Recent Posts

@Fat Controller Privatising rail and buses was a big mistake. I can remember when teaching English to scientists in Gembloux their shock when some were muttering about the annual rail season ticket from Gembloux to Brussels went up to 1000€. It's a similar lenght train journey to Reading to...

There are cruel people everywhere and I wish we all had the ability to foresee who they are instead of finding them out after they've done harm.I hope they get caught and punished !

I was daft enough to plant blackthorn in a mixed wildlife hedge about 7 years ago (I thought good for wildlife, didnt think long term). I've just dug out the big bits. I find the odd sucker, they're not huge but they surround a border so I don't want to step on one while weeding.I'm hopeful...

If the pot is large enough, leave it in there until you hand it over. Your friend can then check the rootball and top growth after a few weeks and decide when best to plant in the soil.

Idk for mature plants but the coir plugs in those teabags are very consistent and cheap for producing stuff from seed or tiny cuttings and it has holes for small roots so you can uplant it easily, the issue is that material degrades way too slowly.There is big demand for things that biodegrade...

It's illegal to dig up anything if it isn't on your own property unless you have prior permission. I'd suggest you check which Bluebells you have and if they are native but you don't want them, then offer them to your local Woodland Trust or a similar environmental organisation. It's also a...

Someone in england managed to breed s red podded sugar snap by crossing yellow and purple podded varieties and stabilising that took 5 years, but she seems to have dissapeared without releasing them sadly.If you can garentee the space to work for many years its a good project to breed...

I blame TV gardening shows, they have no relation to real gardening and growing. Instant effect, not keen on garden designers personally.

I would go for smoother curves rather than the wobbly amoeba shapes, and some deeper areas of border. Maybe an oval or pear-shaped lawn, or two interlocking circles. The path doesn't have to be the same width all the way, for example in the attached sketch there are some wider areas where you...

Looks a bit old for me.

I can understand why you need a path now @Dan1981, clay based lawns are a challenge. I'd try to locate the path on the shady side of your garden, if there is one, allowing the lawn and plants in the borders to get as much sun as possible.

Done. Thank you.

The variegated Pittosporum Elizabeth could work well - one of my neighbours has a very attractive hedge of this. I liked @Plantminded's suggestion of a flowering climber for the arch itself, too.