Homeowner Forum / Lawn and Garden / October 2008

We went to the AOS for the first time back in January during the
"cold" South Florida winter. The orchids inside the greenhouse were
amazing but the rest of the grounds seemed a bit muted.
This last visit during the height of summer was a much different

Can anyone offer suggestions how the out of season blooming of plants i
induced. When you see horticultural exhibitions it is pretty clear tha
those exhibitors have ways to manipulate the timing to ensure tha
their plants are at optimum for the show. So, what do they do ?, is i

Someone was expressing fear of Russian Vine hybridising with Japanese
Knotweed.
It does.
Fide Stace, most seed produced by Fallopia japonica in the UK is hybrid,

some purple sprouting broccoli that I planted I forget when, but
midsummerish, is not forming compact florets but shooting upward and
flowering (very pretty flowers) as though bolting. What have I done
wrong, or can I write this down to freak weather?

Why does this make me nervous?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7531221.stm
probably visions of Cane Toads in Oz or the Mongoose in Jamaica or Foxes in
Oz.......

I told someone today about Ray being bitten on the lip and that I was
convinced it was a spider what dunnit.   He sent me the following which I
find rather alarming!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7573530.stm

Its been over 6 months since i posted about my pine mulch problem so I
thought I'd share whats happened since I used the mulch.
Backdrop: I have a dozen conifer pine trees - had them pruned back and
mulched the residue. There was a fair bit of the mulch and I couldn't just

We have a great many Pyracanthas of various types in the garden, al
growing against walls or fences and in good condition.  Earlier thi
year one of a pair on either side of our front door started to die of
on one side, and is now almost all brown wood with the occasional gree

12 years ago my 3 year old granddaughter and I planted an apple pip.
Having spent several years in a pot, it is now in their garden and
fruited for the first time last year, with even more fruit this year.
My family say that these are the nicest apples they have ever tasted!

Hello there, 7 years ago we planted a 1 foot high palm plant near th
house.  It has thrived and is now 8 foot tall with a 4 inch thic
"trunk".
In the meantime we constructed a conservatory within 3 foot of th

I have this snowblower, it is an old one, tecumseh engine.  It has
good spark , until it turns over and fires and the flywheel key shears
off.  When I pull with the plug disconnected there is no issue.  As
soon as the engine fires it shears the key.  Do i need to adjust the

Hello there, I have loads of photos of plants I have grown, or seen o
my travels, and I needed a neat way to organise them on my computer.
found this one tucked away on;-
http://www.tsites.co.uk

I hope that none of you are up to these naughty tricks.
http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2008/10/14/gardeners-warned-t
o-stub-it-out-97319-22029031/
Steve

Mine has just developed flower-buds, for the first time!  What chances
do I have of seeing flowers this year, in Cambridge?
If anyone else wants to grow it and thinks it's too tender (well, it
is, really), please ask what I do.  Alternatively, if anyone has

I've recently finished building a pond and adjacent bog garden, and
over the next few months I shall be equipping both with suitable
plants, most of which are waiting in pots. Amongst them are a good
selection of water irises including I. ensata (aka I. kaempferi or