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Cats like nice soft soil that's easy to dig in to and room to manoeuvre, so you need to make this unattractive to them. What I do, although it doesn't look very nice, is chop up cheap old bamboo canes into about 1 foot lengths and push them into the ground about a foot apart or less with...

yes you can use that type of compost, anything that's gritty or sandy so allows quick drainage. It's a nice looking flower, also similar to another named one called 'Hamabo'. There are a number of varieties available like that grown from seeds or 'sports' where a shoot produces a different...

..it might be a bit late for this year as it should be done in July, but worth a try. Take 3-4 inch cuttings with a heel from non-flowering lateral shoots. Insert cuttings in sandy compost and preferably put in greenhouse as they need 16 deg C and overwinter in there. Pot up next Spring...

If it was mine, and I really wanted grass, I would get out the spade and dig all that ground over to one spade depth, turning the ground over and removing as much of the perennial weeds and other rubbish like large stones or whatever came up, as I could, putting it all in bin bags for the dump...

I'm going to disagree with the above post a little and tell you that you can take cuttings and very successful they can be, but it does depend somewhat on the rose. Old shrub roses, climbers and ramblers are better than modern highly bred hybrid teas as these are better grafted [as above post]...

..the shedding of leaves is normal for evergreen trees and shrubs, during Spring and Summer, they all shed leaves from time to time after turning reddish brown, nothing wrong with that. The shedding of bark is also a natural phenomena with Eucalyptus as with some other trees and is often an...

hi, even if newly planted, these are robust shrubs so it's unlikely you'll do any damage, especially at this time of year when they are growing well. If it was winter and freezing, it would be advisable to treat wounds but personally I've never bothered or felt the need to. Train them...

hello, yes you can. These shrubs are easily grown into small evergreen trees if you want, whereby you prune off all the lower branches to leave as much clear stem as you prefer, that way you can then plant underneath them too with some ground cover plants. They do make attractive small...

I'm not sure if you are planting your Acer in the ground or in a container. Whatever.... Acer's are lime tolerant and you see them all around the country now, so you could use multi purpose compost. However, they prefer an acidic soil [Acer Palmatum in particular], and in my experience...

hello, to propagate box, you should take cuttings, green ones, about 3-4 inches long in August or September and pot into equal parts peat/sand mix and put in cold frame/greenhouse. Following Spring they should have rooted and then you need to grow on in a nursery bed or individual pots for a...

without a photo or a better description it's going to be hard for us to know which plant it might be, but seedling Ash trees are notorious for germinating right against house walls, as well as everywhere else in the garden, Sycamore also. You wouldn't want any of these growing up near your...

a part of my garden is of a similar size and shape and it's amazing what you can grow in a narrow border. Mine are not much more than 18'' depth. No lawn, shingled interior with some paving. Keep the planting in proportion I would suggest, nothing huge that will take over, although this...

Hello, Birches grow bigger than the desired heights you mention, up to 30 foot or so over time but if you really want a Birch tree then for the most startling effect I recommend Betula utilis var. Jacquemontii which is fairly slim in outline but with the brilliant white trunk and branches...

...thank you again. At least I know what it is. I'm brushing it off gradually. It's bloomin' hard work :x ..... :)

..thank you John, I shall try a stiff brush first :)

thanks for replies, I'm very grateful for help. No it's not coming out of the mortar, just the bricks. A few bricks have turned pure white, others mostly patchy. It's very powdery to the touch. The mortar joints look fine. I'm wondering if it's salt leaching as posted above. There is no...

Hello, I have a small area of red brick wall at the front, west facing, about 6 foot long by 4 foot high, covering some steps [not part of house]. It's covered in some white stuff that seems like powder when rubbed with finger. It looks as if someone has come along with a paint brush and...

thanks for replies. I'll be getting it done in the Spring as there doesn't seem to be any control on the ones I have at the moment, it's either full on or off completely if I turn the knob fully. Just opening it a little and it's full on again. Didn't realise it was so much work though...

Could someone let me know how much it would cost to have thermostat controls put on eight radiators and what has to be done. many thanks

oh ok, I've heard of Mk, I'll get one of those. thanks again rocky, and everyone for your time :)