Hints and Tips - General - Pests - Propogation - Watering

Relying on the wealth of knowledge of our Floral Committee and Association members we hope you find the following hints and tips helpful. We would be delighted to publish any tips you may have.

Please send them to our secretary from here: Your Tips
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General Gardening Hints and Tips

• Kill dandelions in your lawn by sprinkling them with salt. (LD)

• Banana skins are an excellent fertiliser for roses, just place the skins around the base of the rose. (LD)

• To fertilise Camellias and Azaleas place used tea bags around their roots. (LD)

• Be careful not to injure yourself on the top of canes used to support plants. Cover the top of the cane with one of these: old ping pong ball, empty snail shell (at last, a use for the beasties), used gun cartridge, or cane toppers available from garden centres. (LD)

• Is your pond water looking like pea soup? Plant Nasturtium Aquaticum (watercress) it is a natural water purifier. (ND)

• Cut back delphiniums and lupins as soon as half the flower spike has died. Mulch around the plants well with moist garden compost and feed with sulphate of potash. This will give you good regrowth and hopefully a second flush of flowers. (AG)

• Use a piece of paper towel to cover the drainage holes in a flowerpot before filling with compost. This stops mess, allows drainage and eventually disintegrates. (RB)

• When putting any new plant into your garden try this. First soak the plant in the pot, then dig your hole and fill with water. Allow to drain before planting. This gives the plant a much better start than putting it into dry soil and watering afterwards. For perennials and shrubs mix a small amount of fertiliser with the soil in the bottom of the hole, this gives a much needed long term feed while the plants become established. (LD)

• Feed the birds all winter, and do not forget to leave fresh water out for them in winter and summer. They will repay you by returning to your garden in summer to eat aphids and other nasties. There is nothing I like more than finding smashed up empty snail shells. (LD)




General Tips - Pests - Propogation - Watering