Garden Projects and DIY

Thank you @Bear1 . Yes, I don't like conifers either, so an excuse to replace it with a native mixed hedge would be good. The soil is very good, and topped up regularly with fresh goodness from the river at least once a year... There are loads of local apple trees (but mainly cider types) as...

Thanks all - given me some ideas for the way to progressI'll let you know in a couple of years

That is a mixture Nigel. Do you find that you can plant a good mix of species owing to the different soil types? For instance an Azalea in a particular spot that wouldn't thrive in a different area of your garden?

Tidied up the summer house and put the lights on for the first time in..... well, what seems forever. Lovely quiet evening.There is a plant in there, A Peace Lily which loves the heat!

This worked very successfully when I was teaching....Foundation stage. We set up garden area with paving slabs in a chequerboard pattern so that they could stand on slabs to tend the areas around them. Led to germination, in verandah area, pricking out, planting out, watering, weeding...and...

Chaenorhinum origanifolium 'Blue Dream'

Just checked my records. 4 plants, 3 varieties Hedychium gardnerianium x 2 H. coronarium H. densiflorum ‘Assam Orange’ The H. coronarium is a lot smaller than the others as that is a replacement for one that failed, for some reason.

Sounds like you will be OK if you done tiling and that sort of thing. It just needs a little preparation. Get levels right and a slight slope off the steps to throw off rain.

In the autumn i will strip the lower grass, raise it so its flat with sand, compost and topsoil before reseeding it all……again lol

As just added to the above, don't add too much more compost, a few long gentle waterings should restore things.Dried out compost can be difficult to re-wet so you could could add a couple of drops of washing up liquid to each watering can as that helps the water soak in more, don't overdo the...

Improving now with a lot more colour.

I was told that the tubular things in the trees were for detecting dormice.

Wouldn't it be easier to build raised gardens along the fence line and then dig out some of the higher area and deposit in the raised beds? You could have just one long step along the patio to step down to the new grade?

Thanks for the idea, but I think I'll pass when it comes to ponds. We have a large drainage ditch and a water reservoir 20 meters away, and our demand for mosquitoes is already met a few times over.Additionally half of our porch once was a giant pond before the previous owner realised the same...

Hello Ali, welcome to GC. You've got the potential there to make a nice little garden! Definitely go with weed-suppressing membrane. It comes in brown as well as green, which makes it useful for covering a cleared, dug area which you then plant with easy maintenance shrubs. As long as the...

Talking about life getting in the way! I recently started a new job, and any potential spare time has somehow disappeared. So grand plans for the garden have fallen by the wayside.The biggest problem I have now is weeds in the garden. These are the 'two' I have rampant throughout. Not sure if...

A wonderful problem garden to have, so much more interesting than a flat square of grass. Do you have a must-have and nice-to-have lists? It's essential that any must-haves have a place (BBQ, trampoline, bins, veg patch, football area...).Do you have a style in mind? The gravel patio would...

Hi,I'm making slow but steady progress with the third meadow; two of six big tree stumps now out and winched down the garden to be dumped behind the garden hut out of the way; this morning I jacked a number of roots out but it's all incredibly tiring work. These are heavy and took a lot of...

Hi @Wannabe - beds you can see on all sides were first promoted about 50 years ago as 'island beds' by (I think) Alan Bloom of Bressingham. If you can find any articles about them, they will give more advice on layout. You have got a lot of features you want to incorporate in your garden - make...

After all the hassle you went through @Fat Controller, it's good to hear it's been worthwhile.