I planted a lot of tulips the year before last and they gave me a spectacular show last spring. I let the foliage to die down naturally and left them in the ground, but forgot to feed them. Now I'm noticing some of them already has flower buds emerging, but much smaller in size. I know you've previously said that bulbs can take time to get used to their conditions, but I was wondering would feeding them now make any difference to this year's flowers? Which fertiliser is best: all-purpose, or high potash?
I need your opinion regarding to what options I have. My house is in a terraced housing estate and the medium-sized long rectangle back garden is divided from my neighbours' (on each side) with the common chain-link wire fencing. I have, and still am, in the process of planting several shrubs along the fence as a screen/border. The problem is, whenever the grass is high (mine, or my neighbours'), it can go to either side of the fence, making mowing a very tricky task. I have thought of getting a strimmer to tackle the problem from my side of the fence, but is there any other long-term low-maintenance way to deal with this? I don't want to change the fence to a more solid wooden kind because I quite like the 'airy' feel of the wire one. Short of getting tons of bark mulch to put along the fence, I can't think of anything else. Can you help with other suggestions?
Earlier this week my clematis ('Avant Garde', 2 years old in my garden) which was growing in a pot succumbed to clematis wilt. I have cut all stems to soil level. What do I do now in terms of the affected pot: do I change the soil/compost completely and hope that it will recover?
How far apart (maximum distance) can I put male and female skimmias to ensure the production of berries? I'm planning to put them at opposite ends of the garden (~7m). Is this ok?
I recently bought packets of lawn repair kits (with 'family grass' seeds and fertiliser) in an attempt to restore my lawn. I have mown the existing grass close to the ground and raked off most of the thatch and moss. Some areas have more moss than others. The past warm sunny spells certainly helped, but now I'm wondering: can I spread the restorer seeds now, or should I apply moss killer first for best results?
I have 2 lemon-scented cupressus wilma that I put by my front door, which is south facing. I noticed that the exposed sides of the plants have turned yellow and looked 'fried'. Is this sun/wind damage? For now I have rotated them, but was wondering would the yellowed side recover, or should I trim them lightly? They do look rather tatty.