[Help] Gardeners Question Time.

[A mex eyecan]

You can try this, obviously cutting on the lawn side of the brick edging.

Also sad, I’ve used large household scissors . But it does look a sharp lawn afterwards, people say how did you manage that?

lol. Yes i’m already trying the grass side

 

[Weststander]

lol. Yes i’m already trying the grass side

Sorry, it made no sense, as I failed at that time to add the product.

 

[jevs]

Can anyone ID this for me? Popped up spontaneously in the garden

View attachment 183733

It's a Stinking Iris (Iris foetidissima) The flowers will be followed by red berries. It can spread a bit too

 

[WATFORD zero]

Argh. Can anyone help me, please?
my lawn has a brick edging but inevitably the grass still gradually creeps over this and looks scruffy.
ive tried edging shears, tried getting on hands and knees and using hand shears, i even desperately have tried an old bread knife, how sad is that.

over the years i’ve had nothing but grief with strummers, make after bloody make. All promising ‘tangle free’ cutting lines. Bump feed, auto feed, just about any feed. All have been a pain in the arris, sometimes they learn to fly and travel swiftly across the lawn whilst i stand the other side uttering more than a few expletives.

This week i bit the bullet and tried yet another brand, cordless wonder tool. Roybi, auto feed, one plus. Just about every review spouting its great attributes.

I should have guessed, auto feed read tangle line, snapping off after trimming less that a few inches of lawn. I’ve taken it back and got a refund.

Can i ask the wisdom of NSC gardening fraternity, does ANYONE know if a make/model that dies actually work well, dispense the line without keep need to keep taking the head off and re feeding it back.

I have had a few strimmers over the years and they can all suffer with the 'lost line' thing. I think it's actually down to the way you use the strimmer. I've always found that against walls you can only use them for a few seconds at a time and don't try to go close and quickly along the wall. Come in slowly and let the line just touch the wall gently.

Then stop/bump/whatever else feeds the line and do a few seconds more. If you try and strim continuously, you'll have the feed problems once the line gets too short (which can be different per strimmer

 

[A mex eyecan]

I have had a few strimmers over the years and they can all suffer with the 'lost line' thing. I think it's actually down to the way you use the strimmer. I've always found that against walls you can only use them for a few seconds at a time and don't try to go close and quickly along the wall. Come in slowly and let the line just touch the wall gently.

Then stop/bump/whatever else feeds the line and do a few seconds more. If you try and strim continuously, you'll have the feed problems once the line gets too short (which can be different per strimmer

so sounds like as much my impatience as is the fault of the strummer. Maybe I’m just not suited, well not without sticking my blood pressure through the roof.

 

[Tight shorts]

Argh. Can anyone help me, please?
my lawn has a brick edging but inevitably the grass still gradually creeps over this and looks scruffy.
ive tried edging shears, tried getting on hands and knees and using hand shears, i even desperately have tried an old bread knife, how sad is that.

over the years i’ve had nothing but grief with strummers, make after bloody make. All promising ‘tangle free’ cutting lines. Bump feed, auto feed, just about any feed. All have been a pain in the arris, sometimes they learn to fly and travel swiftly across the lawn whilst i stand the other side uttering more than a few expletives.

This week i bit the bullet and tried yet another brand, cordless wonder tool. Roybi, auto feed, one plus. Just about every review spouting its great attributes.

I should have guessed, auto feed read tangle line, snapping off after trimming less that a few inches of lawn. I’ve taken it back and got a refund.

Can i ask the wisdom of NSC gardening fraternity, does ANYONE know if a make/model that dies actually work well, dispense the line without keep need to keep taking the head off and re feeding it back.

I've been using a Black and Decker 3 in 1 cordless strimmer for the past 8 or so years. I probably spend an hour per week strimming over the spring/summer. Never had any lost line problems. It auto feeds the line. Good for edging when turned and roll along on the wheel. It comes with a clip on bit which turns it into a mini mower which I use for steep sloping areas. There is now a newer model on sale 550W which looks pretty similar to mine.

 

[Jack Straw]

Argh. Can anyone help me, please?
my lawn has a brick edging but inevitably the grass still gradually creeps over this and looks scruffy.
ive tried edging shears, tried getting on hands and knees and using hand shears, i even desperately have tried an old bread knife, how sad is that.

over the years i’ve had nothing but grief with strummers, make after bloody make. All promising ‘tangle free’ cutting lines. Bump feed, auto feed, just about any feed. All have been a pain in the arris, sometimes they learn to fly and travel swiftly across the lawn whilst i stand the other side uttering more than a few expletives.

This week i bit the bullet and tried yet another brand, cordless wonder tool. Roybi, auto feed, one plus. Just about every review spouting its great attributes.

I should have guessed, auto feed read tangle line, snapping off after trimming less that a few inches of lawn. I’ve taken it back and got a refund.

Can i ask the wisdom of NSC gardening fraternity, does ANYONE know if a make/model that dies actually work well, dispense the line without keep need to keep taking the head off and re feeding it back.

Just cut, pressing down with your foot keeping the iron pulled tight and upright against the bricks as you go, every few months. Will leave a finish as sharp as a razor.

 

[tedebear]

I also have a smaller black and decker battery powered strimmer which I bought in 2017 (in the land of the gods we call them whipper snippers!!) and the only time I have ever had trouble with the auto feed is a) when I tried to use an after market cheaper line spool (tip only ever buy the exact one intended for it and make 110% its in the right way) and 2) if I accidently strim too much of the rock edging....otherwise its been faultless. Takes me about 5 mins to do the lawn at home and I have two batteries (about 35-40 mins) to get around the allotment...

Does NSC still get coins in the coffers if you use amazon? Here it is anyhow:

Amazon product ASIN B01DXV8YNW
I have paving on one side and rock edging on the other and I have a channel I strim down (avoiding my helpers tootsies):

 

[tedebear]

Seems the amazon link is no good....just search for this:

BLACK+DECKER String Grass Trimmer, Cordless 28 cm. 2.0Ah Lithium Ion Battery, Orange, STC1820PC-GB​

 

[The Grockle]

Can anyone identify these tiny catapillars feasting on my himalayan birch? Probably on a few millimetres long

 

[tedebear]

Can anyone identify these tiny catapillars feasting on my himalayan birch? Probably on a few millimetres long

Birch Sawfly?

 

[AZ Gull]

Can anyone identify these tiny catapillars feasting on my himalayan birch? Probably on a few millimetres long

I think they're Seahorses.

 

[chip]

I've been trying to make my garden more bee friendly. These turned up today:

 

[A mex eyecan]

and todays issue with my lawn? The discovery of ruddy leatherjackets who are determined to ruin all the hard work i’ve been putting into getting a mice green turf.

Ive sent off for some Nematodes, hopefully they will do the trick

 

[Weststander]

I've been trying to make my garden more bee friendly. These turned up today:

View attachment 184294

Yew lucky sod.

 

[Chicken Run]

Yew lucky sod.

Iirc you’re a Westdene Resident, I was in Green Ridge today and apart from some verges having the obligatory white stakes, bricks and logs to stop anti social parking i noticed a number of grass verges have some trees planted in them, question i have is, is this a City Council initiative of a property owner/community funded scheme?

 

[Weststander]

Iirc you’re a Westdene Resident, I was in Green Ridge today and apart from some verges having the obligatory white stakes, bricks and logs to stop anti social parking i noticed a number of grass verges have some trees planted in them, question i have is is this a City Council initiative of a property owner/community funded scheme?

Withdean resident here .

Guessing, a community group. A few weeks ago I saw ordinary folk creating a new shortcut walkway by the Hilltop Cafe. Done really smartly, they even used type 2 MOT! Surprisingly lots of youngish adults …. heartening to see another gen taking an interest.

 

[Chicken Run]

Withdean resident here .

Guessing, a community group. A few weeks ago I saw ordinary folk creating a new shortcut walkway by the Hilltop Cafe. Done really smartly, they even used type 2 MOT! Surprisingly lots of youngish adults …. heartening to see another gen taking an interest.

If it’s a community group won’t the council get all aggy and have them removed, i seem to remember another area of the city having a similar issue?

Btw i knew were too classy to be a West,

 

[Weststander]

If it’s a community group won’t the council get all aggy and have them removed, i seem to remember another area of the city having a similar issue?

I suspect with permission. I dread to think the tedious hoops they hadn’t to jump on h&s and insurance. Yawn.

 

[Weststander]

One Garden Brighton only opened in 2021, it’s matured nicely. This from our visit on Friday. The year of Rudbeckia’s, they’ve loved the rain!