Gardening

[Hugo]

They are two very good garden centres and I hope that any new owners keep up the good standard.       I also hope that any new owner of Talgoed Nursery continue with those delicious breakfasts and don't hike up the price too.         

[Hugo]

I replanted a Common Spotted Orchid a couple of years ago.     It was growing in the middle of my lawn and I moved it to a spot at the back of the garden.   It has grown quite tall and I can only put it down to the fact that it is growing in the shade under a large tree.
Nearby, I have a plant called a Bear's Breeches and it's quite attractive but a bit spiky.  The new leaves are nice but as they grow they seem to get a mildew coating on them and then they look unsightly so I just cut them off.   Other people I've spoken to seem to have had the same problem with their plants

[SteveH]

Slugs and snails eating your plants? Here's what Alan Titchmarsh and Monty Don suggest
Katherine Mcphillips discovers four natural ways to protect summer blooms and tender crops

It can be disheartening to spend all year working on your garden to find your plants decimated by slugs and snails. This summer's mild soggy weather has provided the ideal conditions for the slimy creatures who just love all the tasty young growth.

There are a variety of natural ways to keep the ravenous pests at bay, according to horticultural experts.

cont https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/slugs-and-snails-eating-your-plants-heres-what-alan-titchmarsh-and-monty-don-suggest?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[Hugo]

Mrs H and I were talking about this subject this week, the wet conditions are perfect for slugs and snails.   We used to have loads of the black slugs in the garden, some as long as 6 inches in length but we haven't seen any here for years and we don't use slug pellets either
Perhaps it's the Badgers and the occasional Fox that visit our garden daily that have eaten them

[SteveH]

Cats are able to roam freely in our gardens but if you’re not a feline fan, you might be wondering how to keep them away.

Although they’re legally allowed to roam on our lawns and patios, sometimes you might wish they’d wander elsewhere.

If this is you, there are a few ways you can prevent cats from coming into your garden without causing them harm.

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/24481752.keep-cats-away-garden-without-hurting/

[Hugo]

I've seen some lovely, friendly cats about but I'm no fan of cats.   The smell when the Tom cat sprays on anything is awful but it's their hunting instinct I don't like.   They have killed a number of birds in my garden, but they don't kill them for food just killing them for the sake of it.
One brazen cat used to sit on my garden wall just under a bird feeder and wasn't bothered by the fact that we were in the sun lounge watching him.   It isn't a problem if we are home as we just open the door and let our dog out and he soon scares them off.     The problem arises when we are not there so I  recently bought something to stop the cat going on the wall.     It's like a plastic mat with spikes all over it, it won't cause any harm to the cats but it must be so uncomfortable for them as they have stopped sitting on the wall

[SteveH]

We have one that visits now and again, sprays in the same spot, and has caught a few of our garden birds, we use a lot of lemons, and  spread the rinds around the garden, under shrubs etc, it appears to have worked where it was spraying, fingers crossed.

[Hugo]

I planted a few Agapanthus in my window box a couple of years ago and the blue variety looks good this year but the white variety is a bit disappointing.
The yellow Begonia just adds a bit of colour to the steps

[SteveH]

September marks a seasonal shift and has "always been one of the best months", according to horticultural expert Monty Don. The garden is bathed in "golden light" as summer colour fades into the russets of autumn.

In his monthly blog, Monty has shared details about what needs doing outside. While weeding and deadheading roll on from month to month, there are also seeds to collect, before they disperse, then stored in a jar or paper envelope in the fridge – but never use a plastic bag, he stresses.

cont https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/monty-dons-bulb-lasagne-will-give-long-lasting-springtime-displays?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

Ivy can year-round interest in the garden but there's a catch – it's fiendishly difficult to remove for good. While ivy climbing up garden walls and scrambling over country houses is quite a romantic image, it can quickly get out of control and may cause permanent damage to brickwork.

It also has a tendency to throttle nearby plants and destroy anything in its path. “A few strands of ivy can look great in a garden,” said Chris Bonnett from Gardening Express, “but if English ivy starts to grow over leaves and plants, it can cause significant damage as they'll not be able to receive the nutrients they need from sunlight.”

cont https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/remove-stubborn-ivy-for-good-using-two-common-kitchen-ingredients?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

LLANDUDNO has been crowned the winner of Wales in Bloom's Best Coastal Town Award for 2024 in a bumper year for Conwy County Borough.

Colwyn Bay took the top prize for Large Town at the ceremony in Abergavenny, while Conwy won the Small Town honours amid a glut of awards for the region.

As well as the top coastal town prize, Llandudno also celebrated 'Outstanding' rankings in the 'It's Your Neighbourhood' category for the Friend's of Prince's Green, Friends of Queen's Park, Friends of St Tudno's Church, Friends of Penrhynside, Friends of Happy Valley and Friends of West Shore. 

cont / photos    https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/24587971.llandudno-colwyn-bay-conwy-take-top-prizes-wales-bloom/?ref=rss&IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[DaveR]

LLANDUDNO has been crowned the winner of Wales in Bloom's Best Coastal Town Award for 2024 in a bumper year for Conwy County Borough.

Colwyn Bay took the top prize for Large Town at the ceremony in Abergavenny, while Conwy won the Small Town honours amid a glut of awards for the region.

As well as the top coastal town prize, Llandudno also celebrated 'Outstanding' rankings in the 'It's Your Neighbourhood' category for the Friend's of Prince's Green, Friends of Queen's Park, Friends of St Tudno's Church, Friends of Penrhynside, Friends of Happy Valley and Friends of West Shore. 

cont / photos    https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/24587971.llandudno-colwyn-bay-conwy-take-top-prizes-wales-bloom/?ref=rss&IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

Unless the Judges were handing out prizes for the amount of weeds and litter around town, I find this difficult to believe!

[SteveH]

Do you keep killing your houseplants no matter how hard you try to look after them? You're not alone.

If you keep killing your indoor plants (no matter how much you love them), you might be making this common mistake.

Not everyone was born with the green-fingered gene but that doesn't mean we should stop trying!

Adding houseplants to your home can bring a little life into an indoor space but they can also be good for our wellbeing too..........

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/24597485.can-stop-houseplants-dying-mistake-avoid/

[SteveH]

Early autumn is the ideal time to browse seed catalogues and decide what to plant next year. But we all like something for nothing, and Monty Don has explained how to get "dozens of free plants" with a little effort this month.

Most summer flowers have had their last hurrah, leaving pots and borders in a rather sorry state. However, once they have finished blooming and the plants die back, you can save yourself a fortune by collecting and drying their seeds.

cont https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/monty-don-explains-how-to-get-dozens-of-free-plants-by-collecting-seeds?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[Hugo]

I had a lovely small dome shaped Maple tree in the garden that has started to lose its leaves.   The branches used to drape on the ground but now the tree looks more like an umbrella shape
The problem I found out is because our dog Teddy seems to enjoy breaking off the lower branches and playing with them afterwards.    I thought that he's grown out of this habit but obviously not.     I'll have to think of a way to stop him doing it and the temporary wire fence I erected around the garden has now become a permanent fence to stop him from escaping out