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10% OFF EVERY order placed online £20 worth of Van Meuwen Vouchers Exclusive members only deals Join NowHi Vera, the Japanese Painted Fern remains green for at least the first year, only developing the beautiful colours as it matures. As with many ferns it is quite slow-growing and reaches a mature height of only 30cm. Japanese painted ferns like a dappled shade position and a moist soil. They also benefit from lots of organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure being added to the soil or as a mulch around the plant. This will provide nutrients for your fern as well as helping to retain moisture in the soil. Provided you give your fern these ideal growing conditions you should see improved growth next season and hopefully more leaf colour in future years!
With regards to your lilies, it is possible to have up to 10 flowers per bulb if they are given optimum growing conditions. Make sure the bulbs are planted deeply enough (3 times their own depth) as they form extra 'feeder' roots along the buried stems. This also protects them in very hot weather. Also make sure they are spaced at least 15cm apart (6in) to give them room to develop. Lilies will flower best in a sunny position and benefit greatly from being fed at the beginning of the growing season (April/May) up until the leaves yellow and die back (September/October). This not only provides nutrients for this season's flowers but will ensure they have enough reserves in the bulb for better flowering the next year. From your picture it looks as though your lilies have competition from a small conifer and a climbing morning glory. Both these plants will take nutrients out of the soil and the leaves of the climber will compete for light with the lily leaves. They would perform much better if planted up in their own pot. I hope this helps Vera, I'm sorry you were disappointed with your plants this year. Hopefully with a little more pampering your plants will perform well next year.
Hi Stephen, unfortunately there is no easy solution to this! Female dog urine is high in ammonia and is quite acidic, causing the grass to burn. The best solution is to water the areas your dog urinates in immediately afterwards to dilute and wash away the urine. It may also be worth talking to your vet as there may be a product suitable for your dog which could reduce the effects of the urine on the grass. There are products available such as 'dog rocks' which you place in your dog's water bowl and which reportedly stop the burning effect.
It's best to carry out repairs on your lawn in the autumn as the weather is cooler. You can use either turf or seed. Neatly cut out a square around the area which is damaged and remove the damaged grass with a spade. If you're using turf to repair the lawn then lightly fork over the base of the gap and simply place the new turf over the area, cutting it to size. Make sure you place compost or a sandy lawn dressing into the crevices between the new turf and the existing lawn as this will help make the repair seamless. Water thoroughly and maintain watering if the weather is hot. If you're using seed, make sure you sprinkle some top soil or compost over the existing soil after lightly forking it. Then just follow the sowing instructions on the packet. It can be hard to keep a pristine garden when you have dogs, but hopefully you will find a happy medium! Let us know how you get on Stephen.
Hi Chris, it sounds as though your tomato plant has just started flowering in earnest! The Tumbling Tom tomatoes are a bush or basket variety so don't need pruning as would be normal practice for cordon tomatoes. All branches and flowers on a bush variety can be left to develop. Mine are in the same situation at the moment and are producing lots of flowers but so far only a few green fruits. Tomatoes need a certain amount of warmth to thrive and their growth has probably slowed due to the cooler and darker weather we've had recently. Hopefully we will be getting some more warm and sunny days as we head into August! Good luck Chris, we'd love to see a photo of your Tumbling Toms when they're ready.
Hi Rita, I find myself in the same situation! Beetroot can stand well if left in the ground - some varieties are better than others for this (I am growing 'Boltardy'which seems to be doing well). Leaving them in the soil can be risky if you have a variety of beetroot prone to bolting (flowering) or a variety which becomes woody if left in the ground for too long. If you're not sure it may be best to harvest them now.
When you harvest your beetroot remove the leaves by twisting them off about an inch above the bulb, rather than cutting, as cutting encourages the beetroot to bleed sap and go soft. Also gently rub off any soil on the beetroot. Beetroot needs to be stored in a dark cool place - refrigerator temperatures are ideal. They store best if placed in a box lined with damp (not wet) sand or sawdust. Lay them over the damp material so they are not touching and place more damp sand or sawdust on top, adding further layers if needed. It's a good idea to keep checking the beetroot every so often in case of rotting. Otherwise they will normally keep all through the winter if stored like this. You can also cook, slice and then freeze or pickle your beetroot. I hope this helps Rita, let us know how you get on.
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