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Posts Tagged ‘plant<’
Pruning Your Roses
Those that know Mr-Skill are usually quite surprised when they learn that he has a green side to him too. In fact, he loves roses, and once people realise this they jump straight to the question of when to prune this much-loved shrub. It’s not just about ‘when to’, it’s equally important to know ‘how to’ prune properly. Our Mr-Skill learned everything he knows from one of our regular London gardeners, and since then he tends his lovely rose plants religiously.
The When 
Well, it all depends on the type of rose you have in your garden, as well as your location. With bushes, shrubs and climbers, minor pruning can be done many times during the year, but the heavy cut back needs to be tackled in the spring, in order to promote strong growth. Here’s the pruning method employed by all our green-fingered experts, but you can also seek advice when you find a gardener right here on Mr-Skill.
The How
- Make sure you use a clean and sharp pair of pruning scissors.
- Make your cuts no more than quarter-of-an-inch above the bud, and angle the cut away from it to keep water from collecting where it’s not wanted.
- Be sure to cut to the appropriate height.
- Completely remove dead and diseased stems.
- Spindly and criss-crossing stems need cutting back too – this is to encourage better plant shape.
- Over time, try to aim for well-spaced stems – this will promote better air flow around the bush.
- On more established rose plants, cut out poorly flowering old wood and saw off old stubs that have failed to produce new shoots.
- With the noted exception of climbing roses, severely prune all newly planted bushes, as this certainly encourages new and rapid growth.
- Finally, trace suckers back to the root system and snip them cleanly off.
If rose pruning sounds a bit prickly to you, you can always get a gardening quote from one of the many experts right here on Mr-Skill. One last word from the maestro, mix a solution of bicarbonate of soda in water and spray on your bushes, then watch them grow and blossom forth. It’s a rose by any other name!
Tags: bloom, bud, bush, clean.sharp, climber, cut, dead wood, find a gardening-and-landscaping specialist, Garden, gardening-and-landscaping quote, growth, London garder and landscaping expert, plant, prune, pruning, root, rose, stem, water
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Did you know that the roots of trees can sometimes spread to 2½ times a tree’s height, and that the moisture they draw out from clayey soil can cause the earth to heave? Miss the point of this and plant a tree close by your house, and you’re inviting cracking and subsidence. Rather Find a Landscaper on Mr-Skill who knows what they are talking about.
 If you have heaving clay, and like to garden around your your house then the following may prove useful:
- Avoid the problem in the first place by NOT planting strongly-growing trees like poplars, oaks and willows near to buildings. Plant shy-growing flowering shrubs instead. These may not get tall enough to foul your gutters either.
- If you inherit a tree that’s not grown too big already, then you could try what some London Gardeners still call pollarding. This involves pruning it back annually to keep it smaller. Remember, there’s a ratio between tree height and the spread of roots.
- Don’t leap out of the starting blocks and get a Gardener Quote to chop a tree down the moment you spot subsidence.
 Trees take a long time to grow, and the problem could be the clay itself. An alternative could be to cut the roots back, and see whether this helps first.
- If all else fails and you are forced to cut down a tree, then seek advice from your local council first, because it might be listed and require permission to remove. Chop down deciduous trees in wintertime when the sap is low. You’ll find the job far easier when there are no leaves.
Chopping down a tree sometimes seems like an attack on nature, and the birds that nest there. Don’t try to do the job yourself because tree-felling is definitely dangerous. Use a Gardener on Mr-Skill instead. And finally, please do plant a suitable replacement tree further down the garden.
Tags: Building, chop, chop down, clay, crack, dangerous, earth, fell, find a landscaper, flower, Garden, gardener quote, ground, grow, gutter, heave, height, house, london gardeners, oak, plant, pollard, poplar, prune, ratio, root, shrub, shy, small, soil, spread, subsidence, tall, tree, vigorous, wall, willow, winter
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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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Not cleaned the greenhouse yet? It is almost summer already and time to get going. Clean it to maintain the structure. Clean it to get rid of pests. And do it on a warm breezy day so your plants don’t catch a chill and everything dries nicely.  You could Find a Gardener on Mr-Skill to do this for you, or you could take the weekend off and do it yourself.
o Begin with the Exterior by washing it down with warm water and a sponge. By all means use a little washing up soap but do remember to rinse. Use a soft inside broom soaked in warm soapy water to reach the roof and upper sides. Mind the glass!
o Check the frames and glass for any damage as you go along. Replace where necessary to keep your greenhouse looking good and to extend its life. If yours has a wooden frame, sand it down and paint it. Anything less and it will rot away. If rot has already set in however, get Gardener Quotes to build a new one, rather than throwing good time and money after bad.
o  Before cleaning the Interior please make sure that the electricity is turned off and isolated. Remove the contents to a sheltered place away from wind and fierce sun.
o Have a general clean-out of leaves and dirt. De-clutter your greenhouse – throw the junk away. Scrub down, including brick walls and inside pathways and disinfect thoroughly. When you are satisfied that everything is clean and functional inside, you can bring your plants back home and turn on the electricity again.
A Gardener in London who I know quite well always leaves a cyclamen behind as a special thank you, and believe me she gets regular return business. I’m not a gardener myself however I do think that this is a beautiful idea that should be propagated everywhere, just like cyclamens.
Tags: breeze, broom, clean, dirt, disinfect, dry, electricity, exterior, find a gardener, find a landscaper, frame, gardener london, gardener quote, gardening london, gardening quotes, glass, greenhouse, inspect, interior, isolate, junk, landscaper london, landscaper quote, landscaping london, landscaping quotes, leaves, maintain, off, paint, pests, plant, replace, rinse, rot, sand, soap, sponge, summer, warm, wash, water, wood
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Hedges are far better than wire fences and ugly concrete walls. They also add a touch of countryside to grungy UK city grime while making space for birds to nest in too Trimming them is easy thanks to  modern power tools. In fact, now that I think about it, I could not find a single reason not to plant a hedge, especially since Mr-Skill makes it so easy to Find a Gardener. Here is what you need to do.
o Choose what to plant. Indigenous is robust, and hawthorn popular because the plants are so cheap. Other options include blackthorn, field maple, guilder rose and hazel. All these flower in summer too, which is exactly what you want.
o Decide when to plant. If you can, buy the plants out of season when they are cheap and let them acclimatise until planting time. This is between October and Christmas for light sandy soils, but after the Festive Season if you have heavy clay.
o  Prepare the ground. Dig it over and get rid of weeds or work them in. Leave a layer of mulch on top to discourage new ones and help Mother Nature and her earthworms to do their work.
o Set out your plants and protect them too. In wintertime, the hares and rabbits are hungry and they will dine alfresco off your hedge unless you fence them out. Tender shoots also do not like frost. At an appropriate time plant out your hedge. Remember to add spiral guards to keep them growing straight and tall, and frost protect them until spring.
Did I stimulate your interest? Good. The world needs many hedges. They can be hard work planting-out though, and you my have other things you need to do. No worries then. Get a Gardener Quote on Mr-Skill instead. Could life be simpler? Or the neighbours be more jealous?
Tags: bird, blackthorn, christmas, clay, country, dig, earth, fence, find a gardener, find a landscaper, flower, frost, gardener london, gardener quote, gardening london, gardening quotes, ground, guilder rose, hare, hawthorn, hazel, hedge, landscaper london, landscaper quote, landscaping london, landscaping quotes, maple, mulch, plant, prepare, protect, rabbit, sand, set out, shoot, spiral guard, summer, wall, weed, worm
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There is really nothing quite as tastily healthy as crunching on a salad grown in one’s own garden. The gentle British summer provides the perfect climate too, and besides, it is a  perfect excuse to get outdoors instead of getting Gardener Quotes. Like most other things in DIY good preparation is the secret – here is how to go about preparing the soil for your own personal veggie garden:
o Select a site that is good for growing vegetables and suits your garden layout at the same too. You are looking for a sunny spot here, because most vegetables originally come from warm Mediterranean climes.
o Dig the soil over to a depth of six to ten inches, the deeper the best. All you really need is a pick and a shovel – if your back is not what it used to be though, might I suggest you Find a Gardener on Mr-Skill instead?
o  Mark out the area with some old wood boards you might find in a builder’s scrap bin. Spread two to four inches of weed-free organic compost across the surface of the soil (the more the merrier really), and push this into the loosened earth with a hoe or similar. This will improve the structure of the soil, provide nourishment, and allow water and air to reach the plant roots.
o Rake smooth, water well, and let the ground rest for a week, removing any weeds that may appear. Now you are ready for the fun part, which is setting out your seasonal seedlings, and watching them grow into plants.
Not quite the scope of work a Gardener in London might attempt. But still a great deal more fun than popping down to Sainsbury’s or Tesco’s, don’t you think?
Tags: air, bed, climate, compost, dig, earth, find a gardener, find a landscaper, Garden, gardener london, gardener quote, gardening london, gardening quotes, ground, grow, hoe, landscaper london, landscaper quote, landscaping london, landscaping quotes, nourish, organic, patch, pick, plant, plantling, rake, salad, seedling, shovel, soil, sun, veg, vegetable, veggie, warm, water
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Many gardeners prefer to leave pruning roses to the experts and Find a Gardener on Mr-Skill to do this for them instead. Others find this a relaxing hobby and prefer to do the pruning themselves. In that case they have no need to get Rose Pruning Expert Gardener Quotes.
 There are four objectives behind the custom of pruning English bush and standard roses. These are:
o Getting rid of dead wood, briars, and weak shoots
o Creating balanced shapes
o Stimulating new growth
o Obtaining the desired balance between quantity and quality of flowers
Throughout the flowering season bushes must be deheaded regularly. At the end of the burst of spring flowering some firm pruning is required to encourage continued flowering throughout the summer too –  this is of course at least as much an art as it is a science.
The principle is to cut back each previously flowering stem until one shoot pointing outwards remains, and an insurance one below it too. Leaving more than that could create top-heavy growth that could break off in the wind, spoiling the plant’s shape for some months to come.
In the case of climbing roses though the opposite applies. In fact some Gardeners in London and other Cities only prune to tidy up a straggling branch. There are no hard and fast rules here though – plants and gardeners both have souls, and together they can sense what is needed to be done. Do this, and they will reward you with yet another brilliant summer show.
Tags: balance, briar, bush, climb, cut, dead wood, dehead, expert, find a gardener, find a landscaper, flowers, gardener london, gardener quote, gardening london, gardening quotes, growth, landscaper london, landscaper quote, landscaping london, landscaping quotes, plant, prune, pruning, quality, quantity, rose, shape, shoot, standard, stem, summer, tea
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Posted in Carpentry & Joinery on Mar 10
Many otherwise lovely English gardens are completely level thanks to the depredations of builders and the local topography. A tiny stream gurgling through the garden with a low wooden bridge above and flowering plants besides, can be a touching feature that might add pounds of value too.
You might or might not decide to Find a Carpenter after reading what follows on, but you will definitely need good quality hardwood like cedar, redwood or similar, being two lengths of 2 x 12 timber for the main supports, and sufficient 2 x 4 planks for the floor.
o Make a template for the supports (keep the curve shallow to avoid the need for railings), and mark this on the wood supports. Make sure that the footings at either end are 18 inches long and that the total length of the bridge will be a multiple of the width of a single floor plank.
o Cut the supports out carefully, tidy them up, sand them and apply two coats of polyurethane outdoor seal.
o Cut sufficient planks to the desired length. Tidy these up too and apply sealant after sanding.
o Attach a floor plank to either end of the pair of supports to create a sturdy frame. I suggest using nylon plugs and stainless steel screws although I know that some Carpenters in London prefer to use stainless steel nuts and bolts right through.
o After you attach the balance of the floor planks similarly and apply a final coat of polyurethane, you can put the bridge in place and call your better half to join you for a cup of tea.
I hope the job goes well and that you do not experience any problems. Once the wood is cut, the job goes quickly and you should not need to bother yourself with Carpenter Quotes. You could add railings like the ones illustrated here if there is depth below the bridge, or if you simply fancy the idea.
Tags: attach, bolt, bridge, carpenter quote, carpenters london, cedar, cut, find a carpenter, find a joiner, finish, floor, flower, footing, Garden, hardwood, joiner london, joiner quote, length, nut, plank, plant, plug, polyurethane, railing, redwood, sand, screw, seal, sealant, stream, support, template, wood, wooden
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 With March here and the Spring Bulbs beginning to taper off already it is more than time to dust of the gloves and wellies and get back into the garden again. If this sounds like too much work after a long cold dark winter sitting watching telly, then just imagine what it could be like serving champagne and canapés to jealous guests in your own private English Garden.
Fortunately for those of us who stray over to the lazy side of things from time to time, there is Mr-Skill and his intrepid band of landscapers waiting to submit Gardener Quotes. Thank goodness for a labour-saving device that is almost as good as sliced bread and toothpaste in a tube.
When I had my Gardener London business I was quite often pleasantly surprised by what I found tucked away behind high boundary walls. Strange though isn’t it, that City folk who are supposed to be so  materialistic cherish the simple things like these in life, while others in some council estates that I know have gardens that look more like London after Hitler had finished bombing?
I’m a great believer in planting a mix of perennial and annual plants to provide a measure of consistency and change. After you Find a Gardener on Mr-Skill who is right for you, this is one of the first things to discuss.
And please do not forget some space to grow crisp fresh vegetables that will put you off buying supermarket produce for ever. During and after the last two wars our parents and grandparents had to grow their own – in these times of economic necessity I would almost welcome having to grow my own too. Now that would be a challenge to face up to today.
Tags: annual, bulb, crisp, english, find a gardener, find a landscaper, fresh, Garden, gardener london, gardener quote, gardening london, gardening quotes, landscaper london, landscaper quote, landscaping london, landscaping quotes, perennial, plant, private, spring, summer, vegetables, wall, winter
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