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  • bark mulch instead of gravel garden??

    Forum post by abigail on 12 Apr 2006

    I want to get rid of the lawn in our tiny back garden and have circle of gravel with cottage-gardeny planting round it - my husband says gravel isnt very baby/toddler-friendly (we're having a baby in aug so it will be crawling while we still live here.) he says he'd like bark chippings instead, because it's softer for falling on. i've never seen it used except in playgrounds and as mulch in borders and I'm sceptical where i find it ugly though practical. could it look good? Has anyone seen this use Read more..

  • Re: Hose pipe exemption?

    Forum post by abigail on 12 Apr 2006

    I don't think members of a club should have exemption but yes disabled and elderly gardeners should. And I'm 6 months pregnant and the idea of carrying water round the allotment fills me with dread. maybe i'll use a wheelbarrow to carry the watering can. Also find it annoying that people can wash drives and patios, fill swimming pools etc - but maybe this doesn't account for much of our water use in this country. Read more..

  • Re: Gardening dilemma

    Forum post by abigail on 18 Oct 2005

    Are there any allotments near you? (if ur not in the uk and have no idea what i'm on about just say!) You don't own them but they are yours for as long as you want them, no mortgage! I have one the size of a suburban garden for about £30 a year. You can have up to 5 plots I think. There aren't many true bargains around, but allotments are one. Read more..

  • Re: Garden Pond Ideas

    Forum post by abigail on 18 Oct 2005

    Yes plants do look nice and can be cheap/free - and you might get frogs. Geraniums (outdoor ones not pelargoniums) and lady's mantle (alchemilla mollis) are good - they bush out v quickly and cover the edge. Campanula also works well round my mum's pond. They all grow fast. Irises, crocosmia, anything with tall spiky leaves look nice mixed in i think -like natural pond-edge plants. These are all plants you can probably get for nothing from fellow gardeners . Anyone who has them can dig up a bit of Read more..

  • Re: glass bottle paving

    Forum post by abigail on 18 Oct 2005

    Now it's winter time and there's less growing work to do I think I'll test a small area with glass paving. If it's slippery, I'll take it out. (by the way, not seen much blue glass though it would be nice. I've got green) thanks for all the tips and advice. Read more..

  • Re: butternut squash

    Forum post by abigail on 12 Jul 2005

    It'll probably be be fine timewise - last year I grew squash and marrow in august, - the marrow did very well but the squash just didn't like it. I think now will be early enough though - they grow so quickly when they're in good conditions. this year i got them in early, but my mistake I think is to plant them out when they're too small. so my tip for you (and for myself as well!) is to leave them till they're really sturdy before you plant them out. I've noticed other gardeners who did that (at Read more..

  • Re: SLUG-FREE PLANTS

    Forum post by abigail on 12 Jul 2005

    slugs seem to go for different things in different gardens - mine don't touch the lettuces but eat the artichokes, which are a kind of thistle... but they difinitely don't seem to eat tough leaves like irises, lavender, gladioli, crocosmia. hairy leaves too as someone said - lychnis coronaria, verbascum. and they don't seem to do much harm to the marguerites I've got either. also try things with too many leaves to finish off - like lady's mantle, outdoor geraniums (well and the indoor kind as well Read more..

  • Re: glass bottle paving

    Forum post by abigail on 05 Jun 2005

    good idea - I'll get drinking! Read more..

  • Re: glass bottle paving

    Forum post by abigail on 26 May 2005

    Think I'll try this bottle idea out on a small roundish area which isn't much of a thoroughfare, so slipping shouldn't be a problem (+if it goes wrong won't take too long to dig out again.) atm it's scruffy couch grass with loads of stones in it. I think even uneven bottles with weeds growing thorugh would look better and be easier to maintain! Read more..

  • Re: glass bottle paving

    Forum post by abigail on 23 May 2005

    oh and for your retaining wall, could you do something with those chicken wire cages that people fill with stones to make retaining walls on roads and railways? only bottles instead of stones. Read more..