Homeowner Forum / Lawn and Garden / October 2008

Anyone got any ideas about what to do with a nemesia amelie? It's been
in a tub flowering and smelling like mad since the Spring, so I don't
want to do anything to upset it.
I'd like to divide or propagate it in some way for next year, but not

I am at my wits end with trying to destroy aphids, you name it I have tried
it, when I think I have them all gone next day there is another infestation.
My guess is it is the time of the year & shortly they will disappear. I am
in Perth West Aust.

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.

My Winter Jasmine (J. nudiflorum) has three flowers on it already. It was
transferred from my brothers garden in May and has done rather well in my
garden growing from about 75 cm to 140 cm. My sister-in-law says it's
normally January when it flowers in their garden.

This weekend, beginning 4 Oct 08, over 800 people, from all sections
of the County, far and wide, gathered in the torrential rain on the
high ground overlooking Brockenhurst, to protest against Prestcotts
unelected New Forest National Parks Authority's proposals to kill

Our garden is in Northern California, on the coast.  Last year the
pumpkin patch did not get seeds until late June and they were not
ready by Halloween.  So this year the patch was seeded by late March
and the sprouts were immediately devoured by slugs and earwigs.  A

I got a B&Q soil tester and it indicated the soil was about PH 9, dar
green on the package scale indicator.
I only grow vegetables such as potatoes, onions, leeks, turnips and th
like and I need to know how much sulphur per square yard or meter do

We have several varieties of ornamental grasses in the garden. Should
they be cut back? If so at what time of the year.

I've got some lettuce started to grow in a season-extending greenhouse.
How deep does the soil need to be to get good root growth and hence good
sized heads?  I'm planning on using some old window boxes, with drainage
holes drilled in them.

I haven't posted here in quite a few years and have peeked in to see an
interesting thread about horse manure.  I regularly use fresh horse
manure in the garden with no ill results.
A friend posted these results when she had her chicken and horse manure

I have gone through three lawn spreaders in the last 18 years, all of
them Scotts.  I can see the quality has greatly decresed in the
materials used.  The plastic part that turns the seed/fertilizer broke
(in some better spreaders this part looks like a metal cotter pin).  

I understand I can put my shredded paper (bills and that type stuff) in
the compost pile, right?
Any limitations on how much? My compost pile is newly started and I've
not composted in far too many distant years past so wanted to double check.

Just found this and thought of you folks.
<http://www.linnrecords.com/linn-about-us.aspx>
Bill

We recently re-landscaped our 1/4 acre garden, finishing early September  
last year. Beds and borders contain perennials, small shrubs, small  
conifers - mixed. Virtually no annuals. Before planting we added new soil,  
planted then put on a 2" layer of quality compost after ...