[Help] Gardeners Question Time.

[The Grockle]

It's been a very wet spring in dorset with a big downpour today. Has anyone else's garden seen big growth this year? Our Acers and Hakonechloa Macras have been particularly vigorous.

 

[Weststander]

@WATFORD zero I glanced past security into your private road, to see if your meadow had survived the BHCC sit-on mower scalping. Looks good, well done for putting in the stakes .

For some reason, all the rain?, my verge meadow is advanced compared to this time last year. Already Cornflowers and Yellow Rattle. So beautiful.

 

[WATFORD zero]

@WATFORD zero I glanced past security into your private road, to see if your meadow had survived the BHCC sit-on mower scalping. Looks good, well done for putting in the stakes .

For some reason, all the rain?, my verge meadow is advanced compared to this time last year. Already Cornflowers and Yellow Rattle. So beautiful.

The BHCC bloke got me once a few weeks ago, so I took your lead and added loads more posts to the four big white ones he somehow managed to mow around
I think I've lost some of the early stuff as a result, but there's bits coming through now

 

[Weststander]

The BHCC bloke got me once a few weeks ago, so I took your lead and added loads more posts to the four big white ones he somehow managed to mow around
I think I've lost some of the early stuff as a result, but there's bits coming through now

I was caught by his Feb butchery, didn’t realise they started in winter! You should be fine as meadow wildflowers are inherently slow starters.

Two other things I do are to gently remove Dandelions with their entire tap root as they can smother, also with bare patches I planted small specimens of eg Achillea Terracotta.

 

[WATFORD zero]

It's been a very wet spring in dorset with a big downpour today. Has anyone else's garden seen big growth this year? Our Acers and Hakonechloa Macras have been particularly vigorous.

My Acer obviously liked the conditions this year, it's now over 10ft high

 

[The Grockle]

My Acer obviously liked the conditions this year, it's now over 10ft high

View attachment 182041

That's an incredible Acer. I have the same variety but much, much smaller!

 

[Weststander]

My Acer obviously liked the conditions this year, it's now over 10ft high

View attachment 182041

Is that a rare example of Acer pseudoplatanus right behind it?

 

[WATFORD zero]

Is that a rare example of Acer pseudoplatanus right behind it?

You're very good on these obscure ones

 

[WATFORD zero]

Last of my spring woodland flowers, snowdrops, wood anemones and finally the bluebells as the trees come into full leaf

 

[Weststander]

Really pleased with my verge mini meadow, its peak is still two month away. The Yellow-rattle has worked a treat in suppressing otherwise dominant grasses.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Really pleased with my verge mini meadow, its peak is still two month away. The Yellow-rattle has worked a treat in suppressing otherwise dominant grasses.

View attachment 182394View attachment 182395

Well done…did you sow yellow rattle seed or use plugs?

 

[Weststander]

Well done…did you sow yellow rattle seed or use plugs?

Seeds. Fairly expensive, I know the owner of Sussex Prairie Gardens who wants to turn an adjacent field into a meadow, he’s deterred from buying Yellow-rattle due to this.

I bought too much as I’d planned to turn our top lawn (former perfect ‘football pitch’) into another meadow, but last autumn didn’t find the time to scalp it back to near bare soil. On the to-do list!

 

[LamieRobertson]

Seeds. Fairly expensive, I know the owner of Sussex Prairie Gardens who wants to turn an adjacent field into a meadow, he’s deterred from buying Yellow-rattle due to this.

I bought too much as I’d planned to turn our top lawn (former perfect ‘football pitch’) into another meadow, but last autumn didn’t find the time to scalp it back to near bare soil. On the to-do list!

I tried some seeds last year on a small area of lawn I cut ..without success…I’ve just ordered some meadow plant plugs for the front to add to the area I’ve left uncut

 

[WATFORD zero]

I tried some seeds last year on a small area of lawn I cut ..without success…I’ve just ordered some meadow plant plugs for the front to add to the area I’ve left uncut

Where did you get the plugs ? My unmown front verge could do with some help

 

[Mr Bridger]

I think I’ve got box blight (the hedge not me personally) any tips of how to get rid of this
Apologies if covered in the thread previously.

 

[A mex eyecan]

I think I’ve got box blight (the hedge not me personally) any tips of how to get rid of this
Apologies if covered in the thread previously.

has it gone brown or is it being eaten?

 

[Jack Straw]

There is no cure unfortunately. There's various chemicals that you could try, but I wouldn't waste the money. They'll never be the same again. If they've had it, dig out and replace with dwarf holly, dwarf Euonymus, Photinia "Little Red Robin", or other short growing evergreen.
Just seen a "Garden Rescue Visited", and all the Box hedging in one garden had to be replaced. I don't know why anyone would use it in the first place, knowing you're on a hiding to nothing.

 

[Weststander]

I tried some seeds last year on a small area of lawn I cut ..without success…I’ve just ordered some meadow plant plugs for the front to add to the area I’ve left uncut

Without teaching you to suck eggs . Did you take that lawn down to soil level and remove the cuttings away. You have to be brutal.

I find it takes a few cuts for the mower to cope with that.

For the final mow then seeding, I waited until October when forecast rain was a cert.

I’m confident I can tun the @LamieRobertson and @WATFORD zero patches into mini meadows .

I have bought plugs before to add biodiversity eg Primula vulgaris and Primula veris, otherwise Oxeye Daises can dominate.

 

[Mr Bridger]

has it gone brown or is it being eaten?

Both of them I’d say, trimmed it right back today.

 

[Weststander]

There is no cure unfortunately. There's various chemicals that you could try, but I wouldn't waste the money. They'll never be the same again. If they've had it, dig out and replace with dwarf holly, dwarf Euonymus, Photinia "Little Red Robin, or other short growing evergreen.
Just seen a "Garden Rescue Visited", and all the Box hedging in one garden had to be replaced. I don't know why anyone would use it in the first place, knowing you're on a hiding to nothing.

I planted Box hedge cubes in 2021. I’ve never grown Box, none of our direct neighbours have Box. Within a year Box Moth caterpillars had decimated them.

Not wanting to embark on a lifetime of managing Pheromone traps to fight them, I dug them out, replacing with Yew.