Tree Planting & Care

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 For most UK gardens the Ryobi OBV18 18V ONE+ Brushless Blow-Vacuum is the best all-rounder, powerful enough for a full autumn clear-up and versatile enough to mulch leaves into the bag rather than just moving them somewhere else. If you would rather stay corded, the Flymo PowerVac 2700 covers the same blow, […]

Quick Answer A potted Christmas tree goes brown mostly from drying out, either from being left neglected outdoors over summer or from too long indoors in warm, dry central heating. Once a conifer’s needles have died they will not turn green again, so the priority is stopping further browning through regular watering, good drainage and […]

Quick Answer Acers most often die or decline in UK gardens because of leaf scorch from drying wind, hot sun or drought, which is environmental rather than a disease and is by far the commonest cause. Late spring frost damaging tender new growth, a container that has become root bound and dries out faster than […]

QUICK ANSWER Monkey puzzle trees (Araucaria araucana) need a sheltered, sunny spot with moist but well drained soil and room to reach 12 metres or more, so check your space before planting. Browning is usually one of three things: natural shedding of the oldest lower branches, drought stress in a pot or newly planted specimen, […]

Quick Answer Prune a plum tree in September, straight after harvest, and never in winter. Plums belong to the Prunus family alongside cherries, and a winter cut leaves the wound open to silver leaf disease and bacterial canker for months in cold, damp weather. Remove dead or crossing wood first, thin any congested growth, and […]

Quick Answer Prune cherry trees in mid to late summer, ideally July to August, and never in winter, since cold, damp cuts invite silver leaf disease and bacterial canker. Remove dead or crossing growth first, thin congested branches, and aim for an open goblet shape, taking no more than a quarter of the canopy in […]

Quick Answer Tree grafting joins a scion (a cutting from your chosen variety) to a rootstock (which controls eventual tree size) using a clean angled cut, grafting tape, and sealing wax. Late winter to early spring is the best time for whip grafting in the UK, when trees are still dormant but sap is beginning […]

Quick Answer A pleached tree is a tree trained into a flat, formal screen of branches on top of a clear stem, often called a hedge on stilts. Plant them at the width of their frame, usually 1.5m apart, at least 40cm from fences, and brace each one with a stake, a horizontal timber rail […]

Quick Answer A tree ring is a circular metal, plastic, or stone edging that creates a clear, grass-free zone around a tree planted in a lawn. It takes around 30 minutes to install, prevents grass from competing with the tree for water and nutrients, and makes mowing much easier. Choose a ring sized to match […]