Raised Ponds

A pond no-longer needs to be put into a hole in the ground. The latest fashion has ponds raised at least 2 feet high and this makes for easy viewing and easier maintenance.

Benefits include – no excavation, location on top of hard or soft landscape, quick and easy installation, back saving convenience.

Tips for raised Ponds

• Use UV resistant/secure materials such as rock or presure treated timber.
• Ensure the walls are strong enough to take the weight of water.
• Build the pond with insulation to delay or minimise freezing.

This photo supplied by Daisybush gives a hint of what can be achieved on a large scale. You can create your own feature with a pre-moulded pond in a  raised bed or purpose built area.

Raised bed kits are available from Bradshaws, Harrod and Amazon

Nets and Netting

Netting can be very useful in the garden and there is usually one or more types for each particular application.

Climbers like Sweet Peas need something to cling on to as they grow. You can cut off the tendrils and tie the stems to a cane but that is labour intensive. I prefer to use a very open green plastic net. It is about the cheapest you can buy and if you throw it away at the end of the year it will have done its job.

For runner beans and climbing beans I use stronger plastic net also with a wide open mesh and strong poles. Again it is still cheap as a form of netting.

For protecting soft fruit like strawberries or building a fruit cage you need knotted netting also called mesh knotted netting. This is strong enough to keep out the birds. The mesh varies from 7mm squares to 18mm diamonds. The smaller gauge keeps out moths and butterflies and the wider for pigeons and small birds.
For herons over your pond a wider mesh of 45mm will not spoil the appearance.

Insect mesh netting is finer and more akin to fleece. It can deter carrot fly, cabbage root fly and caterpillars whilst giving a modest amount of shade.

Wind break or shade nets are made from higher density polypropylene.

Pond nets for leaves and debris can also protect your goldfish. A fishing line strung across the edge of ponds may deter cats and other creatures.

Suppliers

Netting varieties available from Amazon

Nets available from Thompson & Morgan

Garden Design Tips

“The Essential Garden Design Workbook” provides the reader with tips for every stage of planning a garden.

• How to survey a site,
• How to choose landscaping materials,
• How to develop planting schemes.
• Valuable tips on green and environmental gardening
• How to harvest rainwater,
• How to design a green roof,
• Tips on sustainable planting,
• A guide to composting.
• Tips on space, light, and color.
• Easy ways to measure large spaces, estimate the height of a tree, and find the right proportions for a decking and hard landscape.

Currently available from Amazon for £14.75

Gardening Book of the Month April 2011

Other Design Resources

Interesting Design Tips

Design Tips for a Physic Garden

Formal Garden Design

Bark Chippings Criticism

I am not a fan of bark chippings and seldom make use of them. To prevent weeds the layer has to be very deep or have a weed suppressing membrane as in the picture.

• Bark tends to migrate due to wind and rain to say nothing of little animals.
• Most bark that is sold looks clean and fresh, when new, but goes an amorphous grey quite rapidly.
• The picture above was in a public park and in addition to unsightly under layer there is litter and dandelions showing, not a good advert for the park or the chippings.

Good Uses of Bark Chippings

• In natural wood land areas for a consistant appearance.
• Where there is planting through the bark and it is used as a mulch as much as a decoration.
• Amongst heathers and prickly subjects where you do not want to put your hands.
• Some people use bark as a cushion where children may fall but animals and insects can make the bark less than perfect.

Gardening Club

The Garden Centre Group have a free Gardening Club and I have a valuable membership card. Their blurb is worth repeating

• ‘If you love gardening as much as we do, why not earn points every time you spend? As a ‘Gardening Club’ member, we’ll reward you with many membership privileges

• Earn 5 reward points for every £1 you spend in the garden centre and online. Our over 60s members will receive double points on Tuesdays on all purchases made

• We’ll add up all the points you have earned and you’ll receive a quarterly mailing with your reward vouchers. Your voucher can be redeemed at all participating garden centres

• You’ll find fantastic seasonal offers throughout the garden centre and online, exclusively for our ‘Club’ members

• As a ‘Club’ member you’ll receive invitations to special events and seasonal previews at your local garden centre

Some of the brands offering membership are mentioned here or contact the web site with a map showing all garden centres in the group.

Kneelers and Seats for Gardeners

You do not know what use you can put a kneeler too until you have one.

Uses of Garden Kneelers

• Obviously they are designed for kneeling on when weeding or planting out seedlings.
• I find they also tamp the soil down prior to sowing a row or two of seeds.
• After kneeling the handles are most useful for pushing yourself back into an upright position. I need all the support I can get in this direction.
• Turning the kneeler upside down it forms a sturdy seat useful for raised beds and hinged backs that will stretch forward. The seat can rock forward and back but is sturdy side to side affording a long reach.
• I use the seat as a table when not in use for other matters. It make items easier to spot if the are 18″ off the ground unless I have rested my specs on the kneeler.

Available from amazon for circa £12

The name of this photo shows the poor taste of me, the shadowy photographer!

Read the rest of this entry »

Garden Tool Kit

After a spade the hand trowel and fork are key garden tools.
For cutting pruning and trimming, loppers and secateurs are in regular use in my garden. Loppers can wait until your shrubs and trees have pencil thick stems you want to cut but secateurs are crucial from day one.

Draper is a known tool manufacturer and this kit comprises loppers that are ’635mm long with carbon steel blades hardened and tempered with textured hand grips. The secateurs are 175mm long with carbon steel blades hardened and tempered with moulded spring-loaded handles and thumblock. Hand trowel and fork are epoxy coated carbon steel hardened and tempered with textured hand grips.’
Available from Amazon for £15.88

Potato Planters

Easter is a traditional time for planting your potatoes but Easter is a bit late this year.

To get started I am trying a variety of potato planters with my early potatoes.

Types of Potato Planters

• The simplest planter I am using is a large black plastic pot. 12″ in circumference and at least the same in height and it will grow a good few spuds from one or three tubers.
• For main crop potatoes in planters I have used half a large compost bag. Part filled I have then turned down the top so some of the black inner plastic shows and helps the container warm up. (Black draws the sun’s heat to the planter).  As the spuds grow I can fill up with compost to avoid greening on the potatoes.
• I bought a plastic purpose built planter from a local shop. Details on the picture. It has an opening so I can take potatoes from the bottom of the bag as needed. However I think I will empty the bag in one go. If anything it is too small for my taste (and so will the potatoes be).
• Last year I had great success with old damage polypropylene waste disposal sacks as planters.

Tips for Potato Planters

• Keep well watered as the potatoes start to form  (I hope you have included drainage holes in your planters).
• Feed every fortnight in May and June with a dilute liquid feed.
• I put the planters under the eaves of the house for early protection. Then I move them when the frost has finished.
• The black bags and pots get warmer than the light coloured pots and planters. The green planter kits look a bit tidier.

Seed potatoes and various planters are available from Thompson & Morgan

Collecting Old Garden Tools

I am often attracted to this advert for Atco lawn mowers.
I must visit the lawn mower museum to see its 400 cousins.

Old automatic hedge clippers on display at RHS garden

Plant label at the Chelsea Physic Garden

Old Garden Tools T Shirt from Amazon

Old Garden Tools from Kay Sanecki

Edging in the Garden

A neat garden looks refined and shows off your plants.
Just simply trimming your Lawn edges will make a big visual difference.

Edging Supplies

See DIY project ‘Edging’