Posts by: akingsho

It wouldn't be building regs which would kill the programme in this country - in would be the need to get planning permission - applying at least 8 weeks the start just to be sure of getting it in time AND also having to notify the owners.

Remember what happened to Ground Force twice - once they were working in a Conservation Area and were stopped, admittedly only for a few hours, and also because of proposed tree works... but the real culprits were Lawrence L Bowen et al in Home Front inside out - where they were knocking all sorts of **** out of a listed building and were so surprised (and not a little annoyed) when they got stopped... although the Council did rush permission through in the end, it delayed them a week...

But we do not have small houses on large plots, we seem to have large houses on small plots - so they would have to go down and up - both of which require permission (other than for very small amounts of extra space)...

Programmes like Home Front caused Council's lots of problems because a vast majority of the work carried out required planning permission - especially Diarmund Gavins works in the garden - so people have come unstuck when they have tried to do it themselves...

The people who need these makeovers the most are not likely to have a detached house on a large enough plot where the makeover can be Extreme!!! and do we want a watered down version?

I think we need to devise our own version which will work for us - but without the usual suspects to present it - like LLB, Alan T, Handy Andy - I am sure that we have our own home grown craftsman who could become involved...

But what about it being targetted at giving those people what they really deserve - a good quality, affordable, modern, energy efficient home...

Angela

Yes, a neighbour of mine does this - put them in a tray in a single layer - so that they are not touching and allow to dry - watch out for mold - as they can go off - then store in screw top jars...

Alternatively, freeze in small bags - as there is nothing nicer than your own beans on Christmas day...

Alternatively, give or swap your surplus...

Angie

Leave it alone - it is too young and products are likely to burn the roots...

Mowing encourages a lawn to thicken up, so raise the height of your mower - and mow now, again in a fortnight - then once a month or so - during the winter if it is mild - then start again in spring... with a regular mowing regium - by May you will know whether you need to seed some areas - but as this will be a different grass seed mix it may well give patchy growth as well...

Angie

I would suggest putting a layer of vaseline over it - that way they will slide off and soon learn the lesson...

Angela

Hi Lynds

Before you start you need to know what sort of soil you have got... you can do this by buying a kit from the garden centre and following the instuctions.

Azalea's hate lime and if your garden is not acidic they would not thrive but you could have grown them in pots in the right compost.

But it is better to work with your garden then against it... find out what the soils is then get a book out from the library called "What Plant, Where" - it will tell you what plants will do well in your soil in shade - stick to them and you won't be wasting your money.

Angela

Dont dig - it makes it worse - unwind it - then get the paint on weedkiller... put on waterproof builders gloves, put the weed killer onto one of those kitchen sponges which also has a scourer - and apply... the scourer abrades the surface of the weed making sure it is absorbed and the sponge makes it easier to apply...

Angela

Hi abianco,

There are products on the market that could transform these glass doors into what appear to be stained glass... and I suspect also other textures...

Angela

I believe that they are having an extra day this year - but with no increase in numbers visiting - so should ease the crowds by 1/5th - is it worth it or should it have an extra day still?.

Hampden Court is much much better IMHO

Angela

Yes, but weeds can break through this as well. I suspect that the patio wasn't laid properly in the first place and hasn't got a weed suppressing membrane - or if it has this has deteriorated...

I would sweep gravel or sand into the gaps and then treat it on a regular basis with weedkiller... or lift and relay the patio...

Angela

I think I might have a solution - well possibly... and that is keep it well cut for now and treat with the strongest weedkiller you can in early autumn - just when the plant is taking nutreants back into its roots to get through the winter... but you need to be persistant and keep it up, treat again 6 weeks later (regardless of what it says on the lable)... this has been shown to be the most effective way of control.

Angela

This is only worth doing if the pots are not frost hardy... and water the upva down 50/50 with water... paint on inside and out... But it does stop the air getting to the roots - so there are disadvantages...

Angela

Try companies like Greenfingers or Crocus...

Angela

Hi riles,

First check if your property is listed - if it is the walls around the garden will be too.

I would love a walled garden like this - the WOW factor is easy to add... the walls can be used to grow things up - Clemetis, Ivy, Roses, Fruit - the list is endless...

But what do you want from your garden - how much time do you have?

I would create beds underneath most of the walls - work out the best place for a seating area - and get some colour into the garden - remember you can paint the walls - could be very mediteranean - but peach works better than blue in our climate... then attach trellis to walls - buy some larger feature plants - for instant effect - remember evergreen shrubs - like Choysia can add interest all year round and are easy to look after...

I could also look contemporary - paint walls a steel grey - add crome - visit builders yard for metal ducting get it cut into planter lenghts and then add hardy bamboos. grasses and palms... job done

Angela

Hi ajs,

Probably the best way is to hire a turfing machine - to take off the soil - it can be stacked grass to grass, soil to soil in the back garden and will rot down to rich humous over a year... then put a good weed supressing membrane down and put the stones on top.

Angela

Hi,

You could dig a pit in the garden - line it with bricks (and put in drainage) put the trampoline in so it is level and then get a purpose built cover...

If they wont grow what type of soil do you have and what have you tried?. There are a number of plants which are bullet proof and will grow anywhere irrespective of soil type - which is what I think you are doing wrong.

Do you give them enough root room when planting, do you water them until they are established - is something eating them.

If it were me I would go down the nursery and look for a couple of hardy geraniums - Ann Folkard - is a cerise bloom, it scrambles around and is stunning... Patricia is another good one, as is Spinners... some do not like early morning light and are best in an east facing border - others dont mind full sun... then there are your poppies - slugs and snails hate them... there are Icelandic, Californian, Welsh, Himalayan. Perrys White is a good one, but there are tons to choose from - if you have deep pockets there are Amercian Super poppies (trust them) which have been bred. They flower for longer are held on thicker stems and if you dead head them (so you dont get the seed head) they also repeat flower - they are about to be shown at Chelsea for the first time as they have only just got enough stocks... but I got some from the UK breeders at Watermeadow Nursery, Cheriton, Hampshire... They have grown into stunning plants and should flower this year...

More details please of what you are doing please.

Angela

Hi lynd,

The programme you were watching is quite old and the property has now been sold on - as a matter of interest.

As for digging out a pond - yes you would require planning permission - it is a building operation on, in or under land - and as far as I am aware there are no permitted development rights to construct one - so consult your local friendly planning department.

Oh what a lovely area to move to I am green with envy

I would suggest that you contact someone from the nature conservation department at the council who will be able to give you information about this. There are also grants to be had and stewardship payments might be available if you create and maintain a special habitate.

All the best to you for this great endeavour...

Angela

Hi sya,

I have seen them in the seed department of good nurseries but you can buy them online - try this link
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I just typed wildflower mat into the msn search engine and it came up with this.

You would also need to supplement it with individual plants - and also wild flowers cannot compete with many grass AND like poor soil so you may have to take a few inches of top soil away and compost it to get a good result.

Hope this helps

Angela

Peter,

If it is a grass designed to grow in shade then it will be okay - if it is not then no amount of watering will work - all it will do is encourage moss which will crowd out the grass... but at least it would be green.

I would choise shade loving plants like Hosta's and ferns, there are also some roses which will tollerate the shade as well... make the most of the conditions do not struggle with them.

Angela

Angela

Hi Bill,

I would suggest that you go onto the BBC website and go to the gardening pages and then follow the links to the shows that do make overs but it is highly unlikely that it would be done in time... usually they plan 6 - 9 months in advance...

Why dont you arrange a gardening party - you supply the drink and the people you invite supply the labour... I would suggest that the easiest thing to do would be to put a patio down outside the conservatory and then create borders around the edge and fill this with colourful shrubs and plants which are going to look good in August...

You could keep maintenance down by covering the borders with weed supressing membrain and put a bark mulch over this which you plant through.

You could also ask for people to donate plants as wedding gifts - you will need climbers for the fences/walls - clemetis/honeysuckle, shrubs - choisya, euronymus, peris (if the soil is suitabl) and the like, lavenders, roses - there are many with wedding conatations - like Happy Day, Wedding Day etc...

If it is a small garden do not worry about a lawn its maintenace would be more trouble that its worth...

Good luck

Angela

Hi Honeysuckle8,

Yes, I suspect you might be liable for their injuries - you would need to get planning permission to erect a fence - because the maximum height 1.8 metres is taken from natural ground level.

Alternatively you could get a builder to add brick peaks to the wall to make it impossible for them to climb on it.

Angela

Hi Collette,

You could string some high tension wire across the back and then use this to hang some wide holed metal mesh...

This should make it difficult to climb and give you the security you desire... and you will not notice it is there.

Angela

Hi Dixie,

If you look for the usual cottage garden plants add some of the new grasses into the mix - especially a stipa Gigantium where you can look through the flowers at the setting sun - add in some modern sculpture and you should get the look you aspire to.

Angela

Jasbir,

Dont worry about it... It is probably just thatch (lots of dead matter) now is a good time to get a sprung rake (it has long thin tines) and rake all the dead stuff out of the lawn.

You can put this onto the compost heap or use it to line haning baskets.

Angela

If you are worried about its spread put it into a large black plastic pot and then bury this in the ground it should stop it spreading.

I think plants should carry a health warning about how far they travel or spread. I bought an Ameilia (I think that is how it is spelt) it had nodding downward pointing blue and pink flowers which are not disimillar to a cowslip - but it is an absolute thug - yes it is very pretty but its taking over my garden and I have tried digging it up - my gardener has tried to irradicate it and I have also blitz it with numerous weed killers - now it is growing in the lawn.

Its roots are like a flex - they are think and brown with a brittle outer surface and a white inner core - and it roots from the tiniest scrap...

Angel

Hi Richard,

If a product is in a garden centre it is legal to use it... but why do you ask - what is it you are trying to kill.

If it is a hedge or a tree it is an offence to disturb nesting birds under the Wildlife Protection Act - hedgerows are also protected by legislation...

Persistent weeds - dock, stinging nettles, brambles may need a very powerful weedkiller designed for perenial weeds - such as root out and the like and may need several treatments to clear them... this sort of weed killer may also affect the ground around them and thus if there are other plants in the flower bed these will have to be removed first.

On some sort of weeds it has been shown that treating them in the autumn is best because they are drawing nutrents into their stems to store for the winter - and weed killers applied then are more effective...

Hope this helps

Angela