General Gardening Discussion

I can just picture all those mullein caterpillars marching on round to the West Midlands, certain of a friendly welcome......

I must add that mine are grown in a large nursery glasshouse not a domestic one and are able to keep winter/spring temperatures (to produce large numbers of bedding plants) higher than most folk can so I do have an advantage.

That is exactly why I want it, I can smell it just thinking about it.I am hopeful for the thyme too - we will see.

Slugs ate all mine - well most of them year before last, I got a load more - 50p from local nursery then all others came back. One of them is very strange, it first flowers wjite then pale blue then delphimium blue then pink - not sure I like it really as it does not seem to know what it...

I know the feeling :D I've had some great plants that I didn't plant :(

He is a little sweetie, isn't he! aaarrgh bless his little cottons.Get 'em started at a young age ey..hee hee

That a nice semper bed, quite unusual, there seems to be a renewed interest in them. The portulaca should get going soon, looks like its going to warm up where you are.

No bee orchids in there then Hornbeam.

Thanks Banana Man for the welcome and for liking my name. An ex-boss nicknamed me 'flounce' because I do, apparently!A favourite-sounding word of mine is 'lascivious'. :wink:Thank you Poppy for your mothball advice - I'll remember that advice for next year. :D

We had a pair of Collared Doves nesting in our pear tree, and we had been watching them for some time. They had a pair of babies, but one day I came home from work to find them gone (they were not far away from fledging the nest) so I thought they may have just dropped out of the nest so I...

Save our toilet roll tubes, they just rot awayand cost nothing

:confused: Are you casting doubt upon my veracity Dendo? I use an electric hedge trimmer on the David Austin roses, forsythia, yew, prunus and anything else that needs a trim. The only other rose pruning that I do is to take out any dead wood or bably placed stems. The hedge trimmer takes...

I have a big box by the car port. Its been there since long before we moved in. Every so often I go over it with the hedge cutters as it blocks my wife's car. No idea what sort it is though.A few years ago, we rescued my mother-in-law's Cotswold garden. No one had lived in the house for...

I've known them re-generate from virtually nothing! I'd go for making it a good shape - so go down as low as necessary to do that, always bearing in mind the golden rule - cut to an outward facing bud!! But if you can't see any, I wouldn't worry too much in this case - it'll grow anyway! :D

Think that's the key - pruning. Do you trim it regularly as a hedge, or leave it to produce flowers, and then berries? I'd guess it's kept as a hedge, which would answer the question! If you leave it to grow naturally, though, and still haven't had flowers or berries, please do say so, and...

thanks rosietu for the shirley poppies from paris just to let you know they are just starting to grow will take photos as soon as they have grown from rosa

I suppose cotton lavender and curry plant would also grow okay where you are as they are both silver leafed and tolerate the sun well..I have a big cardoon that would also enjoy portugal..I dont think i would like to live in the sun ..i actually like the english weather.. :D

It's better to prune them just after flowering.They form their flower buds on summer growth, so if you prune in Autumn you won't have many flowers in the spring. Do any hard pruning just after first flowering then if you get a second lot of flowers just trim off the flower heads.

Thanks for your reply DaveP, Must say I chose the Dodonaea because it sounds perfect for my garden. Wind resistant,drought resistant and should grow to the right size. I haven't seen them growing outside anywhere though. Was a tad disappointed with the links view of their hardiness. But you've...

he is STILL at it and had to get a new tool!we can walk over, but car has to be left outside - you should have seen martin trying to ge my bags of potting compost in!Original quote was �£4,000 this guy is doing it for �£800! he is a real grafter and also doing a great job - pays to shop...