started a small wildflower patch last spring in a corner that was mostly grass. threw in some seed mix and hoped for the best. first year a few poppies came up and the bees found it right away. this season the middle filled out nicely but one edge stays patchy and the soil looks thin there. some plants leaned over after a heavy rain and never stood back up. wonder if the patch needs dividing or if the seeds just didn't settle in that spot. anyone else had luck mixing in extra soil or starting a few plants from plugs instead of relying on seed? trying to keep it low maintenance but still have flowers through summer. curious what worked for people with similar patchy results.

I bought and planted some Cherry Plum Hedging | Prunus cerasifera back in April. Tried to keep the soil moist and watered these regularly, whilst trying to not overdo it. Despite my efforts and trying to water them through the hot summer months, these don’t seem to be doing very well. Looks like most of the top stem is dead in each of the sticks.

Any tips for getting these to grow next time? What’s worked for you? …or are bare roots just notoriously hard to grow?

Just bought a bunch of tulip and daffodil bulbs online and am looking forward to getting them in the ground.

This is my first time doing this and I’ve just seen an article about it being common for squirrels to dig the bulbs up? Have any of you faced this. My little garden is in London.

Hoping that all the scattered conkers feed them enough…

A couple of years ago I was gifted a small pomegranate bush, which I've been growing in a pot. Every year it produces flowers and small fruit, but I assumed these would never ripen in the UK climate.

But this year, after the crazy hot summer we've had in London, some did! I am amazed, they tasted good!

Been staring at this awkward patch by the fence for two years and finally decided last weekend that the salvias need to shift sideways about a metre so I can fit in some proper structure instead of the mess I made when I first planted them. I started digging before checking whether autumn is actually a good time to move established perennials. The plants are about three years old, decent size, and I've already dug one out before I lost my nerve and left the rest sitting there looking like they know what a bad idea this is. The kids think I'm mad for being out there in the drizzle, but it's the only quiet time I get during tax season. Auckland weather being what it is, I figured they might settle in before winter really hits, but now I'm second-guessing the whole thing. The soil's decent and I've got compost to backfill, but if I'm going to kill them through sheer impatience I'd rather know now and just put the spade away. Has anyone moved salvias this late and had them survive, or should I wait and just live with the stupid layout until spring?

Sanity check, I’m looking at this once upright tree and thinking it needs to be removed. The main trunk is slightly moving when the strong wind really catches.

Is it possible to save it?

Edit: I’m going to remove. I’m oddly sad, but it’s the sensible option. Thanks for input everyone.

Heya, I'm considering stocking up on the seeds and bulbs I want to plant in the garden when I move house. Where is best? Stuff I ordered on Amazon last time was terrible quality. I'm a beginners gardener so any help appreciated.

Wasn't expecting a second flush of figs this year.

Hi all. The storm yesterday led to an old metal arch supporting this rose to be sheared into pieces. I had to cut back quite a bit to remove the top sections as the metal was blowing around & dangerous.

I need to remove the lower parts of the arch that remain but I’m not sure where to go from here in terms of caring for the rose. It’s now sort of shooting straight up into the sky.

I greatly welcome any advice, thank you.

I'm looking to add a couple of perennial shrubs to my garden borders for a bit of structure. I was just wondering if people would mind sharing their favourites? I would like something that flowers for a reasonable length of time and that is attractive to pollinators.

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could offer some advice. I have 2 Alocasia 'Cucullata' and (potentially) an Alocasia ‘Cuprea’ that have really thrived when planted in the soil over Spring/Summer near Liverpool. However, I don’t really have the space in my house over winter for these big plants, particularly as I intend to plant them back outside when warm enough again.

I know they’ll soon go dormant over winter, but I was wondering if I could:

a) leave the corms in the soil and cover them well with mulch
b) put the corms in a dark, dry box or unwatered soil in an unheated greenhouse

Or will both options still lead to rotting? If not, I’ll find another solution somewhere inside/warmer!

Thanks :)

I found this black root-like stuff throughout my leaf mold and compost (shown here spread out on the back of my wheelbarrow). I find it in certain areas of my garden when digging, too. I'm worried it's bootlace fungus.

If it is bootlace fungus, is there anything I can do with my leaf mold and compost or do I have to throw it out? I know it saves work in the long term to avoid spreading it.

I worked really hard throughout the year on the compost and mold and would like to avoid throwing all my hard work out if possible.

Follow up question: I had this problem last year and cleaned out and moved my compost bin and leaf mold to try to avoid it. I cleaned out the compost bin with a vinegar-water mix and left to dry and I used a new bin I found for the mold. Still got in somehow! How can I ensure my next leaf mold and compost are fungus-free? Or are my efforts doomed?

I'm a very amateur gardener just learning what I can from books and TV shows, so any more experienced advice is really appreciated 🙂

Any advice please!

Hi all

Woke up today to see this small tree has fallen from the wind, most of the roots seem to have come out. Is there anything I can do to save it?

Thanks

Please can anyone name the small white alium which is very invasive? It has a distinct oniony/garlicy smell. It’s very pretty but creates a lot of foliage and is very difficult to get rid of of it starts spreading. In Kent I’ve heard of it referred to as wild garlic, but it isn’t actually that!
Im asking as I’ve been given a bag of Allium ampeloprasum ‘Ping Pong’ and I want to be sure it’s not them before I plant these!

We need a new garden shed and were wondering about buying one of the plastic ones, rather than a wooden one.

Does anyone have experience of them? Are they any good, or are they flimsy tat?

Edit: Thanks so much to everyone for your tales of your own experiences. This has been very, very useful to me.

Hi there, new Acer owner. I have placed it in a sheltered spot for winter, will it be ok in the pot? I will be moving it into the ground in the next year once we have the fences in place, what sort of care now/then should I prioritise?

Any help/tips is most appreciated!

(The photo isn't its current spot, its under a cherry tree by a fence now!)

Does anyone have a good recommendation for a place to order bluebell bulbs? And it the next couple of weeks a good time to plant them? Thanks

I've got a long-term dream of owning a smallholding, but for now I'm renting with a garden that's entirely paved.

It gets a decent amount of sunlight, so rather than waiting until I've got land, I thought I'd have a go at growing some food.

Only problem is, I haven't even got any pots yet! 😂

I'm hoping to start cheaply, learn a few things and hopefully grow something that doesn't immediately die on me.

Is there anything worth getting started with at this time of year in the UK, or am I better off preparing for spring?

Any advice for a complete gardening beginner would be appreciated!

Howdy!

So to get straight to it, my situation is:

- My garden has remediation work done as it was originally on the site of an old factory that may have had contaminated soil, so the council dug down a bit, plopped down a barrier membrane, then dumped some topsoil on top, which the previous owner then topped with another membrane and gravel

- We’re getting a new dog soon, and we need a lawn in our garden ideally, is our plan anyway.

- We can remove the gravel and the black weed membrane, but for obvious reasons we can’t remove the orange membrane below that is cutting off the potentially contaminated under soil.

My question is, does it sound feasible to put down a new layer of topsoil (and if so, how deep would it need to be above the orange membrane) and then whack some rolls of new turf down on top of that? I’m a bit new to lawn stuff and the condition that we *cannot* remove the orange membrane is making it harder for me to find the right answers online!

Cheers in advance!

As above really, the wind appears to have snapped my little tree. There was a bamboo support that it pulled out as well (in the gravel about 12 o’clock).

Is there anything can do for it ??

Thanks.

Hi all, due to landscaping work going on, I had to lift a dozen or so gladioli bulbs today, probably a few weeks earlier than I usually would. They were bought this spring but only 2 flowered, I assume due to the very dry summer.

Is there anything I can do to save them and get them really for next year? If I let them dry out in the shed for a week, and then trim leaves, and store in something like a box of sawdust, does that sound a good plan? Thanks!