| |
Posts Tagged ‘seed<’
Perhaps you have decided that your existing lawn is not as lush as you would like, and you feel something needs attention in this direction. Mr-Skill loves his garden, and he firmly believes that growing a new lawn from the seed of choice makes excellent sense, particularly in the autumn season. This time of the year is good because extremes of temperature are no real threat. 
Grass Roots Approach
One of our regular London gardeners, Cindy, says that, “it’s a roots up approach when it comes to replacing a lawn or a section thereof.” She calls it sowing season, because what you do now will reap rewards when you most want to enjoy a lush new lawn – namely the spring and summer months. Cindy suggests that you get a garden quote from your local nursery or garden centre, as they will be able to advise on the seed type to use, depending on your region.
Where to Start
A good start point would be to remove the old lawn. This may seem a little drastic, but you don’t want your new lush mat strangled by the old weed-ridden excuse-for-a-lawn, surely? If your soil is very dry, you can try saturating it with the garden hose for a few hours. This will help to soften up the top soil and the root structure too.
The Big Dig
Once the earth is sufficiently moist, use a combination of spade and fork to remove the old unwanted turf, but you must excavate down to the root system too. You then need to level the surface into which you plan to sow the new grass seed. Use a rake, and don’t forget to apply a liberal volume of compost to encourage rapid and healthy growth. If you are tired-out already, you could find a gardener-and-landscaper right here on Mr-Skill.
Follow the Instructions 
Read the manufacturer’s instructions on the packet of lawn seed carefully. Not just for planting purposes though – there will be follow up in the weeks and months ahead as you admire your new lush green carpet in your garden. One last word from Mr-Skill, try to avoid mowing too soon, in fact, follow the guideline instructions to the letter and you will not be disappointed!
Tags: compost, find a gardening-and-landscaping expert, fork, Garden, garden service, gardening-and-landscaping quote, grass, grass seed, guideline, instructions, lawn, lawn seed, london gardening-and-landscaping specialist, lush, Mr Skill, planting, root, seed, spade, turf
Posted in Gardening & Landscaping, Project Advice | Comments Off
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
Posted in Gardening & Landscaping | Comments Off
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
Posted in Gardening & Landscaping | Comments Off
Posted in Uncategorized on May 06
Now that summer is around the corner and we are in the Merry Month of May, it is time for us to turn our thoughts to our little feathered friends who are busy raising families.  How much does bird seed cost anyway compared to the joys we share? So its time to hop onto the internet, and find something that will complement the garden and our tastes.
In times gone by one almost had to Find a Carpenter to knock a wooden bird table together (unless one was really handy) and that could easily cost a barrow-load of bird seed. These days bird feeders are available off the peg (if you’ll excuse the expression) and the only problem that remains is making up your mind.
My friendly Carpenter in London is a curious fellow  who likes to know that is happening in his town. He tells me that the latest fad is feeders shaped like fruit or vegetables, he thinks because so few plants grow these days in concrete canyons of the City
I am personally quite fond of bird feeders that look light little houses, just in case someone is looking for someplace to build a nest. I have seen many shapes from temples to pagodas. Some are so complicated that I think you almost might need a Joiner Quote from Mr-Skill before you ordered one made up.
Life is full of fun and we need to all help keep it that way. The wildlife that survives in Britain needs to be cared for too. So why not go down to the shops today, and find a bird feeder perfect for your needs. Your feathered friends will reward you with their song as you reward them with their food and drink.
Tags: bird, carpenter quote, carpenters london, complicate, feather, feed, feeder, find a carpenter, find a joiner, friend, fruit, fun, Garden, house, joiner london, joiner quote, joy, nest, reward, seed, shape, song, summer, table, taste, vegetable, wildlife
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
 A neat, well tended lawn is a great pleasure to every keen gardener as well too.
There is increasing awareness of the damage that we cause to the environment when we pump chemicals into the soil and spray poisons in the air. A gardener should not be surprised when their lawn ceases to flourish after they have destroyed all of Mother Nature’s healing systems. Stop using anything with the label “keep away from children and from pets”, and create a perfectly organic lawn that is sustainable too. If you have the time to do this yourself then you will not need to find a gardener – if you are too busy, then keep your eye on the ball and get gardener quotes from Mr-Skill.
o First, analyze your soil by sending several samples taken at different places to a laboratory for analysis Soil low in calcium needs a gypsum top-dressing, while it will require a chemical called langbeinite if it needs a magnesium boost.
o Once you know what is required, mow your grass to a height of approximately two inches tall. Get rid of all the weeds and dead growth, and aerate it too. Now your lawn is ready to absorb its special treatment.
o Apply the treatment recommended by the lab, followed by a half-inch thick layer of compost. Gardeners working in London insist on using natural organic compost, that is free of chemicals that can linger. They sometimes also spray on a tea-like infusion of compost from time to time. Your lawn will benefit from the application of an organic fertilizer too, such as contains natural ingredients including seaweed for potassium, bone meal for phosphorous, and feather meal for nitrogen as well.
o As your grass sprouts afresh and thickens out, you will note a greener hue, and less weeds as well, as it strangles them. You can encourage bald spots to close quicker by seeding them with an appropriate turf.
Keep your increasingly handsome lawn lightly watered and well mowed. You will soon be wondering why you did not garden like this before.
 A neat, well tended lawn is indeed a great pleasure to every keen gardener and their friends too.
Tags: aerate, analyze, bonemeal, calcium, children, compost, environment, find a gardener, find a landscaper, gardener, gardener quotes, gardeners london, gypsum, laboratory, landscaper quotes, landscapers london, mow, mowed, organic, organic gardening, organic lawn, pets, phosphorus., poison, potassium, seed, soil, sustainable, top-dress, water, weeds
Posted in Gardening & Landscaping | Comments Off
|
Subscribe to our RSS Feed