Forum

Do birds eat onion leaves ?

I planted about 80 onion seedlings about a month ago and within a couple of days the leaves had been chopped off to about half their length and they haven't progressed much since.  No obvious signs of slugs or snails.  Bear in mind it's a lot warmer

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Community help

Arbour Design & Build have recently helped out a local school who won a garden make-over in association with a local charity and the local newspaper group.

Arbour Design & Build offered labour services free for a day and they took up our offer.

Luckily

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Rhubarb

Is it OK to use this years leaf fall to cover rhubarb crowns?

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Henchman..I'd just like to say...

Thanks....my fortnightly customer loves the fact I can get my Henchman Hightstep Major out to do stuff + extension if needed, I carry a pole saw, long reach hedge cutters/tree pruning gear and long reach loppers so it all comes together to make quite

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When to remove mesh shrub guards ?

On a site we have just taken over, the developer has planted over a year ago ~ 100m of Hawthorn hedging (presumably using whips) and has protected the whips with mesh shrub guards, staked and tie-wrapped in.

 

Given the lenght of time I'm of the oppi

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Rough Grass

I have a new client, and about 1 acre of the property is like this (see attached) - rough grass with paths mown through it. The client wants to leave it as it is, but I can forsee all sorts of problems with weed seeds etc, and the fact that it border

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which feed / fertiliser for sorry looking hedging

We maintain a parkland development of about 24 acres with a great deal of formal hedging. The Yew is happy but areas of beech, escallonia and rosemary are not. Have dug various sample holes along the hedge there are clearly elements of poor soil on c

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Bulb Mould

I've had a large delivery of spring bulbs which I have stored in my garage as I do each year whist I put them all in. This year, however, the remaining bulbs are developing a blue bloom on them - mould, I assume. The culprit. I am guessing, is the ch

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Ornamental Cherry planted too close to a house

Hi, I have a gardening client who had the tiny front and rear garden redesigned last year, and who called me in to rearrange the rather inappropriate planting the landscaper left behind. The front garden is only about 6 m square and open to the road,

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Planting ideas for front of business park sign

Anyone have any planting inspiration for the 'new bed' in the attached photo; Brief from client is; Ideally no bulbs or annuals etc Low maintenance Low in height (as a new sign insert will be placed in gray area) Colourful all year round ! I'm just s

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Problems with HorseTail weed, prehistoric pest!

Has anyone any experience of getting rid of horsetail in a gravel garden?I have hand treated with concentrated roundup painted on. It wasn't a problem before when first visited garden when it was just a tired lawn and weeds (was just in one corner)!

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Cat and Fox faeces

Hi all,A few of the gardens I maintain are covered in either cat or fox faeces in the flower beds or lawn areas, has anyone got any ways of stopping the pesky things doing their business everywhere ?, I check and clear any poop before mowing, however

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Autumn leaf clearing

Do you clear leaves as part of maintenence or do you do as an extra? What equiptment do you like best not just blower's, any strange contraptions out their or great tips.Thanks

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Recommended plants for hedging

I have been asked to reinstate a hedge after several large laurels were removed. The client wants evergreen preferably but does not like Yew, Privet, Holly, Leylandii or laurel!Final trimmed height will be around the 6-7 feet mark and the hedge will

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Keep Gardening over the Winter !

I was going to reply on the existing Winter post but I think that a new thread is appropriate. The other thread focuses on what other things you can do whereas I believe in gardening throughout the Winter.If you haven't already mentioned the Winter t

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Grass + Gravel = Pain !

One of my clients has a gravel drive that borders the lawn but with no edging. So the drive migrates into the lawn & the lawn grows into the drive. The client wants the edge to be neatly cut. I am not about to wreck my edging shears or iron but has a

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Struggling Acer

Hi - I wonder if anyone can advise me please - I am working on a garden which has a little Acer palmatum Purpurea that has been covered in a huge mound of russian ivy for the last year or two. The tree is very bare but the leaves it does have seem to

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"New Builds"

I guess anyone who works these new build estate places knows the score.... this one is 24 years old and has much more garden than all the latest ones going up round here. The place was built on where a garage/factory had been and I reckon the builder

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lavender to create a wonderful fragrant hedge / border

I have a client who would like one of her front garden borders to become a lavender "hedge". Soil conditions etc. are more than suitable and I was toying with some of the French lavenders - Lavandula Stoechas due to the sweetly scented flowers and fa

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Maintenance in Folkestone

I am looking for someone who can dot the maintenance for a small garden I have recently completed in Folkestone. I need someone who has the ability to really take care of it and nurture this garden. Please let me know if you are interested asap. Than

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