Category: Gardens

Are you unintentionally growing a moss garden on your roof? Moss can be quite a nuisance and typically grows on north facing roofs. A moss-covered roof is very unsightly and can even cause gaps in your roof tiles or slats as it grows, which could possibly lead to leaks. It is best not to allow moss to remain. One way to clear the moss from your roof, is to treat your roof with roof cleaner (on a cloudy day so it does not evaporate) to kill the moss and help stop it from growing back. When choosing a cleaner ensure to get one that is environmentally safe as the run-off could find its way into flowerbeds or lawns below and kill your plants or grass. It usually takes 20 minutes...

If you have a green thumb but a small garden space, you can still create a beautiful retreat if you use the area you have wisely and efficiently. Here are a few simple ways to better enjoy your garden. Gardening Space Saving Tips 1. By creating a ‘layered’ affect with your plants, you can maximise your available space. Incorporating plants of various heights, from ground covers, up to shrubs can beautifully fill a small space with a variety of lovely plants. 2. You can use fences and walls to create vertical gardens with trellises, climbing plants and window boxes. Just use caution and try not to use the more invasive climbing and creeping plants, lest they become garden ‘bullies’. 3. You can use hanging planters, columnar plants (vertically growing plants)...

UK winters can get a bit gloomy so now is a great time to start preparing your garden so that you can have some lovely container plants to bring some colour back into your garden. Winter bloomers that work well in pots or containers are excellent so that you can reposition them as needed, so as to have whatever is blooming, at the time, in the most prominent positions. Some perfect ideas are: 1. Winter-flowering Heather 2. Winter-flowering Pansies 3. Violas 4. Ivy 5. Ornamental Cabbages 6. Gaultheria Procumbens 7. Snow Drops 8. Skimmia Japonica 9. Cornus (dogwood) 10. Phormium 11. Ajuga 12. Christmas Rose 13. Carex 14. Hardy Cyclamen You can even use large pots and mix a few of these items to have a nice variated planter. By...

If you find you need to add nutrients to your soil, you’ll have the choice of organic or inorganic, commonly called synthetic fertilizer. Inorganic fertilizer, which generally contains some minerals and synthetic chemicals, has some pluses in its favor. It is usually cheaper than organic fertilizer and it acts more quickly. However, it does nothing for the soil and in some cases actually damages the soil with its higher salt content, so be wary. Inorganic fertilizers don’t actually amend the soil, they simply feed the plant. It is kind of like a human being trying to survive on vitamin supplements and no substantial food. There have also been some recent studies that claim plants build up a resistance to inorganic fertilizers and require more and more of them to get...