Does anyone know anything about gardening?

The rest of the garden needs some work and time to get up to scratch, but I feel like I’ve nailed this particular section.

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My hand trowel (from BnQ and several years old) has died a death, any recommendations for something indestructible?

Something not fancy that doesn't rust and doesn't split, there are lovely Japanese ones but this is more the workhorse type i need.

Hori hori

Happy enough with the "forest corner" just need to keep on top of the weeds and get more bark chips.

I had to move some plants are they grew too big, I tried to space things properly but some plants just took off.

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indestructible

https://www.crocus.co.uk/product/_/dewit-forged-iron-trowel/classid.2000037624/

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Based on a medieval design used to disembowel heretics?

https://youtu.be/MhfuuKiTcYQ

Thank you!

Gardening tool and self defense tool ;)

Garden storage boxes - are any of them nice? I have a metal one which is passable but not beautiful; otherwise they all seem to be plastic shite...nice ones must exist surely?

@hugo7 sorry another couple of questions..
Did you plant in the ground or a pot and what do you feed it with? Many thanks

Not at all.

The two (now) big ones were planted straight in the ground.

I do have another one in a pot that I got as a present and was large and well established (pictured) . That has flowered from the get-go as it was a good sized strong plant. It's a couple of years old to me hasn't grown massive - you should be able to see the OG cane in there somewhere.

It also ends to have much redder leaves at certain times. Idk. If that is water, food, light or just that particular plant. We potted it in ericaceous compost (john innes no. 3 I think) as my OH asked in the garden centre to make sure they got the right stuff. Whereas the now big ones were just planted with a bit of whatever compost.

I use Vitax Q4 Fertiliser ideally in early spring and then all through the flowering period (bearing in mind they are pellets so don't need to be constantly added or anything)

https://amzn.eu/d/j7TRVgo

I can't remember why. But feel like it might have been the potassium. Don't hold me to that though.

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Does anyone Crystal Palace -ish have a garden shredder/chipper I could borrow or rent please? Or one they no longer need for sale?

Many thanks!

Do you use FB? Always some on there for reasonable prices including one in Mottingham which isn’t far from you.

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Ah, I do not, I will borrow an account though - thanks!

NP, I have one but am in Epsom. It would probably cost you more in time and effort to get here and back for mine and then again to return it than to buy one second hand.

They are great though, really handy. Can reduce a seemingly massive pile of offcuts to a small pile of compostable material

They're all far too close together because I'm running out of space but got 1 x Alchemilla mollis and 3 x Echinacea Purpurea Magnus in this morning. Quite late in the season but was waiting till I knew a purchased offering would be over the height where it would be immediately mown down by slugs and snails. Need to get the Geum and fennel in too but waiting for the foxgloves to seed andndie off first.

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Anyone know what these things on my hibiscus are?

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Ladybird larvae, they'll munch any aphids you've got.

Ladybird larvae are some of your greatest allies in the garden.
As above they continually eat aphids until they mateure.

Fuckers need to get out into the front garden!

Pick and place!

I did actually move a couple that got trapped on some tarp to a rose at the back. Tbh I'm nervous about moving them out the front as I think they'll get killed by the ants.

Anyone got a specific mint recco?

All of ours seems to have died out in the patio renovation last year plus the shit weather.

After a nice big leaf that can be used in general cooking and hot/cold drinks.

It'll go in a contained bed, so no worries about it taking over.

Any spearmint will do, killing the existing mint shows a particular skillset unless agent orange was involved.