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  • Re: small tree for scotland

    Forum post by Florriebunda on 15 Jan 2012

    Hope you find something nice, Morven. How about a crab apple, which would give you great blossom, fruit for jelly and maybe good autumn colour depending on the variety? But whatever you plant, I'd stake it well in case of future gales! We were up in Scotland during that storm and it was pretty wild. Good luck! Read more..

  • Re: small tree for scotland

    Forum post by Florriebunda on 12 Jan 2012

    For real membrillo you need one of the "real" quinces (Cydonia) - see http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Fruit-A-to-Z/Quinces-(1 ). Sounds like you might just get away with one, especially in an urban environment, though as Kaydee says it's a bit of a long shot. The flowering quinces (Chaenomeles) do produce fruit, and they can be used to make membrillo, but you won't get the full flavour. They are more decorative, though! Read more..

  • Re: A garden in a basement

    Forum post by Florriebunda on 01 Jun 2011

    Bergenia is another possibility, and sarcococca (Christmas Box). It might be possible to raise the light levels a little by painting some of the walls white, to reflect what light there is. Read more..

  • Re: Ground elder - HELP!!!

    Forum post by Florriebunda on 01 Jun 2011

    Hello jangle, glyphosate will do a reasonable job on ground elder, though you may need more than one application - the black polythene shouldn't be necessary. Alternatively the pig would work well, if you could accomodate one. I know of a large garden that was completely overgrown, including by mature trees, and which was totally cleared by a small herd of pigs! Read more..

  • Re: Hacquetia epipactis - where to buy it

    Forum post by Florriebunda on 27 May 2011

    Welcome, Coco. The Plant Finder is good for this sort of thing - see http://apps.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/index.asp . It lists four nurseries in Scotland which stock it, and I dare say several of those in England will do mail order. Good luck! Read more..

  • Re: Mystery Tree

    Forum post by Florriebunda on 24 May 2011

    Becky, although Phot's-Moll's links show some truly tremendous wisterias, you don't have to let it get that big! It can take up a lot of wall space, but you can keep it cut back to a much smaller size. Mine is at least 20 years old and only spreads about 10ft. It's naturally a climber, and is traditionally grown against a wall; you'll need strong wires for it to climb on (don't use wooden trellis, which isn't strong enough). Don't worry about the roots - they won't Read more..

  • Re: ADVICE/ INFO NEEDED

    Forum post by Florriebunda on 21 May 2011

    Beetroot is good roasted. Cut off the leaves (yes, I think Nigel's right, you can eat them I believe, but I've never tried it either), leaving the beets themselves untouched. Scrub the beets and put in a roasting tin while you're cooking something else in the oven - takes about an hour or more, but you get lovely sweet beetroot. Peel before eating, obviously. Verbena - isn't that an annual? Watch out for frosts, but you should be ok putting them out now. Read more..

  • Re: Sick/Dying Eucalyptus Tree

    Forum post by Florriebunda on 19 May 2011

    I've never grown eucalyptus, but I know that flower arrangers who do often keep it cut right down to a stump. The leaves of the young shoots are quite different (round) from the mature ones (long and thin) and generally considered to be more decorative. It looks like it's a risky thing to do unless the tree is still fairly young, though -- see http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=136 . Read more..

  • Re: restoration of a garden

    Forum post by Florriebunda on 19 May 2011

    That matches my distant recollections exactly. We also had hydrangeas and lilacs, and roses - hybrid teas / floribundas, and always planted with bare soil around (none of the mixed planting you get now) - but maybe that was because we had very poor soil. "Queen Elizabeth" and "Peace" were both popular, and good representatives of that era. Oh, and Michaelmas daisies (the ones that always got mildew). I have to say, we're much better off now! Read more..

  • Re: What to do with ash, compost???

    Forum post by Florriebunda on 16 May 2011

    Dandelions will compost satisfactorily, but make sure that there aren't any flower/seed heads on the plants if you do it. The roots will rot away nicely. The bindweed and couch shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the compost bins and you've done the right thing! Eva, I must try your suggestion, thanks. I have a lot of ash from burning logs in the winter and am always looking for a good way of using it up! (I have put some inthe compost bin and it didn't seem to do any harm, Jay, so Read more..