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I think you have been given some great advice here. One further thing is not to forget to pay income tax and NI contributions and, if possible, put some of your income away towards a pension. You are required by law to keep books regarding your earnings, outgoings etc. It’s a good idea to put a...

The shrubs in your borders ought to be able to withstand dry periods without feeling too much stress as their roots will be deeper. So you won’t need to water them every week, unless you’ve just put them in and this is their first season. Bedding plants, are, of course, a different issue as...

What you should do is relieve any compaction in the patches with a garden fork. Stick the fork in about 4 or 5 inches and wiggle it from side to side just to loosen it up. Get rid of any big stones or dead matter. You can then use a rake until you have a nice crumbly surface. Water it and drop...

This is the reason why it is advisable to plant shrubs in autumn. By the time spring comes the root system will already have developed and the plant will be in a far better position to send out shoots and roots during the very busy spring. At the moment your shrubs have to develop their root...

"what are you using? I've just applied lawnsand and am wating for the moss to finish blackening up. I also intend feeding and reseeding, but am not sure what to go for. Went to the garden centre and was overwhelmed by the choice. Any recommendations anyone?" Any brand of lawnfood that is...

Funnily enough I received this e-mail from Rolawn today on this very subject. It's a few years now since I scarified my lawn but it is well worth the effort. Stan "Scarification is a very important operation. In spring (and autumn for that matter) scarification is best combined with other...

Don’t even think about using a roller. If the ground was levelled properly before the lawn was laid then you should have a perfect level lawn. If it wasn’t then get them back to sort out any bumps and hollows. I say ‘should have’ because turves can vary in thickness by small amounts but this...

I'll second that answer. I had a similar problem a few years back and dug in loads of horticultural sand and well rotted horse manure. After you have done this you can walk over the whole area, putting the weight on your heels, to compact it so the new lawn will not sink after you have...

Lawnsand is sold in my local B&Q and Homebase plus countless garden centres not a million miles from where I live. It doesn't have any other name and any 'make' will be effective if applied properly. Stan

Look for "Exterior Range" on the Sadolin website. As for stockists in Ireland then why not send an e-mail via the website. Stan

I think you have received good advice so far but a couple of points you may want to consider (apologies if already mentioned) are: 1) Why bother mixing the top dressing yourself when you can buy it from all good garden centres, and some bad ones! If you do want to mix it yourself for a...

You ought to have cut it before now. Anyway, that being the case, first cut should be made with the blade(s) set high as it not a good idea to remove more than about 25% of the grass height with the first cut. Any more than this will result in a yellowish looking eyesore. Evidence of this can be...

Try Sadolin Exterior Grade Woodstain. I used this on four fence panels about five years ago and they look the same today as the day I did it. Absolutely brilliant stuff. Normal cheap creosote will fade in months. Mind you it is expensive - £40 for a 5 litre tin - but cheaper in the long run as...