Gardening in January 2019

Gardening in January 2019

Jan 17, 2019 | News

Mid of January 2019 and we are getting busy – pruning, hedge trimming, garden tidy ups, shrubs and trees removal

This week we are fully booked up – just before a forecasted cold snap expected to hit us very soon, but will it ? 😉
What’s been done and what’s still ahead of us is listed below:

    • On Tuesday a garden tidy up ( trimming, strimming, mowing, green waste removal and laurel hedges cut ) – DONE

      You can read review of this job under this link.We did have a small incident with a strimmer and a stone – unfortunately it does happen every few years which means it won’t happen for awhile now !! 🙂

  • On Wednesday some fruit trees pruned and a big leilandii hedge trimming – DONE

    • Photos below:

     

    • On Thursday medium tree to be pruned, and quite a few medium sized budleia trees uprooted – DONE

      You can read a review of the above mentioned job here

    • On Friday a garden tidy up including another budleia removal and privet hedge reduction – DONE

      •  

      Let’s see what the next week will bring us – hopefully snow !!!

       

      Front garden tidy up

      Front garden tidy up

      Aug 22, 2018 | Tidy up

      We do work in big gardens but we also do work in small ones

      A small front garden tidied up was a first thing this morning, followed by a much bigger job where we have trimmed lots of tall hedges.

       

      Brambles – garden tidy up

      Brambles – garden tidy up

      Jul 8, 2017 | Clearing

      A garden in Twyford cleared of brambles.

      Is your garden looking like this ?
      It’s a field of brambles / blackberries. Garden left for a couple of years and needed some help.

      Half way through.. Half of garden cleared roughly.

      And finally the end result.
      Blackberry roots have not been uprooted on this occasion. So many of them and soil is quite rocky so rotovating is also not a best idea. Plan is to poison all new growth as soon as it regrows.

       

      Refreshed gravel area and new ground cover planting

      Refreshed gravel area and new ground cover planting

      Apr 2, 2016 | Landscaping, Planting

      Let’s not beat about the bush..

      Was asked to refresh the area around the vegetable patches and come up with some planting ideas for two borders along the fence. Ultimately Low maintanance borders. Also to plant some bushes to provide some screening and be attractive as well.

      Photos before and after:

      New planting scheme includes:

      • Achillea nobilis asubs. neilreichii
      • Bergenias
      • Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Czakor’
      • Antehmis punctata subsp. cupaniana
      • Calluna vulgaris ‘Winter chocolate’
      • Armeria maritma thrift
      • Parahebe catarractae ‘Delight’
      • Ajuga reptans ‘Braunherz’
      • Forsythia spectabilis
      • Spirea arguta
      • Weigela burgundy
      • Caenothus Yankee Point

      Few months later, that is today ( June 2016 ) I have been in the garden to see how things are doing. Everything’s good !
      Plants have taken in, borders are full and everything looks much better ! Certainly an improvement.

      Thanks for looking !

      Weeds as soil type indicator

      Weeds as soil type indicator

      Mar 16, 2016 | News

      Weeds can be a good soil indicator

      weeds

      In this article I will provide some information about how to determine type of soil in your gardens.
      It’s based on weeds observation. Some weeds as well as more desired plants like certain conditions. By observing carefully what weeds grow in your garden you can then assess what “good plants” would thrive in this spot.

      Observing the most prevalent weeds can indicate if soil is:

      • acidic
      • alkaline
      • healthy and balanced
      • depleted of certain nutrients
      • poor draining soils
      • sandy soils – poorly retaining moisture

      Some points you have to take into consideration:

      • You have to observe several the most prevailing weeds
      • Pay attention to healthy weeds. You might find a certain weeds growing in many places, but in some of them the same weed will be healthy and in some others not so much ..

      Plants like hydrangeas or cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus)are excellent soil indicators.
      Some grow very well in most soils like: purple nettle ( lamium purpureum ) and Shepherd’s purse ( Capsella bursa pastoris )

      Today I would like to concentrate on weeds that prevail in acidic soils. Weeds that may indicate an acidic type of soil are:


      Plants that grow well in an acidic soil are amongst others: azaleas, hydrangeas, rhododendrons, camellias
      And fruit and vegetables like: rhubarb, potatoes, shallots, sweet potatoes, endive and watermelons, blueberries

      Next I would like to list some weeds that prevail in alkaline soils, that is soils which PH is higher than 7.0. Weeds that may indicate an alkaline type of soil are:

      Please find a few plants that will grow well in both acidic and alkaline soils but are also good for partial shade, clay and poorly drained soils – these are conditions most common for Reading, Berkshire.

      Anny’s Winter Orange (Cornus sanguinea), Bamburanta (Ctenanthe lubbersiana), Chilean rhubarb (Gunnera manicata), Snowberry Hancock (Symphoricarpos chenaultii), Strawberry Fields (Deutzia hybrida), Veitchii (Deutzia longifolia), Chestnut-leaved rodgersia (Rodgersia aesculifolia), Golden creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia), Knotweed Superba (Persicaria affinis), Variegated Japanese spurge (Pachysandra terminalis), Bleeding heart ‘Langtrees’ (Dicentra formosa)

       

      Call Paul