Cordless leaf blowers (also known as battery powered lead blowers), offer users a number of advantages over other types of leaf blowing machines. If you are looking for the best leaf blower, a cordless model might be the best choice for you – especially if you have a fairly small area to clear and you …
How do you choose an electric mower? Are you looking for a new electric lawn mower – may be as an upgrade from an older model or because you’ve got your own lawn to mow for the first time. Either way, an electric lawn mower will suit you if you have a relatively small lawn, …
Tomato plants will keep growing as long as you let them, and as long as they are not hit by frost. But, as you get towards the end of the growing season, you may find that your tomatoes won’t ripen and turn red. In this article, we look at 7 ways to help you get …
Images of the Different Dahlia Varieties If you are interested in growing dahlias, for your garden or for cut flowers, it is not always easy to understand all the different dahlia varieties that are available. This is not surprising since there are about 30 dahlias species and 20,000 different dahlia cultivars. This amount of variety …
Dahlia pinnata plant notes Family Dahlia pinnata is in the Asteraceae (or Daisy) family. Plant Type Tuberous, herbaceous perennial, with pinnate leaves, striking flowers. Soil Type Prefers moist but well drained soil. read more on soil type here → Aspect Plant in full sun. Eventual Size Varies according to cultivar. Typically between 70 to 120 …
Organic weed removal principles As we’ve covered in the other parts of this series, weeds are super-plants that have found ways to dominate their environment and continue their presence in it over time. Thus, weeds develop roots systems that are hard to eradicate and from which new plants can spring up, they grow and set …
What is a dahlia tuber? Let’s start by clarifying the slightly misleading headline to this post and, in the process, clear up some important questions about dahlia tubers and bulbs. First, there is no difference between what people commonly call dahlia tubers and dahlia bulbs. The important point here is that the weird potato-like structures …
Before we think about how to grow dahlias, we might ask ourselves why should we grow dahlias?’ In other words, do dahlias repay the attention that we are required to give to them? According to the late Christopher Lloyd, whose Great Dixter garden featured multiple dahlia cultivars, dahlias are best in in late summer, when …
So, why should weeds be removed from our gardens? In the other posts in this weed control series, I’ve written about what weeds are and made the point that, fundamentally, weeds are like any other plant in the garden. So, if that is the case, why do we need to get rid of weeds? If …
This post answers the critical question: how do plants grow? We also cover the different parts of plants. We explain how those parts contribute to plant growth and why all of this matters to the gardener. For most people gardening is about plants. Admittedly, features like paths, walls, fences and decks play part in creating …
It’s hard to overstate how important it is for gardeners to understand the soil in their garden. The soil dictates the kind of plants that you can grow and has a huge bearing on how well your plants will grow once you have selected them. As indicated in our introduction to garden soil, perhaps the …
What is deadheading and why should you deadhead dahlias? Taking care of dahlias involves the usual necessities of feeding, watering and mulching. But another question you may ask yourself is do you deadhead dahlias as well? The answer to that question is am emphatic yes! To get prolonged and repeat flowing, you definitely need to …
Bamboo is undoubtedly one of my favourite plants. I almost always use bamboo in the gardens I create. Bamboo has striking presence. It can be used as a specimen plant – a star in the border, like this phyllostachys nigra – or as a wonderful screen. Learning how to grow bamboo for the garden is …