I mulched my apple trees this winter with well rotted horse manure. But then I heard that this is not a good thing to do because it promotes too much soft growth. Should I remove the mulch?
Are there any types of hydrangea, besides white ones, that maintain the same colour irrespective of whether the soil is acid or alkaline?
I made a raised veg bed and filled it with soil, compost and well rotted horse manure about a month ago. It is very acidic, about 5.5. I have read you should not apply lime when manure has been added recently. It seems I have no choice though. Can I apply lime now and how should I apply it?
I have a number of native trees in my garden which are about 10 years old. Some are getting a little large and I want to remove them before it becomes a specialist job. Do I need to dig out the stumps when I have cut the trees down? Also if I leave the smaller branches from the felled trees to rot away among the remaining trees will this spread disease? The trees are beech, oak and scots pine.
My garden is on heavy clay and produces a large amount of perennial weeds including various grasses and lots of creeping buttercup. Because the soil is wet it is not possible to shake it from the roots of the weeds. So I end up with a big heap of weeds and soil. Is there any way to kill the weed material in the heap so the soil can be reused? What about covering the heap in black plastic for a year?
I have a 60m escallonia hedge which is suffering from a fungal disease. I would like to replace it with a mixed native hedge. Can I cut the plants to the base and plant in between or must I dig out the roots? Also, any suggestions for disposal of the old hedging material?