Homeowner Forum / Lawn and Garden / May 2008

I have a north-facing garden in suburban Manchester. Althoug
north-facing, behind the back fence is the end of a cul-de-sac rathe
than another house.
I want to plant prickly/defensive shrubs against the back fence (i.e

Hi everyone, I hope someone can giveme advice, I have recently moved an
have a large garden that has not been looked after for over 8 years,
am totally new to gardening so I would like advice on how I can get ri
of Ivy, and old tree roots that are very deep, Also any advice on th

I've tried several times to root a cutting from an osmanthus fragrens
shrub -- sometimes called tea olive or sweet olive. I've even used Rootone,
but so far I haven't gotten a cutting to root.
Does anyone have suggestions?

Hi again all, just a quick question about carrots & how long the
usually take to grow. It must be about a month since mine were plante
& the heads were starting to look alot bigger, I decided they shoul
probably be thinned out but when I moved a few there was no sign of

I am new to the group, and hoping that somebody can help me out ASAP???
I have a 2 year old Sears Craftsman 3-in-1 ( side
discharge/mulching/bagging ) push lawnmower.
Last summer I noticed that the lawnmower started leaking gasoline

Does anyone know what we can do about our neighbor's huge 80-foot tall
tree directly next to the property line; at least half of the tree hangs
on our side.  
We are in a high wind area, frequently in excess of 60+ mph, always

Greetings and Salutations:
Below are plans for a bird platform feeder.  Some birds can feed from
the tube feeders, but some birds are only able to feed on a flat
surface.  I am not sure who gets fed more, the birds or the squirrels.

When I bought the plant last year (from a garden centre, so variety
unknown) its flowers were very sweetly scented.  To my delight, I have
managed to flower it again, and the first two flowers have just opened,
but they have no scent. Shouldn`t they smell immediately on opening?  I

I see where the Thuja Green Giant is grown from cuttings. Has any one
tried this? Can you take a cutting and grow a new one? Would
appreciate any suggestions on the method if any one has had success.
Thanks

My zinnia saplings are affected by a disease. The top leaves have
become curly and distorted. No pests/organisms are seen even when seen
with a magnifying glass. There have been no improvement even on
spraying systemic insecticide. The top of plants were cut yet the new

There's a sudden increase in the rubbish this NG is getting, from people
like Martin, sick minded saddos with nothing to do in life but abuse
people on the internet.
If you want to get rid of these postings you will need a dedicated

My front lawn has a small wooden surround in the corner, that is about
feet wide by 2 feet across.  I am looking to plant something in it jus
to take the bare look off the lawn.  The garden is very small, prob 1
feet by 15 feet in a square shape, with the corner having the smal

I have several clumps of wild sorrel which is throwing up flower
shoots, they seem to be growing several inches a day.
I am wondering if they are edible whilst they are still in the "Spur"?
Has anyone tried them?

We all know what a "fruit" or a "vegetable" are. They are plant
products which are soft and wet and have limited storage life. They
die, then they rot, and who wants to eat rotten fruit and vegetables?
But what is a "grain"? It seems to me that a grain is a plant product

Hi there, I have inherited a very well maintained Ransome Marquis Mar
4A petrol mower.
I can't seem to find anything about this model online and I really nee
to know what petrol I can use in it - I know if it is a four strok