First garden report and tasks
Garage – clematis
clematis armandii feed with Miracle-gro add some wire on the side and the roof to allow the clematis to grow onto the roof
To secure plants to a wall or a fence etc we use a system of wires which we have found to be long lasting tidy and not expensive here is some links
Planting rear of house
With the rear of the house you could dig out some beds against the rear wall or use some large pots of containers to grow some parthencissus heneri
Wood treatments
With the decking apply Doff patio cleaner
Trellis and decking structure needs treating with
Front and side drive repair
Dig out the pot holes to at least 150mm and fill with concrete. Allow to dry and settle for six months or until the building work is completed
With regards to resurfacing the drive I would add new tiles to the existing brick pattern and then in the summer apply resin bonded gravel
It’s not cheap but less expensive than replacing the whole drive and with our assistance you could carry out the project yourself.
Willow and retaining wall
I would remove the willow and plan to replace it in the autumn with a yew hedge
With creating a retaining wall the best method would be to create a retaining wall with concrete blocks laid on the side on a concrete foundation. The key is to allow drainage holes in the wall to allow groundwater through the wall.
Once you have finished all the contraction you could clad the wall with stone for a dry stone effect or clad with cedar wood and add some lighting.
Glasshouses
Clean the glasshouse with jeyes fluid and use the glasshouse smoke to kill any existing pest
Once clean we could start growing some crops such as tomatoes or melons
Got some seedling melons if you are up for having a go at melons
Vegetable garden and fruit cages
At the moment just clear the weed and cover with Ground sheeting which can be pegged down with wire pegs or old bricks
Next year we can start growing some vegetable starting in September
First Jobs
Feeding
Feed the beds and vegetable patch with Growmore fertilizer followed by liquid tomato feed using a hose attachment ( will create some notes )
Weeding
General weeding most of the weed are annual weeds any bindweed by spot treating with Round up weed killer ( need to be dry which takes about 4 hours before you allow the dog out )
Mulching
After weeding apply a mulch using spent mushroom compost
Irrigation
In the flower beds after weeding before mulching lay a leak hose through the bed
Glasshouse and vegetable patch – water tubs or water containers higher than the pot or vegetable plot with an auto irrigation kit creating a gravity irrigation system
Pruning
Clematis on garage
Lightly trim back and feed install wires
July pruning
Notes to follow
Remove the bamboo
Dig out – we use a mattock pickaxe and an old saw to saw down through the roots not an easy job
Notes on houseplants
Generally the key to houseplants is humidity as central heating produces dry air which kills most houseplant
The keys
- Use a soil based compost such as John Innes number 1 or 2
- Use cheap clay pots which soak up the water and give it up as humidity
- Place the clay pot into a decorative pot will no holes in the base
- In the summer place the houseplants outside so they get better light and the rain removes all the dust. In the winter and autumn for a few weeks place you houseplants in the bathroom as they will enjoy the humidity
The other factor with houseplants is light different plants enjoy different light levels within your house
Watering houseplants
Your questions not answered above
1. Something to grow on the wall across the lane
See answer above and plan
2. What to plant outside the front and how to get that done
See answer above and plan
3. Any issues with the soil out front?
No issues with the soil as still waiting for the soil test results. We have feed and added organic mater
4. How can we resolve the issues of the potholes in the lane and the overall surface at the front of the house without spending a small fortune?
See answer above
5. In the house:
- how to fix the lemon tree,
Water with rain water, repot with John Innes compost number 2 and feed with some liquid tomato feed which contains lots of magnesium more information on lemon tree care https://gardenadvice.co.uk/gardening-tips/indoor-lemon-tree-care/
- what’s going on with the leaves of the orchid,
No sure we need to look into this
- what to do with the other indoor plants,
Re pot with John Innes compost and clay pots
See notes
- what to get for the hallway and bathroom and my office that get no direct sunlight and only shade,
peace lily
mother in law’s tongue
Aspridistra
- how to fix the two plants in the front room
Not sure will look on next visit
6. Where should we put all the plants out the back on the deck that haven’t yet been planted?
As explained and set out
7. Ditto with the other plants out in the garden still to be planted
As explained and set out
8. What changes do I need to make to my arranged pots?
No they look fine
9. How to make hanging baskets and what to buy for those
They look fine
10. What to do with the veg patch this year
See note above seed and cover with ground sheeting
11. What can we grow up the side of the gym and how?
On the gym clematis armandii in front multi stem amelanchier lamarckii or tulip tree Liriodendron both pruned to keep them small
12. Could we ever grow something on the side of the house? If so, what? Keep spiders away though…
parthencissus heneri loses its leaves in the winter so keeps spiders at bay ( spiders eat useful they eat aphids )
13. How do we deal with the bamboo to stop spreading and stop it from blocking the view to the garden?
Dig up pot it up if possible and replace with amelanchier lamarckii or choisya ternata
14. Anything that’s really dangerous for the pets?
Everthing ok at the moment
15. What could we plant to turn the dump heap at the bottom of the garden into a colour explosion? How?
Cover with ground sheeting and plant with some cosmos from the garden centre
16. What tree to buy and where to place it ?
Prunus × subhirtella’Autumnalis’
17. Where to plant mum’s rose?
As placed
18. What roses to buy and where to put them?
19. What to replace the willow barrier in the middle of the garden with to best suit all views of the garden from the deck and upstairs in the house
Yew hedge in the autumn
20. What to do with the seeds from Dee?
Show you how to so them later
21. How can we get some wildflowers going in the bottom of the garden?
These are the plants I would suggest have a look
Echium vulgare viper’s bugloss
Oxalis Daisy
Cornflower
Cat’s-ear wildflower
spotted orchid
We would start them in pots and then plant them out
22. What to do with the acer?
Feed with liquid tomato feed and plants hostas underneath
23. How to keep the peonies blooming
Feed with liquid tomato feed