Gardeners!

[Heltor Chasca]

Corn marigold and banana leaf (sounds like a craft beer)

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Very nice! What cultivar of banana is that? Are those colours year-round or because it is cooler? How do you overwinter it?

Asking for ME!

 

[Dave 123]

Very nice! What cultivar of banana is that? Are those colours year-round or because it is cooler? How do you overwinter it?

Asking for ME!

‘‘Tis this

https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/118143/i-Ensete-ventricosum-i-Maurelii/Details

The colour is fading with the cooler weather (a bit like me!)

I will chuck them in an unheated greenhouse and water them 2/3 times, sparingly. If it gets silly cold I’ll put some heat on to keep the cold out, but not much. I’ll give them water and heat at the end of March/ beginning of April to kick start them.

 

[PaulSB]

In my experience the key steps are:

1. Level and firm your top soil. Remove stones and weeds during this pricess, tread down one last time and rake to remove footprints
2. Fertilise the soil with bonemeal or similar and gently rake in to the surface
3. Chose a grass seed to match your existing lawn. A dwarf rye grass is a common choice but depending on what you have already you may want a finer leaved type.
4. Divide the area in to one metre squares, weigh out sufficient fertiliser for one square. Apply by spreading 50% in one direction and 50% the other. Top to bottom and side to side. Rake in
5. Sow your seed in exactly the same way as above. Rake in.
6. Cover with garden netting held above the area with bamboo canes to keep birds out.
7. Yes it is possible to sow to thickly so do this with care.

 

[rich p]

I've an area of lawn that is lower by an inch due to insufficient patience when filling in the pond. My bad.
Is there a soil and sand mix I could gradually spread over it to raise it eventually? The grass on the lower section is the healthiest in the whole lawn.
Or what I laughingly call a lawn.

 

[PK99]

I've an area of lawn that is lower by an inch due to insufficient patience when filling in the pond. My bad.
Is there a soil and sand mix I could gradually spread over it to raise it eventually? The grass on the lower section is the healthiest in the whole lawn.
Or what I laughingly call a lawn.

Two ways of solving that.

1. Spread a top-dressing mix and brush into the hollow, repeat over several months.

2. Cut strips of turf, leaving one end attached. Roll back leaving hollow clear. Spread top dressing mix into hollow, level and roll back the turf.

Top dressing mix will be available from good garden centres

 

[PaulSB]

@User9609

Yes any general garden fertiliser will be fine.

I was going to suggest mixing the seed with sand as this greatly aids getting an even distribution. It's far from essential but helps to see where you have missed a bit. When you rake over the surface after sowing it will help improve the top surface drainage which aids germination and young growth. You must though used washed fine sand, do NOT use builders sand. I'm unsure what ratio of sand to seed you should use. Try Google and you're bound to find a Youtube video.

All birds like grass seed and wood pigeons will return day after day. I strongly recommend you cover. The netting is cheap and a very small investment to protect all your hard work to date.

 

[PaulSB]

@User9609 sorry forgot. If you sow too thickly this will put the young seedlings under stress as they compete for water and nutrients. Also plants growing too densely can suffer from restricted air flow around them. Damp humid conditions can then build up which become a potential site for fungal diseases. This is especially damaging for young seedlings.

 

[Dave 123]

Today we’ve been skiving at Anglesey Abbey

 

[Dave 123]

One from work

 

[Milzy]

I’ve just planted a red acer tree. It’s slow growing. What’s the best stuff to put on it? Acidic stuff with a hard to remember name?

 

[Heltor Chasca]

I’ve just planted a red acer tree. It’s slow growing. What’s the best stuff to put on it? Acidic stuff with a hard to remember name?

Just grow it. Or you’ll be mucking about with the ph for ever. They don’t like too much wind or bone dry conditions.

 

[Paulus]

Just one of the dwarf dahlia's I grew from seed.

 

[Milzy]

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Just one of the dwarf dahlia's I grew from seed.

Do they come back again next year?

 

[Paulus]

Do they come back again next year?

I shall try to dry the plants off and lift the tubers. As long as the frost does not get to them, they can be replanted and will grow again. Failing that, I shall grow them from seed again.

 

[Paulus]

Here are a few more of the home grown Dahlias.