How do I replace the polythene on a polytunnel?
Choosing the cover, the still warm day you have to wait for, hot-spot taping, and the two methods of securing the edges — trenching and base rails.
advanced6 hr4 min read
Garden Maintenance
Pruning, weeding, watering and tidying up.
132 guides in Garden
Should I cut the old leaves off my hellebores?
Why removing the old foliage in midwinter is worth doing, which hellebores it applies to and which must not be cut, and how it breaks the hellebore leaf spot cycle.
beginner20 min4 min readWhen can I prune a Japanese maple?
The narrow window that avoids bleeding sap, why acers need far less pruning than they usually get, and the thinning approach that keeps the layered shape.
intermediate1 hr4 min readWhy does my lilac not flower, and when should I prune it?
The four reasons a lilac stops flowering, why the pruning window is only a few weeks wide, and how to bring a leggy old lilac back down to a size you can see.
beginner1 hr5 min readDo I need to clean pots and seed trays between seasons?
Which containers genuinely need cleaning, what the dirt is actually carrying, and a method that does not involve soaking everything in bleach.
beginner1 hr4 min readHow much rainwater can I actually collect from my roof?
The one calculation that turns roof area and rainfall into litres, why the plan area rather than the sloping area is what counts, and how to work out whether more storage would actually help you.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I prune and deadhead rhododendrons and azaleas?
Deadheading by snapping rather than cutting, why these shrubs need so little pruning, and the honest position on cutting a large old rhododendron back hard.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I tie a plant to a stake without damaging it?
The figure-of-eight tie that keeps stem and stake apart, why a tight loop girdles a plant within a season, and the check that has to happen twice a year.
beginner10 min4 min readWhen and how do I prune a camellia?
The short window straight after flowering, why camellias need far less pruning than people give them, and how to reduce a large one without ending up with a green wall of leaves.
beginner45 min4 min readShould I water the leaves or the soil?
Why watering foliage wastes most of what you apply and spreads disease, the handful of cases where wetting leaves genuinely helps, and how to deliver water at the base without washing the soil away.
beginner8 min3 min readHow do I get water from a butt to the far end of the garden?
Why a water butt tap gives almost no pressure, the four ways to move stored water where you need it, and how to choose between gravity, a siphon, a pump and simply carrying it.
intermediate1 hr5 min readShould I disinfect my secateurs between plants?
When tool hygiene genuinely stops disease spreading, when it is theatre, and what actually works on a blade in a garden.
beginner10 min3 min read