Which garden fertilizer should I use?

There's a lot of confusion about which fertilizer to use. My advice is to use a general purpose fertilizer. Why? Because general purpose fertilizers contain a raft of nutrients including a balanced amount of the three main nutrients:

1. Nitrogen (N) - for leafy growth


2. Phospherous (P) - for root development


3. Potassium (K) - for flowers and fruit production

I personally use formulated (inorganic) general purpose fertilizers. The equivalent organic general purpose fertilizer is blood, fish and bone mixes.

I personally use both slow release granules and soluble quick release formulated general purpose fertilizers.

However, if you are going to buy one fertilizer, I recommend buying a soluble quick release general purpose fertilizer for all your garden needs.

I also recommend always following the instructions on the fertilizer packaging.

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Good plant #67 - Calluna Vulgaris 'Wickwar Flame'

The most attractive feature of this Scottish heather is that its leaves turn a golden red-ish colour in autumn/winter. It also produces flowers which can start from July and keep going until nearly Christmas!

It is worth keeping this gorgeous heather in trim by pruning old flower stems to an inch or two above old growth in March or April. I use sharp scissors for pruning heathers and try to maintain shapely domes. Feed it with ericaceous fertilzer after pruning.

This plant must be planted in acidic fertile soil. The way to guarantee this is to dig a large planting hole and fill it with ericaceous compost and top soil that has no lime in it.

You can take cuttings in summer with material that hasn't produced flower stems.

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Good plant #66 - Ranunculus Ficaria

This a very floriferous shade-loving ground cover plant. Whilst it is best suited to moist conditions it will grow anywhere other than the sunniest and driest site.

I plant this around the feet of ferns, herbaceous perennials and deciduous plants because to brighten up the planting area in the early spring season.

This plant will propagate itself but can be divided as soon as the leaves appear in very early spring.

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Good plant #65 - Actinidia Kolomikta

This very hardy deciduous climbing shrub is grown for its unusual foliage, although it does produce small white flowers.

This plant is useful for covering walls, pergolas and dead trees. It will grow to 20ft plus in fertile conditions. If you grow this against a wall use a sturdy framework for the shrub to climb up. Tie in if necessary.

This plant will tolerate extremely poor, shallow and dry soil but prefers a sunny site. It performs well even when planted right up against a wall. I do feed this plant in early spring with a multi-purpose liquid feed on the soil around the roots but this may not be necessary.

The only pruning necessary is best done in late winter and should be restricted to any unwanted stems.

You can take cuttings in summer.

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Good plant #64 - Sorbus Sargentiana

This is a versatile, small-ish and bushy deciduous tree. It has three seasons of interest. In spring it produces compact clusters of white flowers. In autumn its leaves turn orange and red. In winter its large and brightly coloured clusters of orangey red berries hang in tact.

This is a great tree, even for a small garden. It will grow anywhere in any soil except for very boggy sites.

You can use the berry seeds or take softwood cuttings in early summer to propagate this tree.

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Good plant #63 - Sambucus Nigra 'Black Lace'

This plant has definitely got a wow factor. Its leaves are the darkest possible purple (almost black) which set off the frothy pink flowers perfectly.

It seems to grow in full sun or part shade and in any soil. I have seen it growing in the driest and sunniest positions and in quite boggy situations.

You can prune this to shape in early spring as much as you desire. For a very compact plant, you can prune to the ground (almost) or as little as you like.

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Good plant #62 - Gaura Lindheimeri 'Passionate Blush'

This plant seems to flower from the middle of summer right through to Christmas. A bit of an exaggeration but it does have a very long flowering season. Its unusual butterfly shaped flowers and red foliage make this a great plant for creating contrast in a border.

I suspect this plant is either a short-lived perennial or cannot withstand the very coldest winters here in Manchester.

It likes a sunny-ish site and fertile well-drained soil.

I am yet propagate this plant but suggest, you can probably take cuttings in early summer and divide it in spring (if it survives).

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Making a paved patio area the easy way

Laying a patio can be made easy by following these steps:

1. Choose your paving slabs - the bigger the less time involved

2. Plan out an area that can be laid with whole paving slabs (i.e. no cutting), allowing for a 5 inch gravel border near walls for drainage and a quarter inch for joints

3. Dig out the paved area to a depth of 2-3 inches plus the depth of your paving slab

4. Compact the sub soil as best you can

5. Spread a layer of sand and level it as best you can by scraping and tamping with a piece of wood - the level should be a little more than the depth of your paving slab

6. Place a row and column of paving slabs on the bed of sand to test and refine their final positions

7. When satisfied with the refined positions, lift a lay each paving slab in turn using five (or more) blobs of mortar on the sand, corresponding to each corner and the centre of your paving slab

8. Tap down each paving slab onto the blobs of mortar with a hammer and block of wood to the desired height and level

9. Insert quarter inch spacers between laid slabs and check levels regularly using a spirit level (and datum pegs)

10. Remove spacers and fill the gaps between the paving slabs by brushing a dry mortar mix in the gaps (only do in dry conditions)

You should not walk on this paving for 2-3 days.

If the paving is for more than just walking and recreation you need a sub-base of crushed and properly compacted stone before the sand layer.

Good plant #61 - Sedum Telephium 'Purple Emperor'

This striking herbaceous perennial loves sunny conditions and will tolerate very dry conditions. It will add contrast to most borders and is especially suited to a late flowering planting scheme.

If you plant this in too fertile soil, it will loose its shape. If you want a very compact shape you can prune this plant at the end of May to one, two or three sets of leaves. This will mean later flowering but a more compact shape. You can also prune only some shoots to extend the flowering season.

You can propagate by slicing a new shoot of the side with a bit of the root in Spring. The seeds work too, although they do not always look like the parent plant, which in my experience is exciting. I've had some really weird coloured specimens come through.

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Good plant #60 - Arabis Caucasica 'Snowcap'

This is a one the best evergreen ground cover plants for sunny dry sites. It produces a profusion of highly scented flowers white flowers as early as March which can last well into May.

It has a spreading habit, especially in fertile conditions. This makes it easy to propagate. In autumn, just shove your trowel through a clump and replant it.

I remove the seed pods with sharp scissors after flowering to to tidy the plant up.

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Good plant #59 - Centauraea Cyanus 'Dwarf Blue MIdget'

I like most cornflowers and especially dwarf varieties. Dwarf varieties are not as leggy and prone to wind damage.

Cornflowers are guaranteed to bring in beneficial insects and will reliably bloom and produce masses of seeds for the following year. In fact, once you got them, you'll have them for good unless you remove the seed heads.

This hardy annual can be sown in autumn or early spring where you want them to flower - ideally in a very sunny spot. I try to sow thinly and then spread them out to about 10" apart.

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Good plant #58 - Mecanopsis 'Lingholm'

This is an amazing herbaceous perennial poppy.. It is very hardy indeed, possibly because it is a native of the Himalayas!

It takes a while to get going but when it does, the flowers are awesome. It blooms in mid to late April and May which are sort of in between times i.e. in between the first spring flush and the summer bonanza. This makes it very useful.

This plant will only flower well in shady conditions in fertile and moist soil.

It can be propagated by its seed, although the new plants will take 2-3 seasons to flower. You can split mature clumps in very early spring and late autumn flowers may a take one to two seasons but they're worth the wait.

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Good plant #57 - Cotoneaster Horizontalis

This evergreen ground cover plant has got many uses.  I have seen it used to cover almost any site - the shadiest, driest, boggiest and poorest quality soil you could imagine.  I have seen it sculpted to create dramatic mounds.  In my sister's garden, the previous owners cleverly grew Clematis Montana var. rubens 'Pink Perfection' through it - a real spectacle.  It can hide fence panels.  It will grow under large trees and shrubs.

It produces flowers in late spring and berries in autumn.  It's best waiting until after flowering to prune as much or as little as you like.  However, I have hacked at (pruned to shape) cotoneaster at every time of the year with no long-term ill effects.  This is a very tough and prolific plant.

You can take cuttings in Autumn.

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Good plant #56 - Santolina Chamaecyparissus

This mound forming silvery-blue evergreen perennial is great for a sunny border.  It tolerates drought well and will maintain a very compact shape if pruned 'hard back' in spring.  This plant will produce a profusion of yellow pompom flowers in mid to late summer with a lighter pruning. I like this plant for it's compact shape and silver foliage not the flowers so I prune hard.

The picture shows it working well with an Alyssum 'Snow Carpet' under storey in a very sunny and dry border.

You can take cuttings from early summer.  If you want a compact shape prune back to new shoots near the base of the plant.  If you want more flowers, leave more new shoots further from the base of the plant.  Be careful panting this, it seems to dislike root disturbance.

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Getting rid of moss in your lawn

There are loads of causes of moss.  Common causes include; soil compactness (e.g. well-trodden areas), waterlogging, shadiness, soil infertility and drought.

Nick's Lawn

They key to getting rid of lawn moss is:

1. Recognising and dealing with the underlying cause(s)
2. Maintaining the lawn, remembering that lawns are one of the most (if not the most) demanding garden feature.

Dealing with causes

Soil compactness and waterlogging can be treated by aerating the soil.  I find hollow tining is the most effective method.  Shadiness can be overcome by removing the shade giving feature or using more shade tolerant grass seed or turf.  If shadiness is caused by a nearby tree, the soil will probably be infertile too.  Do not cut shady grass too short.  Infertility is overcome through using a lawn fertilizer. No prizes for guessing that watering overcomes drought conditions!

Maintenenace

Lawn maintenance includes:

• Mowing regularly in the growing season at the right height, using a sharp and well-set mower
• Watering in dry periods
• Scarifying and aerating in autumn and spring
• Applying moss/weed killer in spring, following the instructions very carefully
• Applying lawn fertlizer in spring and autumn
• Removing leaves from the surface

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Good plant #55 - Iris Reticulata 'Joyce'

This perennial flowering bulb is the earliest flowering spring bulb I have ever cultivated.  It comes out in late February (just before snowdrops) and unlike some irises it comes back year after year.

I recommend planting these in large groups in well-drained soil.  They prefer sunny sites.  They seem to increase in number (over several years) of their own accord.  If you want more I recommend buying more as the new bulbs from the parent bulb take years before they flower again.

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Good plant #54 - Coreopsis Grandiflora 'Early Sunrise'

This is a reliable and long and late flowering perennial that does best dry conditions.  It produces a neat clump of flowers (as good as most annuals) and if you keep removing the faded flowers, it keeps producing more until well into autumn.  A great prairie border plant.

I cut this plant back to the ground in spring and use slug deterrents, including garlic spray.  I give this plant a multi-purpose feed once new growth has started in spring to get it off to a good new start.

You can propagate by division in early spring.  There's a careful way of doing this but I just shove a spade through the middle of it, dig half out, backfill the hole with soil and replant the other half.  Brutal yes, but some plants are tough enough to handle it.

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Good plant #53 - Carex Morrowii 'Ice Dance'

This evergreen sedge has striking white edges to its leaves and is very versatile. It grows in full sun and almost full shade. Although sedges are said to like moist soils, this will tolerate very dry conditions as well. It is a rapid spreader and is easy to propagate.

It's only downside is how rapidly and widely it spreads in good soil. I recommend planting this in pots in the ground in poor-ish soil to restrict its growth to the desired clump size. After a couple of years, dig it up, split it and replant it in a pot again. Give the spare plants to friends or start a new colony in the garden. Try and find a location it wont grow!

If you have a difficult area (under a hedge/ tree) and need ground cover - give this one a whirl. It might surprise you.

In my opinion, although this sedge flowers in spring, the flowers spoil the look of the foliage and I remove them.

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Good plant #52 - Allium Holandicum 'Purple Sensation'

These are essentially large ornamanetal onion plants. Their statueque form and height make them perfect for any early summer flowering boder. Although the flowers don't last right through the summer, the seed heads are archtecturally interesting in themselves.

This plant likes sunny sites, well drained soil and some shelter from the wind. This plant propagates itself through bulblets and seeds. Both seeds and bulblets take years to flower. My advice is that if you like them buy more.

I have also noticed that alliums sometimes don't flower year after year but am not sure why - could be subtly changing soil conditions or underground pests.

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Good plant #51 - Lilium Asiatic 'Cevennes'

This hardy Asiatic lily will cheer up any warm coloured border.  My first lily was bought for me as a gift and I think it was this variety - there seem to be thousands of varieties! My own garden has at least 10 varieties - mostly names forgotten ;^).

It is very reliable and will produce more flowers year on year.  It likes any well-drained soil in a sunny spot.  To encourage flowers and bulbs to grow and split I feed with a multi-purpose liquid in spring.

I remove seed pods straight after each flower dies, so the plant's energy is not wasted on making ripe seeds.  The foliage, on its own, adds structure to a late summer and early autumn border.

To propagate simply lift, split and replant large bulbs in late autumn/ winter.  When you lift a lilly you can tell whether its ready to split because it looks like two or more bulbs.  You are just assisting nature.

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Good plant #50 - Rosa Gertrude Jekyll (Ausbord)

This is a good all-round rose shrub.  It is heavily scented with a classic rose fragrance.  It has a compact habit and with sensible pruning in spring, it flowers at the perfect height for viewing and smelling.  A perfect rose to put close to your front and back doors and near any seating area.

Like all roses, follow the golden rules:
http://greenshootsgardeningandhorticulture.blogspot.com/2011/03/roses-golden-rules.html

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Good plant #49 - Gazania 'Tiger Stripes'

Get the sun glasses out and put away your garden tools and watering can.  This is a very flamboyant front-of-border plant for the laziest gardener. It's great in pots.  It does well in dry sunny spots.

Provided you plant this in the sun and in anything but boggy soil, this annual plant will do the honours.  It almost thrives on neglect once established.  It prefers drier conditions.

There's little point propagating this as you can buy a load very cheaply, usually from May onwards in the garden centre.  If you get them earlier than May, you can buy more than 40 plug plants for less than a tenner!  If you do buy plug plants before May, they are prone to frost damage.  If frost is forecast, put a plastic cup over the plugs and with a bit of luck, they'll get through.

If you want to propagate this, you can collect the seeds (and plant the following year in late spring) or take cuttings in early summer before flowering.

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Good plant #48 - Symphyandra Pendula

Although I am not a fan of biennials, this plant is worth the wait.  Hundreds of white bell shaped flowers on a bushy  plant.  This is perfect for a sunny well drained border - even an alpine border.

I plant the seeds in a soil based compost in late April and they flower the next year.  This plant is a prolific self seeder and I just re-pot a few ready for next year.

Slugs don't seem to like this plant - yipee!

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Good plant #47 - Cypressus Macrocarpa Wilma

This evergreen conifer is as tough as old boots. It keeps its colour all winter, hardly scorches and almost grows into a perfect cone naturally.

This is the best conifer I've seen growing in a pot. Provided you use a soil based compost and some additional slow release fertilizer each year, it will happily romp away. My rule of thumb is a conifer will only grow above the soil to the same size as the volume of the pot i.e. if you want a big one use a big pot.

I prune this very gently with very sharp scissors on an overcast or even rainy day during the summer. This removes the risk of any scorch. Pruning is a very pleasant task as this tree has a very strong lemon scent.

I don't propagate this tree because it is so cheap to buy from almost any garden centre, nursery or DIY store. This plant will grow anywhere in my experience but will do best in a sunny-ish site. Water new plants a lot in the growing season and use buckets full of water during dry periods for potted trees however mature.

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Good plant #46 - Weigela Florida 'Rubidor'

This is a very floriferous and tough deciduous flowering shrub.  Flowers are borne on arching branches. Left to its own devices, it will grow over 6ft in height.  However, it performs best with regular hard pruning after it has had its first major flush of flowers.  Once established, cut all branches to promote growth to the desired shape.  Remove aged branches back to the ground..  You can prune back each branch to as little as one or two leaf buds   Flowers grow on the previous year's growth.  More previous year's branches equals more flowers.

If you buy a really small specimen, you can shape it to get a really compact dome by pinching out the growing tips of each branch at regular intervals.  Prolific flowering may take an extra year but the results are worth it.

I think this plant does best in sunny-ish site but it will grow anywhere and in most fertile soils.  You can even grow it in a large pot if you keep it moist, use a soil based compost and feed it. 

You can do cuttings in summer (after the main flush of flowers) and autumn.

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