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Posts Tagged ‘find a gardener<’
It’s a lovely time of the year, as the long dark nights make way for warmer, sunnier days. The cherry blossom season is over for another year, but the local fields and woods and paddocks are full of bluebells, primroses and lots more besides. Here are some tips and a few secrets for getting your own garden looking like a piece of paradise. In fact, now is a good time to find a gardener right here on Mr-Skill, while you sit back and admire their handiwork!
Diary Tips for This Week of Spring
- This is a good time to apply a weed and feed mix to established lawns. Water in well with a hose after a couple of days too, if it doesn’t rain.
- Deadhead old daffodil flowers, but let the leaves die back naturally.
- Now is the time to plant up ponds with aquatics to help oxygenate the water.
- The time is also right to apply a good fertilizer feed to your roses.
- As your primula and polyanthus plants finish flowering, lift and divide them.
- If you have any orchids, April is the main flowering month for most of these exotic bulbs.
- This is a also good time to plant evergreens such as laurel, otherwise known as the bay tree, and renowned for the delightful aroma imparted from the leaves to meat dishes.
Brief Interlude
Why you may not need to go to the expense of re-landscaping, why not get a garden quote for servicing your lawn mower and edge trimmer. They are both going to be in high demand shortly, so you need to have them in tiptop condition. Just like a car, regular maintenance is important for all mechanical or electrical garden tools.
The Secret’s Out 
Claire, our avid London gardener, suggests that you keep a watchful eye on the weather forecast. Frost is still a distinct possibility, and she suggests covering the more sensitive shrubs with sacking or garden fleece just to be safe – as she does her face in sunshine too.
Resist the urge to buy and plant your summer flowers, unless you plan to keep them in your greenhouse. As she says, frost is no stranger to your garden, even as late as May here in the UK.
And finally, do tidy up dead leaves and garden rubbish. If you don’t, you will be providing free accommodation for snails, slugs, weevils and woodlice, and before you know it, disease and infection will strike.
Tags: bluebells, daffodils, exotic, feed, find a gardener, flowers, Garden, garden quote, gardener, laurel, lawn, lawn mower, london gardener, orchid, pond, primroses, rose, slug, snail, split, spring, trimmer, water, weed, weevils
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Spring has “sprung”, well at least according to the weather people. Clocks will advance an hour at midnight on the last Saturday of March. Suddenly, we will view everything in a better light – literally! And that includes our precious lawns that have survived another cold dark winter with little or no help from us.
It’s time to make amends. Although lawn mowing may seem a long way off, we do need to prepare the grass for those delightful months ahead. Of course, if this all sounds too strenuous, you could always find a gardener on Mr-Skill, and then sit back and enjoy the benefits.
What You Will Need
- Large garden fork, weeding tool and hose pipe
Weeding
Weeding is an important aspect of lawn care. Just as the grass is starting to grow, so too are the weeds in the lawn. They affect the appearance of the turf, showing up as dark green clumps in an otherwise-perfect lawn. Weeds also compete with the grass for water, and can prevent nutrients from reaching and feeding the roots.
Removal is fairly simple. Use the weeding tool to prise the weed and its roots out from the soil. Early spring is the right time to do this, because weeds will not yet have formed seeds.
Aerate and Fertilise
Using the garden fork, spike the soil with a downward motion, going as deep as you possibly can. Now, jiggle the fork back and forth, by placing your foot on the metal fork head and your hands on the fork handle and stem. The more you spike, the better the aerating action. After you finish, you can fertilise according to the supplier’s instructions.
Sowing Seeds and Watering
Scatter your preferred grass seed, again according to the instructions. Then water the area using a hand-held hose with adjustable nozzle. Water regularly until the spring rains take over, and a lovely lawn will greet you.
Our London Gardeners have one tip for every avid lawn enthusiast – now’s the time to check your mower and have it serviced. Isn’t it great to see promising signs of life in the trees and grass again?
Tags: clocks foward, daylight, daylight saving, fertiliser, find a gardener, fork, Garden, gardening quote, green grass, lawn, london gardeners, perfect lawn, roots, seeds, sowing, spike, spring, summer, turf, water, weeds, winter
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The Royal Horticultural Society seems endlessly full of good ideas to make Britain even lovelier. This year, it’s inviting the nation’s schoolchildren to commit to sowing wildflowers as their contribution to the Golden Jubilee. Right now they’re inviting applications  from kids for free packs of seeds. This is what to do with them, after they arrive.
- Find a site where you’d love to see summer come alive, with a riot of poppies, marigolds, chamomile, cockles and cornflowers. The best place to sow them would be moist, wind-free, and benefiting from four hours of sunshine a day.
- If the area you choose is full of weeds and stones, you may wish to Find a Gardener here to prepare the soil for you this mid-March. If the quality of the earth is poor, ask them to dig in some well-composted material or a balanced fertiliser while they’re at it.
 Dispose of any weeds that appear in the weeks that follow. The ideal sowing period is mid-April. Sow later than that, and the young plants may shrivel in the heat of summer. The society’s seed packs are good for 10m2. Stick to that – enjoy this great show of colour.
London Gardeners recommend placing a scarecrow in the middle of your field to keep scavenging birds away from seeds.
Now that would make an interesting weekend project, would it not?
Tags: april, chamomile, children, cockle, colour, compost, cornflower, fertiliser, find a gardener, flower, gardening quotes, kids, london gardeners, march, marigold, moist, poppies, prepare, project, R.H.S., RHS, royal horticultural society, scare crow, scarecrow, seed, site, sowing, stone, sun, weed, weekend, wide free, wild, wildflower, wind
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It may not feel quite like it yet, but with the Winter Solstice passed on December 21st, the days are getting longer and Nature has already begun to react. Plants have increased their growth in accordance with the available ambient light, and already bulbs are  gently stirring beneath the snow.
Some, come on Gardeners, it’s time to brave the chilly UK weather and start helping Nature to get going once again. Alternatively, you’re due to get those Gardening Quotes in time again!
- The Vegetable Garden. Order seed potatoes and plant out garlic cloves in pots. Dig the earth over for asparagus plantings. Mmmm – that sounds really good!
- How about an Orchard? The right time for planting trees is when the sap is down. If in the City, find a London Gardener while their rates are reasonable still.
- The Flower Garden. Remove fallen leaves. Cut down and compost annuals. There’s just so much to do, including taking hardwood cuttings of your favourite plants.
 How about a Few More Roses? Dig deeply to prevent root stock from shooting, and then plant in rich organic matter. Remember to support with stakes in case the high winds come.
- And Finally the Greenhouse. If the weather’s inclement you may like to Find a Gardener to clean inside and outside, and check the insulation. After that, you just need to do weekly visits and tidy up.
Don’t be surprised if the neighbours gawk at you out in your garden in your winter woollies. They’ll be jealous in the Spring though! There’s no need to tell them either about the wonderful Gardeners on Mr-Skill. For now at least, it’s a secret between you and me! And it’s all free too … when it comes to finding the perfect tradesperson of your dreams.
Tags: annual, asparagus, bulb, chill, compost, cut, cutting, deep, dig, find a gardener, flower, Garden, gardener, gardening quotes, garlic, green house, greenhouse, growth, inside, Insulation, leaves, light, london gardener, nature, orchard, organic, outside, plant, potato, potatoes, react, root, rootstock, rose, snow, spring, sprout, stake, support, tidy, tree, vegetable, weather, week, wind, winter
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Winter is upon us, and without a doubt we’re in for a long cold one to add to Britain’s woes. But at least we can keep our gardens going despite the frost by doing a few simple things. That way we’ll all be smiling when Spring blossoms bloom again.
- Protect tender plants on open ground and those trained up walls with fleece-covered frames sold at garden shops. You can
 make your own too, by sandwiching bracken leaves or even straw between two layers of chicken wire for use on frosty nights. You might need to Find a Gardener to do this for you though, because the wire mesh is harsh on hands. While one of Mr-Skill’s Gardeners is at it, ask them to cover your bulbs with a thick mulch of manure or compost too.
- Keep the roots of evergreens frost free by mulching around their bases, and move pots of tender plants inside to the conservatory. Crowns of tree ferns and their trunks are easily insulated with fleece or hessian stuffed with straw. You can protect the heads of palms and cordylines by drawing their leaves over them with twine. If you do not have the time to do this properly, why not get a Gardening Quote on Mr-Skill instead?
Recovering Plants from Frost
 If your plants do get frosted this does not mean that they are going to die, although you do need to take remedial action to reduce the damage.
- Protect frosted plants from morning sun to prevent them from warming up too rapidly. If they’re potted move them to a shady spot, otherwise cover them with black plastic bags. When Spring returns cut off the damaged branches to encourage new growth. After you have done that, remember to feed them with a balanced fertiliser to give them the extra boost they need.
- Even better move tender frosted plants to the greenhouse, and plant them out again after the frost is over. Chances are that they will recover sooner than you thought. In fact they might even bloom earlier in Spring.
Our London Gardeners are particularly adept at protecting the exotic plants from frost that City people keep on their balcony – often in pots that are far too large to move indoors. You’ll find them and all other kinds of UK tradesmen listed on Mr-Skill for virtually every postcode. Why not surprise yourself with the discovery that quality workmen can still be found.
Tags: balcony, bracken, bulb, chicken wire, climb, compost, conservatory, cordyline, evergreen, exotic, fern, find a gardener, fleece, frame, frost, frosted, Garden, gardening quote, greenhouse, head, hessian, leaves, london gardeners, manure, mulch, night, palm, plant, plastic, pot, protect, root, shady, straw, sun, tender, treefern, trunk, winter
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Climbing ivy is undoubtedly a sight to behold as spread out across a wall and creates an environment in which the birds may nest. But it has its disadvantages too. Snakes and spiders and even rats may use it to gain access to your bedroom, and it can also cause damage to bricks, window frames and gutters.  Are you of a mind to get rid of yours? Then you may need to Find a Gardener on Mr-Skill to do the work for you. That’s because standing on a ladder all day is dangerous, and the job is laborious too. Not convinced to call in help? Then here is what you need to do…
• Pull a test sample of ivy away from the wall to determine how thick it is, and whether it tears off without causing damage. If it comes away easily then you could continue. If not, then you may need to get Gardening Quotes to have poison applied by an expert, and perhaps even call in a builder afterwards to make repairs.
• Returning to ground level, lop off all the vines as close as possible to the ground before proceeding to peel away the cut branches. Be careful here, because a sheet of ivy can come loose unexpectedly, and this will be heavy and surprisingly dusty too. Do not attempt to deal with the tiny hand-like suckers yet.
•  Bag the cuttings and dispose of them at your local council dump-site according to the bylaws.
• After approximately two to three weeks, remove the suckers with a stiff wire brush covered with approximately two tablespoons of household laundry detergent. Every Gardener in London knows all too well not to miss the deadline. That’s because beyond this period the suckers oxidize, and are stubborn to remove.
So there you go. It’s not really all that difficult to get ivy off a wall. It’s just a messy, time-consuming job. Not in the mood to do it anymore? Then speak to Mr-Skill about the services of a Rated Local Gardener.
Personally, I find the patina of natural brickwork far more appealing, especially on an older building.
Tags: away, bag, bird, brick, builder, cutting, damage, danger, detergent, dispose, dust, expert, find a gardener, gardener in London, gardening quotes, ground, gutter, heavy, help, ivy, ladder, loose, lop, peel, poison, pull, rat, repair, sample, snake, sucker, tear, test, vine, window, wire brush, work
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I have noticed something interesting about the Gardeners in London that I come across, and that is the super condition of their tools in general. No doubt they do a better job with them that way,  and of course they also have to replace them less frequently. I have to admit though that mine used to be a total disaster, but only before I discovered these useful tips.
You will need a bucket with a lid, enough sand to almost fill it, new or used engine / cooking oil, and a few old rags. The bucket lid is to keep out the dust and dirt, so almost anything will do.
• Make a habit of keeping the bucket in a dry corner of the garden shed or garage
• Fill the bucket with the sand except for the last four inches. This helps keep it stable while sprucing up your tools. I agree that this can make it heavy, but at least your wallet won’t be lightened by the cost of Gardening Quotes after your tools all rust away.
•  Top up the bucket with the oil, and watch it as the sand absorbs it. If you spilled some, well… that’s a further use for the old rags…
• Take each garden tool in turn and shove the working edge in and out of the sand until it is cleaned. Four or five repetitions should do the trick.
• Wipe the tools with the rags as you go along, remembering to leave a thin film of oil behind.
How’s that for something different from us? Should you need to Find a Gardener on Mr-Skill (which is easier than you think), you could leave your tools out in the garden for them to admire while working (but not to borrow, naturally). It’s a funny old world isn’t it. The cleverest ideas are often the simplest too.
Tags: absorb, better job, bucket, condition, cook, corner, cost, dirt, dry, dust, edge, engine, fill, film, find a gardener, garage, Garden, gardeners in london, gardening quotes, lid, motor, new, oil, rag, replace, sand, shed, spill, stable, tool, used, wipe
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Now that the first blush of spring has come and gone, and the roses have been all lightly pruned back, it’s time to get the shears and garden spade out, and finally sort out the weeds.  Don’t feel like doing this again? No worries. We have all the help you need right here on Mr-Skill.
o Perhaps all you really need is a quick tidy up? We have garden experts here who are ready and able to provide you with a competitive Garden Quote. And what’s more you can check their references from all their other jobs too, so you know exactly what you could be getting.
o In no time at all our gardeners could be in and out of your garden as quick as a proverbial flash, leaving everything neat and tidy for you. What a pleasure. All that’s left for you to do is to pop down to the garden centre, and buy some punnets of late summer flowers.
o  Perhaps, though, you need a complete garden make-over? You could also find an expert landscaper here. Just provide them with a budget and a few ideas, go away for a weekend, and it’s almost like your home was featured on the telly courtesy of a London Landscaping Firm when you return home.
At Mr-Skill we believe that gardens are there to be enjoyed these days, and should never be allowed to become a drudge. That’s why we decided to add gardeners and landscapers to the lists of skills we broker. Why not jump on our website right away, and ask us to arrange a few Garden Quotes today?
Tags: budget, complete, enjoy, expert, find a gardener, flower, Garden, garden centre, garden quote, help, home, landscape, london landscaping quote, make over, makeover, neat, pleasure, prune, punnet, quick, quote, reference, rose, shears, skill, spade, spring, summer, tidy, weed, weekend
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We are all becoming a bit more conscious about the state of our planet these days, aren’t we? A related theme is the quality of the food we eat, after farmers have finished bombarding it with chemicals to increase the yield per acre. Commercial honey is a case in point. If the jar does not say organic, then what in heaven’s name is waiting  for us beneath the cap?
Because bees are a loyal gardener’s friend that pollinates the next season’s flowers for us, attracting them to our gardens makes a great deal of sense. Who knows, perhaps we shall be making our own honey soon, and I personally think that that would be a really great idea. Perhaps next time we Find a Gardener we should be checking out their green profile too.
Bees are active between March and late October every year and the trick is to sow seeds accordingly. Bees like striking colours, fancy petal shapes, enticing scents and sweet nectars which are great for gardeners who love variety too. Bees also look out for movement and prefer to land in open spaces, meaning that single flowers on supple stems are just perfect for them. Perhaps this is why so many of our native flower species are made just like that.
 The borages are the most effective way to attract bees to the garden, with comfrey coming up a close second best. All varieties of fabaceae are good too, including clover and other species of pea. Next time you are looking for a Gardening Quote, remember to consider the seedlings they will be planting out for you.
But please, when your little friends arrive to share your flowering garden with you, remember that pesticides also kill bees too. In fact, why use pesticides at all when so many useful plants have been found that do the same job just as well. A firm of London Gardeners I visit often, have a sign above the door that says this so perfectly. A garden is a place where birds and bees come home to share with us – the gardener is just the custodian. Now that’s something for every gardener to think about.
Tags: attract, bee, bird, borage, chemical, clover, colour, comfrey, custodian, fabaceae, find a gardener, flower, food, friend, gardening quotes, honey, kill, london gardeners, loyal, march, nectar, october, organic, pea, pesticide, petal, planet, pollinate, quality, scent, season, seed, shape, share, sow, specie, state, yield
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By the late 18th Century landscaping artists like Capability Brown were transforming the countryside around the stately homes of landed English gentry into imitations of earthly paradise.  Hills were leveled, and earth dug out to create naturally appearing lakes. Gazebos and even marble temples were erected. Anything in fact that was deemed necessary to create a romantic vision of ancient Rome. And after that, ten thousands of trees were planted.
Few people visiting today can comprehend that these vistas were created by men wielding picks and shovels and driving horse-drawn carts. Perhaps the time these monumental landscaping jobs took to complete is why they represent such perfection.
These days our gardens are usually smaller and are often set in housing estates. When you need to Find a Landscaper though you still do need one with the soul of an artist. One who could transform a blighted urban landscape into a little piece of heaven.
 At Mr-Skill we list the finest landscapers that we can find, and ones that we know will provide the most cost-effective Landscaping Quotes too. Whether you need a Landscaper in London or anywhere else in the country, you can be assured of best service and best prices here.
Why don’t you roll out your imagination and dream of how else your garden could look. A small adjustment in earth levels can make an amazing difference to perspective. A signature tree in a strategic place. A quiet table on a cobbled patio. Good company or a good book to read. Where better to complete a crossword puzzle on a summer’s day.
Tags: find a gardener, find a landscaper, gardener in London, gardener quote, landscaper in London, landscaper quote
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