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🌿 Quick Answer The best gardening gifts are the ones a gardener will use every week: quality secateurs such as the Felco Elite, a forged trowel, Gold Leaf gloves, a foam kneeling pad, merino socks and sturdy work boots. For the gardener who has everything, try a Japanese pruning saw, a heated propagator, a plant […]

Quick Answer: Getting Rid of Chafer Grubs How do you get rid of chafer grubs? Water in nematodes of the species Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, sold as chafer grub killer, between late July and September while soil sits above 12°C. Keep the lawn moist for a fortnight afterwards. No chemical treatment is available to UK gardeners, so […]

Quick Answer: Getting Rid of Leatherjackets and Chafer Grubs What kills leatherjackets and chafer grubs in lawns? Nematodes are the only effective control left to UK gardeners, but the two pests need different species. Leatherjackets are killed by Steinernema feltiae applied from September to October. Chafer grubs need Heterorhabditis bacteriophora applied from late July to […]

Quick Answer The best winter vegetables to grow in the UK are kale, Brussels sprouts, leeks, parsnips, swede, turnips, celeriac, winter cabbage, purple sprouting broccoli, chard and hardy salad leaves such as lamb’s lettuce and land cress. Most need sowing between spring and late summer so they are fully grown before November. Garlic, onion sets […]

🌿 Quick Answer Winter gardening in the UK runs from November through February, and the priorities shift each month. November is for clearing up and protecting tender plants before the first hard frosts. December and January are mostly about structural pruning while plants are dormant, tool care, and keeping an eye on anything in a […]

Quick Answer Henchman tripod ladders are UK designed, EN131 certified ladders with a unique standing platform that lets you work hands free at height on sloping or uneven ground. In my testing, the extra stability made pruning, hedge trimming and tree work far safer and less tiring than a standard ladder, though they do come […]

Quick Answer: Dying Conifer Diagnosis Conifers turning brown typically indicate one of five problems: Avoid hard pruning back to old wood, then check soil drainage, as overwatering or heavy clay kills more conifers than any other cause. Improve drainage, remove affected portions, and ensure adequate spacing for air circulation. Most fungal problems cannot be reversed, […]

Quick Answer Most plants that look dead in winter are simply dormant, having dropped their leaves or died back to the ground as a normal survival strategy against cold and low light. To check, scratch a fingernail against a stem or bend it gently: green and pliable means alive, brown and snapping means that particular […]

Quick Answer Fatsia japonica is a big, glossy, hand-shaped leaved evergreen shrub that copes with deep shade, pollution, coastal wind and near total neglect better than almost anything else you can plant. It wants planting in the ground rather than a container long term, tolerates full shade to part sun, and needs an occasional hard […]

Quick Answer Japanese anemones flower from late summer into November when almost everything else in the border has finished, thriving in full sun, part shade and even dry shade under trees. They are also some of the toughest perennials you can plant, spreading steadily by rhizome once established, so choose their spot with intent rather […]