The issue of weed control is an emotive one, as some gardeners are offended by even one weed in their perfect sward and others positively welcome them. I easily settle for a flat, more or less green surface where both moss and weeds are tolerated and sometimes even celebrated, unless they cause-bare patches. If you [...]
Any vegetables can be grown in containers, though deep-rooted ones such as parsnips, those with a long growing season, like Brussels sprouts, or those needing plenty of space, such as pumpkins, are more challenging. The best for pots are fast-growing summer crops such as French beans, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, stallions, beet, carrots, turnips, lettuces, and [...]
Like many gardeners I prefer to use a minimal amount of chemicals and will always look for an alternative. But I share the garden with my husband who, when we are taming weed-infested areas of the plot, chooses to use a glyphosate-based weedkiller on swathes of nettles or ground elder. Our compromise allows this initial [...]
Having successfully cleared an area of weeds, the next challenge is to keep them out. The obvious solution is to cover the soil in one way or another, so that there is no room for weeds to grow. The best way of doing this is to fill beds and borders with cultivated plants. While they [...]
When perennial weeds have run out of control, a radical approach is needed. This mainly applies to nuisance weeds like ground elder, switch grass, horsetail, and bindweed, whose roots are thick and spaghettilike underground. Ordinary hand weeding will be impossible, so continue to maintain edges, pull out any annual weeds you can see and start [...]
Annual and perennial weeds can be sprayed with Roundup. This treatment is particularly effective in spring when they are growing rapidly; even better when perennials are flowering or just as they begin to die down in autumn. Brambles and other woody weeds are better cut down and the regrowth sprayed in early summer. Gardeners who [...]
Japanese knotweed is a resilient and thuggish garden weed found throughout the eastern United States, as well as a few western states and Alaska; it is also terrorizing the English countryside. Knotweed (Fallopiajaponica syn. Polygonum cuspidatum) has been the subject of many trials and investigations, yielding knowledge to help the gardener. One of its mysteries [...]
Ornamentation has long been a feature of garden design and it is a unique way in which the gardener can stamp his own imprint on the garden for a truly personal touch. Although some ornament is religious or commemorative, such as a small shrine dedicated to a god or goddess, or a stone erected in [...]
To transplant, have the boxes or pots already filled with the potting compost and, holding the plant with the fingers of one hand, carefully loosen the roots with a piece of smooth-ended wood or cane held in the other hand. Then lift from the compost with one movement and transfer the plant to the new [...]
Recent surveys shows that one of the biggest challenges facing consumers today is getting adequate time to care for their yards. Similarly, according to renowned “Yard Doctor” Trey Rodgers, property owners on strict schedules can equally have and relish a amazing and attractive lawn by prioritizing their tasks and according as little as one or [...]