I feed the garden birds, but most of the trees strong enough to hold feeders overhang my flower beds; the seed the birds drop while feeding falls into the beds and hey presto long tough grass sprouts up among my plants. What can I do, Gerry, Please
when do i plant perennials for each season of the year i.e. do i plant winter perennials in the autumn etc.
I have a few varieties of heuchera, 'palace purple', 'creme brulee' etc all doing very well, but 'Caramel' doesnt seem to thrive, the outer leaves die off and the plant is not vigorous. Is something wrong or is it the variety?
I had groups of blue, white and yellow irises mixed together, but now there seems to be only blue ones in those positions. The few yellows or whites I see are alone. Do the blues kill off the opposition ( I'm told the European bluebell does this to the native Irish one by secreting a toxin into the ground - is this true?), or are they just better at surviving/longer lived?
Is it OK to use grass cuttings around strawberries, or am I providing a happy haven for slugs to eat up my fruit. In the absence of straw which is not readily available, what would you suggest to keep the fruit off the ground? I tried shredded paper last year, but it melted away too quickly.