The Garden Magazine

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We see only a small proportion of them, but beneath the soil the humble Earthworm is one of the most important allies we have in the garden. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that a garden without worms is a dead garden.

More often than not they burrow through the soil, aerating as they go, and breaking up clods of earth. Some varieties actaully eat their way through the soil, drawing out organic matter and excreting the rest. There are varieties that leave their ‘casts’ on the surface and if you break it up with your fingers you will see what a lovely fine soil it is after the worm has done his job. Worms are essential to a healthy garden as they improve the soil immensley, aeration and drainage beign their specialities. They continue this work at quite some depth into the soil with the larger species being able to burrow several metres down.

You will also find an abundance of worms in a good compost heap though these generally do not ‘transfer’ to the garden. Wormeries are becoming increasingly popular as a means of composting garden and domestic waste and can be bought relatively cheaply now. A friend of mine distributes vast quantities of ‘worms wee’ as she calls it, to anyone who wants a good organic fertiliser for the garden - mine certainly blooms well after an application!

The only downside to worms is that they can attract Moles which play havoc with your lawn, but personally I’ll live with a molehill or two in return for the benefits the worms bring.

I have a problem in my garden, and not a very nice one at that - Slugs. It has taken me years to get them under some sort of control. The previous owners of our house were not gardeners at all and pests ran rife which left us quite a legacy of hard work to bring them under control. The worst of the pests without doubt were the slugs. Now I realise it is perfectly possible to grow slug resistant plants but I don’t like being dictated to - and my husband loves Hostas - the result of that combination was all out war on slugs.

Some people like to use chemicals in their garden, and that is their choice, but I don’t if it can be avoided so traditional slug pellets were not an option. They also wreak havoc with birds and hedgehogs so they were out. We did, and still do, occasionally use the organic, bird and hedgehog friendly slug pellets but they are not always easy to get hold of, so we had to use other methods. I have a friend who is even more paranoid about slugs than I am but I haven’t resorted to her method of control yet.  At dead of night she dons Continue Reading »

In spring there is a lot of tidying up to do in the garden, all the winter leaves and rubbish that collect, and those plants that need spring pruning. As space is at a premium in most modern gardens you nedd something easy and ‘user friendly’ to gather up your rubbish.

I use a Spring Bucket - it holds tons of rubbish and is lightweight and easy to carry. It’s is great for fallen leaves, grass clippings, weeds, plant material and so on. The one I use is the Toro which is made from mildew resistant and UV treated mesh-supported plastic canvas, and it has an extra strong sleeved spring for secure upright standing. The four cushioned handles make lifting and emptying the bucket easier and more comfortable. The spring bucket also comes with a quick, detachable and adjustable length free rotating shoulder strap with a padded shoulder pad. To open or collapse the Spring Bucket you simply attach or detach two quick connectors.

Leaving rubbish around your garden at this time of year is to invite pests and diseases in and welcome them with open arms. The thing I like most about the Toro is that it collapses so small I can store it in the corner of my shed without using up too much space. It comes in handy when I’ve got large amounts of stuff to carry round the garden as well, not just as a rubbish container.

I had planned to write about some of my plans for the water features in my garden - I want to do some new things this year but something far more important has happened!  Whilst peering into the depths of our pond this morning what  should my other half spy but a huge mass of Frog Spawn…. Spring has Sprung - even though we are being battered to death by high winds and rain.

It never ceases to delight me that we have managed to create an environment where frogs, newts and toads live in relative harmony, the birds dip in and out of the pond, dragonflies flash around over the water showing off their bright colours whilst the fish do the same in the water.   It is enormously satisfying to watch this hive of activity only three feet from the patio doors that open out from our Dining Room.   One of my favourite activities, if you could call it that, is to sit outside on the Garden Bench next to the pond with an early morning cup of tea and just watch the comings and goings of all the various creatures as they go about their business.   It makes all the effort and work that went into creating that little spot so worth it - the only downside is you have to watch out for baby frogs that wander into the house when you leave the patio doors open!  I don’t quite know who jumps highest - them or me…

The last few garden maintenance jobs that must be done in March are fairly obvious but bear mentioning none the less. Lawns need to be looked at as they are starting to grow again and time can usefully be spent raking to remove thatch and moss before starting to mow. When you do start to mow, make sure the blades are set quite high for the first few cuts and rake off any cuttings if you don’t catch them in a box or bag on your mower. You should also look to see if any areas need some care by way of reseeding or turfing and prepare the ground accordingly.

It’s a good time to check over your Pond as well, check over all the pond ‘electricals’ like pumps, lighting systems and filters. Give any other water features Continue Reading »