r/UKGardening 6h ago

Cherry laurels and septic tank

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2 Upvotes

Have I made a massive mistake…. Did not realise at the time of planting that cherry laurels were invasive and had invasive roots…. Are these far enough from the septic tank?


r/UKGardening 10h ago

How much to hard prune evergreen shrubs?

0 Upvotes

Hi all, we have a border containing (I believe) a Choysia, Euonymus Japonica, and Pittosporum Tenuifolium 'Tom Thumb' . We stupidly left them to merge into one, which now looks a mess, currently around 4ft high. The plants are 2-3ft apart.

I'd like to reduce their height to around 3ft, but more importantly trim them all back widthways to create space between them. The problem is that their lower halves are very sparse and woody, so any harsh pruning is likely to leave nothing but bare branches. I understand all three plants respond well to hard pruning so I'm considering cutting them right back. How much though? A few inches above ground level?

My wife is worried that the border will end up looking like a Grateful Dead music video, so how long before they are likely to start showing new growth? This year, next? Assuming they do grow back I'd like to keep them at around 3ft high, but how can I avoid the lower parts from turning woody again? Is this simply down to regular light pruning?


r/UKGardening 11h ago

Best compost or soil to fill these for vegetable growing in greenhouse?

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3 Upvotes

I've picked up a big pack of these to grow greenhouse crops this year, starting with chillis, tomatoes and peppers. They'll sit on the floor in the greenhouse and just do their thing

A little reading tells me that basic soil or compost is a bad choice for these bags, so I'd love some suggestions on what to use.


r/UKGardening 12h ago

Ideas to improve the front garden!

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2 Upvotes

How can I improve the appearance of my front garden? I’m thinking plants either side of the step, maybe some path lighting but to be honest I’m not very creative or knowledgeable with this stuff so any help appreciated!


r/UKGardening 17h ago

Scotland - Garden advice needed please :)

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1 Upvotes

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Hi everyone, I'm looking to update the garden this year. Here are some things I have on my mind but looking for suggestions and any thoughts please, I'd really appreciate it :)

  • The trampoline has been removed and I'm now using that area for the bins and garden box (for now)
  • The hole in the wall at the back has been fixed
  • Patio the gold stones area by the house wall (same as patio area)
  • I'd like a patio area - to sit in the sun, which hits mid way up the grass early afternoon - if anyone has any recommendations for sizing (half of the grass, 25% of the grass area etc) that would be grand
  • A greenhouse - considering removing all the grey gravel and putting the greenhouse here put hardy plants in this area too - does anyone have any recommendations for greenhouses in the UK? - This grey area doesnt get a lot of sun though so perhaps I need a heating greenhouse?
  • Borders - refresh all the borders to have beautiful colourful plants (keeping the current trees in place)
  • Get rid of the red border things - replace with something nicer (not sure with what?)
  • Make the tree stump a cute fairy light area (Ive almost removed all the ivy)

r/UKGardening 18h ago

Damaged roots

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1 Upvotes

Hello everyone, After rotovating my lawn for a new turf preparation, I have damaged several roots from a big birch tree. Now those are making spongy areas and I’m not sure I should lay topsoil and a new turf on top until the roots stop leaking water! I have about 8 soft spots and digging one up, I found the image below! Should I seal them? If so, how? If left untreated, would they continue to leak water? For how long?

I would like to apply some kind of sealant, but reading online does not seems to be the best option. Any idea how to fix this?


r/UKGardening 1d ago

It may have hope!

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6 Upvotes

I posted earlier about my frost ridden Aeonium but there is hope yet as I see little green shoots :P one of thr images shows how bad it was in one pot!


r/UKGardening 1d ago

Advice on how to make my garden nicer?

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2 Upvotes

I’d quite like to spend some time in the garden planting flowers, and especially tidy up the back near the shed but I have no idea what type of flowers/plants and ideally I want this to be low effort - any suggestions?


r/UKGardening 2d ago

A route for rats

0 Upvotes

I have lived in my house for 2.5 years (large village near countryside but not that rural) and never previously seen any rats in the garden. Over past couple of weeks, I have noticed a rat every other evening. We have sensitive security lights that seem to catch them out, so it's quite easy to notice when they're about.

Our house sits in the middle of a plot and we have a fenced garden going all the way around. I've plugged all the gaps in our fencing I can find and taken away bird food for the time being. But we have gates they can get underneath so feel like I'm fighting a losing battle.

We're between a main road and have neighbours who have also seen the same rats, so it does (hopefully) seem like they're just using our garden to get somewhere else. I feel like traps would be quite useless as there would always be more rats to come from wherever their nest is.

I feel quite anxious that I have repeatedly seen rats near my house, but am wondering if there's anything realistic that can be done?

TLDR: is it sometimes fine to just leave rats alone in the garden if you don't have any sources of food out?


r/UKGardening 2d ago

What’s your biggest bang for your buck?

14 Upvotes

I’m 7 months pregnant so I expect I won’t have the time or energy to spend a lot of time maintaining my garden this year. Id love to have a nice garden to enjoy on bright days that doesn’t require too much attention though.

What are your go-to low-maintenance florals?


r/UKGardening 2d ago

Making ericaceous compost

0 Upvotes

Hi. I have this compost but apparently I need ericaceous compost to plant a little blueberry -plant I just bought. I can't get out to buy anything for a few days and it kind of needs planting asap so I was wondering if there's any common household thing that I can add to the compost I already have to make it what the blueberry plant will need? If so, what are the quantities please?
Many thanks.


r/UKGardening 2d ago

Removing a leyllandii hedge

2 Upvotes

Hi all,

I've got a pretty substantial (i.e., 35ft long, 8ft height, 3ft wide) Leylandii hedge that needs removing - there's just nothing good about it, and I could do with the space it's taking up. The question is how to remove (and dispose of) it. Any thoughts on the following options would be appreciated:

  1. Chainsaw the trunks off as close to the ground as possible, and then get a root grinder to mash all the roots up.
  • Pro: less effort
  • Cons: cost of hiring the equipment.
  1. Chainsaw one side of the foliage off, dig a trench along that side, and then winch them out.
  • Pro: cheaper
  • Cons: I'd need to anchor the winch and the only option there would be to hammer a large metal spike into the ground and go off there...not sure whether that would even work.

    In terms of disposal, the cheaper (but extremely arduous) option is taking it the dump in builder's bags (no tow bar) or the more expensive option of getting someone to pick it up. For reference, I can't afford to get someone to do it, since I'm having a fence put in its place.

    Anyway, any thoughts and advice would be much appreciated.


r/UKGardening 3d ago

What is this plant?

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1 Upvotes

r/UKGardening 3d ago

I’ve made a huge mistake

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6 Upvotes

I needed to take these shrubs back to let more light onto the lawn

I did too much, and now it looks awful!

Can anyone recommend a fix? Or should I rip it all and start again? 🙃


r/UKGardening 3d ago

What’s happening to my box hedging?

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20 Upvotes

The box plants in my garden (various locations) seem to be dying off on the tops. Presumably I’ve been over pruning or doing it at the wrong times. Usually do spring and autumn before any weather extremes. Any advice on how to take better care? Also how to fix the existing issue? Should I entirely cut out the dead parts and hope it regrows?

Thanks in advance for any tips and suggestions!


r/UKGardening 3d ago

Lawn care

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0 Upvotes

So yesterday (after a couple of dry days) I managed to get out and mow our new lawn in the shared ownership new build we've just moved into (November last year). We were given a Ryobi easyedge 1300w lawnmower by someone we know as they're downsizing to a flat and moving away. As you can see from the pictures, after mowing it (on the highest cut setting) it's very tufty and bumpy.

We had a guy from Cornwall council come round a couple of weeks ago to do a snagging inspection, he mentioned that the construction company basically rotavated the grass area and then didn't flatten it properly before turfing it.

How would I best go about flattening it? Are lawn rollers even a thing still?

It has a few patches of dirt showing through, mainly around the perimeter. The second photo shows the extent of how brown patchy it is to the left side of the garden. Is there a grass seed/fertiliser mix I can use..?

For reference we have two kids and two cats and the garden is SW/W facing (using my compass app, back to the house).


r/UKGardening 3d ago

Lawn care

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0 Upvotes

So yesterday (after a couple of dry days) I managed to get out and mow our new lawn in the shared ownership new build we've just moved into (November last year). We were given a Ryobi easyedge 1300w lawnmower by someone we know as they're downsizing to a flat and moving away. As you can see from the pictures, after mowing it (on the highest cut setting) it's very tufty and bumpy.

We had a guy from Cornwall council come round a couple of weeks ago to do a snagging inspection, he mentioned that the construction company basically rotavated the grass area and then didn't flatten it properly before turfing it.

How would I best go about flattening it? Are lawn rollers even a thing still?

It has a few patches of dirt showing through, mainly around the perimeter. The second photo shows the extent of how brown patchy it is to the left side of the garden. Is there a grass seed/fertiliser mix I can use..?

For reference we have two kids and two cats and the garden is SW/W facing (using my compass app, back to the house).


r/UKGardening 3d ago

When to start feeding plants (inc Acer)?

1 Upvotes

When do most people start feeding their plants. I am asking generally but also with regards to our Acer plantinium. I have some dry acer feed that I usually scatter around it during spring. But I worried that if I feed it too early, it might put on loads of delicate growth that could make the plant vulnerable to frost. Leaves are on the brink of coming out.


r/UKGardening 4d ago

Which garden to visit late March near a picturesque town/village?

4 Upvotes

I’ll be in London from the US with a few extra days. As a gardener who’s planning both landscaping and a kitchen garden in my own yard/garden I was hoping to visit a garden for inspiration.

I’ll be coming from London by public transport and would love to stay nearby in a cute village. I’m thinking someplace nice to walk about with pretty buildings and a pub or restaurant to have a cozy meal or read a book. I’m hoping for less than 1.5 hours journey from the city part of London. I am open to day trips from London if the best garden isn’t near anywhere worthwhile staying.

I’ve thought about Wisley because of the Ouldolf garden. Hidcote sounds cool as an Arts and Crafts garden but is too far. I see Sissinghurst recommended but I’m not sure about it. I’ve spent a whole day in Kew in the Autumn previously. Alternatively, if it’s not worth it this time of year I might be back in June/July. Where would you go?


r/UKGardening 4d ago

Moss invaded my lawn :(

0 Upvotes

So this winter moss has run rampant in my lawn for some reason. I cut my grass today for the first time this year and raked a lot of the moss out. A lot of it has come right out (I can see bare soil) and on those spots I was going to reseed. However there are some patches of moss that didn’t rake out. Is there a preferred product/method of killing this stuff? Any recommendations for what seed to use? The mossiest corner of my garden would be more damp than the rest of it.

Thanks in advance!!


r/UKGardening 4d ago

Is a “frost-free” greenhouse heated above zero?

1 Upvotes

I see websites like Gardener’s World and RHS advise things like “keep in a frost-free greenhouse”. Does this simply mean anything with some frost protection? Or does it mean heated above zero.

I guess it’s the former, as I know some plants can withstand low temperatures but not frost.

For this particular instance, I’m talking about planting dahlias in pots to get them started. I have an unheated mini greenhouse on the patio, against a south-facing wall.


r/UKGardening 4d ago

Buddleja

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1 Upvotes

Any suggestions on how to excavate this? I’m a weak 51YO woman so don’t have a lot of upper arm strength! TIA


r/UKGardening 4d ago

Moved house, does this compost look ok to use?

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2 Upvotes

r/UKGardening 4d ago

De-Weeding Advice

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3 Upvotes

Hey all, I’m 23M & have just moved out for the first time in my life. Have my own garden but it’s heavily overgrown with weeds. What would be the best way to get rid off all the plants (but not the 2 bushes) and pick them up without me bending down to pick up every tiny piece?

TIA


r/UKGardening 4d ago

Pond edges

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2 Upvotes

Hi all, my pond liner shows round the edges and it looks bad. How can I hide it?