Weed control: Hoe, hoe, hoe!

Stay chemical free with regular soil cultivation, says AG gardening editor Kris Collins

Do it less frequently and soil is harder to work, and annual weeds may have time to flower and seed.

Resource: amateurgardening.com

Weed control: Patios and paving

Keep patios, paths and drive weed free with top tips from AG gardening editor Kris Collins

Allow weeds to mature in the joins between patio slabs or block paving and it can be a real problem to remove them by hand. With no room to dig out tap roots, perennial weeds will likely return soon after pulling off or scraping away top growth.

Over time, regular removal of the re-growth will weaken the plant, eventually killing it, but if you don’t mind using chemicals, the fastest route to a weed-free patio or path is to reach for a systemic weedkiller. These are absorbed by the plants and carried down to the roots to prevent any re-growth occurring. Apply these on a dry day, when there is no wind to blow spray on to plants or into neighbour’s plots. One spray usually does the job but a second may be needed.

Regular attention to hard surfaces will prevent the need for chemical sprays. I’ve just tried the Burgon & Ball “Compact” Miracle Block Paving Brush  (inset) and was impressed with how easily the rows of wire bristles scraped away moss and young weed seedlings. Established weeds that had slipped my notice were easily prised out with the attached weeding knife.

Resource: amateurgardening.com

Weed control: beds and borders

Keep bedding and border displays weed free this season with top tips from AG gardening editor Kris Collins

Aim to dig out weeds growing in border soils unless you’re faced with persistent weeds that re-grow from bits of root left in the ground (ground elder, bindweed and couch grass spring to mind) .

Digging is eco-friendly, cheaper, and it removes the risk of damaging other plants with accidental spray drift. I tried for two years to rid a garden of couch grass this way, but it kept returning. The only way to control it was by spraying (inset).

Heavy clay soils also make it difficult to dig out weeds without leaving roots in the ground, and again, sprays may be needed for total control. But if soils are easily workable it should be possible to lift even the longest tap roots of dandelion from the soil with a bit of careful digging.

If planting a new border this season consider laying down a weed control fabric, but as the pic above shows, weeds can still grow through!

Resource: amateurgardening.com

Build a house for Mason bee

Michelle shows you how to make a bee hotel for Mason bees

Carefully saw a 36 x 4 x 1/2in (105 x 10 x 1.5cm) plank of untreated wood into 2 x 12in (30cm) lengths and 2 x 8in 20cm lengths

Drill two holes into the edges of each 12in (30cm)  piece and attach the 8in (20cm) pieces using 11/4in (3cm) No 8 wood screws (as above)

Cut hollow plant stems such as bamboo (above) into 4in (10cm) lengths.  Sand off splinters

Stand the wooden frame on its side, and stack the bamboo lengths inside. When the final ones go in, they will ‘lock’ together

Hang the box by picture or mirror fixing hooks onto a sunny fence, sheltered from strong winds and rain and near a food source for the female bee

Resource: amateurgardening.com

Raking is gardeners ‘most hated’ chore

Raking is gardeners’ most hated outdoor task – with Brits ranking it as a never-ending chore.

Over 500 gardeners were asked to identify the task they least looked forward to. 

Behind raking came tidying-up the garden and trimming hedges, in second and third place respectively.

A spokesman for GardeningExpress.co.uk, which carried out the study, said: “It’s no surprise to see some of the more strenuous tasks coming near the top.

“Trimming hedges, digging and chopping down trees all require energy and stamina and can easily be among the tasks you put off. But once complete you feel good and the garden looks great.”

One survey respondent said: “I seem to spend endless autumn days raking. As soon as I think I’ve finished, more leaves seem to fall.”

GARDENERS’ TOP 10 MOST HATED TASKS

1. Raking leaves (21%)

2. Tidying (16%)

3. Trimming hedges (13%)

4. Digging (12%)

5. Pruning overgrown trees (11%)

6. Weeding (10%)

7. Pruning shrubs / plants (8%)

8. Cutting the grass (4%)

9. Planting (3%)

10. Watering (2%)

Resource: amateurgardening.com

The two-fingered gardener

The weather for the last few days has certainly kept me on my toes! rain, sun, gales, cloudy and chilly. What ever is a gardener to do? Still my tomatoes, tomatillos, chillies and strawberries, all of which are in the greenhouse are all looking healthy and growing fast. Maybe I should live in there for a bit, see if I grow too!

Read more at 

During the good spells I’ve been tending to my new Forest Garden Accessible Gardening raised beds ( You probably read about the installation in AG 4 May) I’m always happy working with these on the patio just pottering about, pulling up a few weeds, (though you don’t get many growing in a new raised bed!), doing a little deadheading – another job that I used to find hard. James disliked it too as he used to have the glamorous job of following me around and picking up all the debris. Not anymore, now I can deadhead away and pick up the dropped bits as they are now all at my level. No bending, no searching about in the borders – excellent! These raised beds really have changed my ability to garden. Whenever I choose to I can go out on my own and not leave a whole host of havoc behind me. The raise coldframe in the range has been a real boon this year. No more do I have to drop precious seedlings into a floor frame from a standing position – though being only 4 foot 9, I could never drop anything from a that great height but I’d still damage a fair few plants and had to sow more than I needed as I knew some would not survive the drop. Now I can be a careful loving gardener and gently place my trays in the coldframe. A bonus now of course is I no longer have to over sow everything, so I am saving seeds and money too.

Giving these raised beds a trial has set me off down another path too. I have been sent some amazing products for disabled, less mobile, older and any gardener really. I am having the time of my life and it is all down to Kris at Amateur Gardening for taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunity to write for the magazine in the first place. Next week I’ll let you know about a motorised wheeled, garden sprayer that allows me to independently water all my new planters. Stay tuned.

Resource: amateurgardening.com

Scientist creates grass-free flowering lawns

A scientist has created what could be the most environmentally-friendly lawn in the country – but your kids won’t be able to play football on it.

Lionel Smith, a PhD researcher at the University of Reading’s School of Biological Sciences, is championing a new concept of ‘grass-free lawns’.

Lionel and his flowering lawn

Instead of laying turf or putting down grass seed, Lionel uses perennial forbs: soft-stemmed plants that spread without using seed and live for longer than two years.

And he says that a “little bit of walking” on a flowering lawn will even help it grow.

Lionel told AG: “It’s an idea I first came up with during the big drought of summer 1976.

“We came back from holiday and everything had died. The borders and grass were dead. But all the wildflowers were in flower.”

Gardeners who want to experiment with flowering lawns should opt for ornamental cultivars of British natives, Lionel advised.

Good species to start out with include red-flowered daisies (bellis), white-flowered buttercups (ranunculus) and bronze-leaved bugle (ajuga).

Flowering lawns, it’s claimed, need mowing three to nine times per year – that’s two-thirds less than the 20 to 30 cuts required for conventional lawns.

Grass-free lawns should not exceed 3.5in (9cm), or they will turn into a meadow.

Lionel added: “A lot of [traditional] laws don’t see anything but a mower, or occasionally someone walks on them. They’re susceptible to diseases and drought and their biodiversity and ecosystem is extraordinarily low.

“They need raking, cutting, feeding and watering – a lot of resources are thrown at them.”

Lionel’s belief in “flowering lawns” has led to the creation of the world’s first grass-free lawn in Notting Hill, London.

His trial lawns have never been fertilised, and apart from two waterings when they were laid, they haven’t needed irrigation.

Resource: amateurgardening.com