Summary
I always seem to miss the right time to prune a rambling rose. Mine has gone very straggly and needs a good trim. But how and when? Mrs Jane Winters, Totnes A good time for pruning rambling roses is during the autumn. The amount will largely depend upon the variety, and whether it is actually a rambler or a climber. To help with identification most climbing roses produce fairly stiff upright shoots that require support; they produce moderate growth each season, they have in the main larger flowers and often repeat flower throughout the summer. Ramblers are more vigorous and produce longer flexible shoots from the base; the flowers are generally smaller and produced in large clusters; ramblers usually flower just once during the summer. Old unproductive stems of established climbing roses such as Golden Showers, Compassion, Handel, or Pink Perpetue, should be removed from the base this will encourage new growth in the spring; any weak or diseased stems should also be removed. Shorten flowered stems by a third and reduce the length of stems that have escaped from their allotted space. Rambling roses such as Wedding Day, Emily Gray, Rambling Rector or Paul's Himalayan Musk will produce more new shoots than climbers from the base, this should be encouraged by removing a third of the flowered stems; tie in all new growth to prevent damage from winter winds. Remove any weak or diseased stems. Excess growth should be shortened by a third. All cuts should be made with sharp secateurs or loppers angled away from the bud. To get them off to a good start feed with rose fertilizer in the March.
We've moved into a new home with a lovely, well-kept garden and a perfect lawn. However, several dark patches have appeared (which look like clover) and there are some bare patches in an area once over-shadowed by shrubs. How can we best look after it over autumn and winter? Jennifer Tyler, Redruth Clovers can be a major problem and a combination of different control methods will be required to rid your lawn of them. The most immediate action you can take will be to rake, prior to mowing, the creeping stems of the clover up so that they become in contact with the blades of your mower. Hopefully you have a mower with a grass box to collect the clippings to help prevent spreading the clover elsewhere. At this time of year you may get away with a chemical treatment, although it is getting late in the season to apply it. Use a selective liquid weed killer recommended for lawns, such as Verdone Extra or Vitax Lawn Clear. The main time for your attack will be next year. During the early spring apply Lawn Sand, which scorches off the top growth and adds nitrogen. As clovers don't like high nitrogen you will need to maintain a high nitrogen feeding programme.See the full content of this document
Extract
Gardening
The spring and summer lawn feeds are all high in nitrogen, which will keep the grass growing s...
See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
