush you might like to try, that's evergreen (or rather, yellow!) with white flowers, and a scent - choisya ternata sundance , http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/1125.shtml and a winter flowering one -...

I think I will bring them inside as it might get too cool to ripen. There ae a few pics of Summer Choc on goolge mainly in sub tropical areas so the colour may be more intense there. There are some more seeds offered on ebay from France but I'll make do with what I have.

I bought Ann a new lawnmower :D :D

hello have grown dahlias this year for the first time they are flowering beautifully but the leaves look abit sick!they are dark green with paler green veins in the middle.I grow on chalk but have recently mulched all of the garden with recycled material .Any ideas please on what this could be...

Excellend Steve, and thanks for sharing.

That's a lovely picture of narcissus and winter berries Hornbeam, how unusual is that combination?You really are early in your garden.

Scotkat - I am no expert, but I was told some are sold as 'garden mums' and are hardy, and some are 'pot mums' and are not hardy. The garden mums I bought two years ago survived outside over winter. I was also told that they are sprayed with a growth retardant to keep them small, but in...

Yay!! Baby trachycarpus is now in the ground As is one of my bamboos Unfortunately, eye candy gardening helper isn't back here til Monday, so can't go much further til then. Just soil titivation and clearing up the hedge cuttings for me til then. I tentatively planted out one of my Mina...

We have some catkins in the herb/wildflower section that have come early..their are a lot of strange happenings..my opium poppys came back for a second appearance in the last two weeks..

Thanks Strongy - will follow your advice gratefully.