I had some bizzie lizzies on either side of my front door for Summer, but they’re looking very sad now!

So I’m looking to update the pots today for Winter. This is the first year I’ll be doing this so wondering what people’s recommendations are?

Would like some colour and low maintenance

The pots are about 35cm wide and 35cm deep

I have an area at the end of my garden that's surrounded by rough brambly woodland, its about 7mx7m. Heavy clay soil, slightly acidic, and this spot gets very little direct sunshine because of how its angled. It also gets very dry and everything was crispy there during the summer heat wave.

I dug a short swale to help with water retention on the lower side.

I have stopped cutting the grass because I like the wildness but I am also fighting back the brambles and gorse so they don't take over.

Its not a friendly spot to grow much but I'd like to plant something with a bit of hight and colour.

Anyone have suggestions for what could be happy there?

Hello

I have a Mountfield MR1500 robot lawnmower.

The power adapter for the charging station has recently failed and I need to get a new one.

Would anyone know where I would go about getting one?

Thanks

My neighbours have been cutting down trees and lots of overgrowth around our boundary to put up a fence. The main downside is that the lower tree line has made another neighbour's dormer visible from our kitchen and garden. I know we were very privileged for a city suburb garden to have almost complete privacy but I'd like to try and keep it this way.

The work next door has left this lopsided tree (which is ours), I think it's a laurel or privet of some variety? What is recommended to encourage growth (towards the left in pictures)? Obviously there are loads of brambles everywhere around it that probably need clearing, but I'm open to any other suggestions. Below it are some roses, geraniums and anemones, in various states of unwieldy.

I will start by admitting I am not a gardener - that's why I'm here looking for help/advice...

Back in 2022 we did some landscape which included a new driveway and a 1m boarder which was filled with enriched soil, and plant 14 x 8ft laurel trees, 1m apart for privacy. The soil, spacing etc was all based on advice we were given.

Those trees all died and the local garden centre said the root ball was "clay" due to the abnormally wet winter we had so never took off when planted. They were replaced in spring 2025 with a more "harder" version of laurel. From spring to autumn (2025 and 2026) we have given each tree a handful of Growmore every six weeks (again as per the advice given).

We are now seeing the majority are dead, some died quickly, like within six months and some that have grown really well but we've noticed a loss in shine on the leaf's more recently. So almost two years on we have 4 healthy trees, 2 on their way out and the rest dead.

We've heard different reasons from not enough water, to too much water, to too much nutrition in the soil.

Four years on we are still desperate to have something that just provides privacy.

Should I get my soil tested before planting again?
Is there a plant that is easy that would provide hedging/privacy from 5ft to 8/9ft?

We like the idea of Red Robin due to the colour - but equally don't want to go with this if it doesn't survive!

I would like to plant a tree with a small enough root in the middle of my garden, I have a small to medium garden in an estate so I dont want anything crazy but id love one that changes colours with the seasons.

Thanks in advance ☺️

I have a rhododendron in a large pot in my garden do they need to be trimmed this season..??

I've a 3 year old copper beech hedge , is it too late to cut the tops and sides to make them bushier or should I just wait until February/march

Hello, just trying to figure out if robot lawnmowers are worth it for a smallish lawn area. And if so, are there any recommendations for a decent one? Thank you

Our small patch of lawn gets so boggy over winter (hence why most of our garden is flower/veg beds and trees). We want to keep the small patch of lawn we have left. We have stepping stones on it to minimise the amount of mud being brought into the house. We have a large drain running along the bottom of the garden but due to the location of our house (lower than surrounding gardens and on a slope) I think boggy grass is inevitable.

Is there any grass seed varieties or clover or similar that would help with the patchiness and mud that we could grow now? I don’t need a perfect looking lawn without weeds just less mud?

Hi there!

I’m looking to plant some trees in a grass area adjacent to my house. The spot is an east-facing grass corridor, relatively well-sheltered from prevailing southwest winds, but space is somewhat limited on that side.

You can get a sense of the location from the photo.

Ideally I'd like them placed in the grass corridor rather than by the fence which would mean the trees would be about 5m from the house. 
 Since the building is roughly 7 metres tall, I’d prefer trees that won't completely overpower it, ideally aiming for a mature height between 7–10 metres, though I’m open to suggestions.

Hi all, these plants shot up all over the garden over the last month. Any ideas what they are?

This is a pro-ivy post. We have some lovely Atlantic ivy growing in one part of our garden, and we’d like to take some cuttings and let them establish in our mature hedge, if they will. (Our hedge has some invasives we’re trying to phase out, so we want to be proactive in introducing more natives.)

Any tips for taking cuttings? Size, time of year, care, etc?

I tried an internet search, but every article smacked of a-i. Would love to hear from someone with experience. Thank you!

The ground around my willow has turned black, as have some branches and one side of a trunk. It has also become home to a colony of wasps. Are the two issues related? Is it an issue I need to do something about.

Well ... it's probably not the season, but it's the only time of year they are in the shops

Hi all!

I have a 1/2 acre plot of mossy and thickly packed lawn. I want to start a veg garden. I was hoping to get the ground prepped and ready for spring, or at least having a plan of action.

I've read through a lot of books and there's conflicting information. Double dig, don't double dig. Use fallen leaves as organic matter, only use aged leaf mulch after 2 years. Use a rototillar, don't your garden will compact and you'll never grow anything ever again (I joke but they do get very dramatic)

We don't have a large budget so can't just buy in tonnes of compost and mulch, but now that we have the space I want to do what i can to supplement our food budget as much as I can as quick as I can.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

Had a lot of unripened cherry tomatos. Wondering if they will ripen indoors or should i compost them.

Also wondering if the yellow ones would have been salvageable, there was a lot of large yellow ones.

Just curious what gardening jobs everyone’s tackling this month? Planting bulbs, tidying up, winter prep, or still harvesting a few bits?

I’m thinking of getting a greenhouse, just need planning permission from the Minister for Housing (my wife) 🏡

Tried a variety of plants this year for my first time gardening, but found they were slow to grow and weren't consistent. (Window boxes, south facing)

Is there any flower that looks good for entire growing season / and maybe grows fast so they don't still look like they're just getting started half way through summer ? Or even a combination where one looks good for first few months and then the other takes over ? Is this a stupid question ? 😅

This is our first year growing anything really, got a greenhouse and some raised beds in the spring and we’re still eating something from the garden pretty much every day. This is today’s harvest.

Lots of lessons learned for next year as regards what to grow more of (more varieties of tomatoes, better planning for having batches of stuff coming through) and less of (feckin chard!)

Hi

Moving out of home and into a house in the countryside next month and there’s a lot of neglected overgrowth and bramble taking over the garden that I’d like to push back.

I have zero gardening experience beyond cutting the grass and some light strimming at home..

I prefer the pros/cons of electric to petrol so what’s a good cordless brand to invest into? If you have any tool recommendations that are essential I’d appreciate it.

Is the LIDL Parkside stuff more than enough for casual use? Or is it better to invest in a better brand?

Thanks :)

Maybe I could put down gravel over approximately a fifth of this lawn, but I'm not sure which part. I plan on taking out that horrible shed at the back. I plan on putting in some sort of decent garden room that I can use as an office. I have a vague idea of having it midway up the lawn on the left. I will also take out all that stuff growing on the left.

I don't know if I'd store the lawnmower in there too, or if I'd get a little hut right next to the garden room for storing the lawnmower. I came across this place, but they've no address listed!?

The view of the camera is approximately south.

https://gardenroomscork.com/

What are people doing with their petrol strimmer before putting it away for the winter. Any maintenance? I want it to start ok next spring. Any help please?