Does anyone know anything about gardening?

If you Google a big supplier they should have max angles on their website. So there maybe options that are more suitable than others.

Imo you'll need some sort of chicken wire to hold it because there is a catch 22 in planting it. You'll need to leave it in situ to settle and grow into a tight mass, but lifting it up all the time will disrupt it.

If you take your time and do a neat job I think chicken wire will look fine. Then over time it'll get covered and you won't see it. Even if you don't need it in the end adding it when building will be easier than taking time out to retrofit later.

Also if you make it taller then the max angle when lifting will be lower. There is probably an optimum you could work out with maths, but I'd be tempted to make a model with lollypop sticks and double sided tape.

Any tips for a gift for my step dad who's really in to gardening? He's a retired engineer so any well designed, interesting tools are a safe bet.

Anything from Niwaki, but definitely a Hori-hori if he doesn't have one.

A Nikawi Hori-hori was last year's very well received present!

Can’t go wrong with niwaki snips.

I have the forged snips at £32.

Interesting this /|\
Will give it a go I reckon

There is a USA company called Wilcox that does stainless steel indestructible trowels, if you want to try those.

Sneeboer also seems the business.

Thanks had been looking for a while!

Otaksune 103 secateurs. If Carlsberg made secateurs...

front garden progressing… it will be rewilded once the hard landscaping done. was getting a bit out of hand tho

1 Attachment

They’re a type of moth, sometimes commonly called the ‘fig skeleton moth’ because of what it looks like when they’ve munched on the leaves. They don’t do much harm but it looks nasty. We wipe the eggs, detritus and caterpillars off with a bit of paper towel.

Seeds boxed up.

Probably should have gone for a smaller one, but 16 sounded like a sensible number. It appears 8 would be sufficient. Wondering about using the other half for infrequent computer bits.

Even though it'll go under the sofa and the seeds are in little packets I can't help but wonder if I should work out a way to blackout the top.... although now I've written that I don't think it's needed.

1 Attachment

Fig fans. I’m thinking now is not the ideal time for propagating fig cuttings. There’s a some of a nice variety I’d like on eBay right now but I’m reluctant to spend money on something I’m not sure will root well.

That's great - thank you. Will get the kitchen towel out!

You're welcome to a cutting or three from mine - in Leyton if you're local.

This Camomile tray going free to anyone who wants it DM me

Cross post from the bonsai thread, but has anyone had any success with air layering?

Thinking about doing it with this small oak I've been growing in the ground.

Wondering if it's worth pruning away the stems that are in the way now, or wait until I strip the bark in autumn?

what are small trees that like full sun and would look nice in a garden with a rich brothers type feel? I’m already half-certain I’m going to put in a multi stem amelanchier. a dwarf silver birch would be nice, if such a thing existed

Rich Bros would be all over a dwarf silver birch. Google suggests they exist.

They'd also be into an Acer set into gravel I reckon. Maybe with a shou sugi ban stepping stool so you can raise a foot to rest your elbow on your knee thoughtfully.

There are so many Acer varieties, a fiver says there will be one that likes full sun.

my track record with acers is poor. bought a mature specimen and it got some form of blight and died. bought a young specimen from aldi and it got wind scorched this year. google suggests it should revive next year…

Amelanchier Lamarckii is a good shout that will do well in full sun. The Rich Bros love Crabapple, Evereste is a nice variety that doesn't grow too big, and I've seen them plan native multistem hawthorn

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdQ9hXHKiN2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Personally not a fan of Birch (hayfever, shallow roots, not much seasonal interest) but if you do, Himalayan would be better than our native Pendula as it doesn't grow enormous and has nice(r) white bark

How come you want dwarf trees? And how are they going to be placed?

I'm wondering if there is an alternative way to get that effect.

The French grow hibiscus in pollarded trees which is quite effective. Idk what they'll turn out like (because they're so fucking small), but I have two hedge(?) magnolia that I assume you could grow as 2-3 stems to give a tree effect. Similarly forsythia can potentially be grown in a similar way. Both of those would give you early interest too.

Oooh! I've googled airlayering hibiscus and apparently that's possible.

it’s going in the front garden (likely here) for some interest / structure - so don’t want it getting too big and impinging on light…

1 Attachment

Thanks, appreciate the offer but I need just over 3m2.

@hugo7 the lollipop boat has sailed I’ve already built most of it. I actually decided today to make life easier for myself for once. Instead of over engineering this thing with extravagant hinges and gas struts, I’m going to keep the whole roof fixed. So I’m going to order some simple seedum roll instead of trays.