Mulching Ideas, Tips & Guides

Q: I don’t know the name of these trees but they seem to be dying, with casting of leaves getting worse and worse. Can you help? BMcW, Co Donegal

When it comes to enhancing the beauty and functionality of your garden or play area, bark chippings are a top choice for many in the UK. Whether you're searching for bark chippings or play bark near you or one of our many other bark products, Bark UK is your trusted source for the finest quality products. In this guide, we'll answer all your questions about bark chippings and play bark, from installation to usage and much more.

Nature's autumn bounty of fallen leaves isn't usually a problem for lawns and gardens, and mulching the ground with them actually helps to feed the soil for a healthier yard.

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I have written before about how I make leaf mold in my garden. But today, I thought it would be useful to share how I use the leaf mold that I make since I have been asked about this a few times recently. I know that many are interested in making leaf mold but don't fully understand how it can be used.

In the world of gardening, battling pests is an ongoing challenge. While traditional pest control methods certainly have their merits, some gardeners have ventured into the realm of unconventional remedies and lesser-known tricks to protect their precious plants. Here’s a glimpse into the world of Bizarre Pest Control Remedies that might just save your garden.

Training vegetable plants to grow upward instead of sprawling on the ground enables the best use of limited space. Let’s look at some cool tips on Growing Cucumbers on Trellis!

 Fireglow Japanese Maple is a fantastic specimen for anyone looking forward to create a natural focal point of colors in their garden! Let’s have a look at it!

Follow this Pacific Sunset Maple Tree Growing Information guide that provides you insights from planting to care tips. Learn how to cultivate this vibrant and stunning specimen to your outdoor space.

After a summer of volatile weather, gardens up and down the country blossomed and bloomed — often with weeds more than plants.

I am bored of rain. Fed up with cloudy days. Sick of the grey drip-drip-drip of this cool, showery, sun-starved, stormy summer, and the monotony of a weather forecast that only predicts more of the same. But even so, I’m forced to admit that the silver lining to what’s been a very sodden growing season is that many of our most beautiful, late summer-autumn flowering garden perennials and shrubs are loving the biblical quantities of rainfall in recent months, a high note to what’s otherwise been a forgettable year.

Weed control is essential because it can hamper a plant’s growth in your garden. You can easily kill them using these easy Homemade Weed Killer Ideas! However, do bear in mind that these ideas are more on the organic side, and will be less effective than the chemicals ones.

How to Overwinter Hosta Plants

What has changed in the garden since last week? Well, on Wednesday I got tired of waiting (for cold, windy days and then scorching hot days to pass) and planted out 3 of my squash plants. One Georgia Candy Rooster went out into the ‘allotment’ in the Sunset Strip, and two Rugosa fruilana courgettes went into a raised bed in the main garden. Each one was planted out into a mound of fresh compost, and protected with a plastic cloche and eco-friendly slug pellets. I replaced the black plastic mulch on the beds to give them extra warm and moist soil.

Watching A Farm for the Future brought to the forefront of my mind a project I have been thinking about (on and off) all year.

Every spring there’s an outbreak of bad backs across the country as gardeners, who have mostly been tucked up in the warm all winter, go out to dig their vegetable gardens. No doubt there are many more who stay inside, believing that they should be digging their plots but unable to muster up any enthusiasm. And what about the non-gardeners, who would love to grow some of their own food but are put off by the hard work they believe it entails?

Mineral soils are typically 1-5% organic matter under natural circumstances. Natural peat soils, on the other hand, develop in waterlogged conditions and are dominated by organic matter – it can make up more than 50% of the soil.

It’s horrible this morning – windy and very wet. But there is a silver lining to these clouds; the rain is filling my water butts, courtesy of the new guttering Ryan and his dad fitted onto the two sheds yesterday morning. Ryan chose white guttering and fittings, which fit in nicely with the colour scheme for the sheds, although the paintwork is looking a little grubby now and could do with touching up!

Mulch doesn’t last forever unless you use an inorganic, durable mulch, like stones or rubber. Natural mulches break down. They blow away in the wind and disperse in other ways. Deciding what to do with old mulch in spring means evaluating its current state and assessing the needs of your beds.

Stargazer Lily has garnered a lot of attention, thanks to its enormous blooms and colors! Here’s everything you need to know about growing it easily!

Ahoy there! Welcome to the world of Ixora Maui Red! This hybrid Ixora is like a vacation in a plant, with its vibrant, rich red flowers that bloom non-stop, making it an absolute stunner in any garden or living space. The best part? It’s low maintenance, so you can sit back, relax, and soak up all that tropical paradise without lifting a green thumb. So what are you waiting for? Add a pop of Maui Red to your life and bask in its everlasting sunshine. Read on to learn all about Ixora Maui Red Care and Growing Guide.

My forest garden in August is a busy and abundant space. Those of you who have your own gardens will likely understand that this is a busy time of the year but also, excitingly, a time when much of your hard work will be paying off in the form of several fruit harvests.

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We might be in the final weeks of summer, but that doesn’t mean all the perks of your summer vegetable garden are over. In fact, there are a ton of amazing ways you can prolong the use of your veggie patch—and keep enjoying the literal fruits of your labor—well into autumn. That’s why we turned to Ashley Nussman-Berry, founder of the Black Planters, and a few other amazing members of the Facebook Group, to ask for their advice. 

Coaxing roses to produce a spectacular floral display is easy if you follow a few simple rules.

On your morning commute this spring, did you notice a magnolia tree (Magnolia spp. and cvs., Zones 3–9) that only had the left half of its canopy flush out? Did you grow some tomato plants that mysteriously yellowed and wilted, ­despite having plenty of water? Did you notice your roses (Rosa spp. and cvs., Zones 2–11) slowly decline after you spread mulch chipped from your neighbor’s dead trees? If these scenarios sound familiar, it’s possible you have seen symptoms of verticillium wilt.

My grandmother taught me that you cannot just take from a garden; you must always give back and care for the soil. This is a lesson I apply to any garden that I tend. No matter the soil type, adding organic matter will improve soil structure and make more nutrients available to plants.

Mimic these DIY Dry Riverbed Landscaping Ideas in your yard to prevent excess water runoff and soil erosion, besides adding depth to the terrain!

Quince Fruit are prized for their fragrant, flavorful fruit and beautiful blossoms. We’ll guide you into growing this tasty fruit with ease in containers!

As we continue to break heat records in many different regions around the world, gardeners have to think more than ever about how they can create gardens that can stand the heat.

Mary Ann Van Berlo has been gardening on this 2.4-acre riverfront lot since fall 2012. The yard was still a construction site when she moved in, so all the gardens were installed after that.

Ask a gardener of any skill level what the hardest part of having a garden is and they will all tell you the same thing – getting rid of weeds.

How to Overwinter Dahlias

Not all seeds are created equal, and some can be tricky to germinate. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a novice, these Simple Seed Germination Tips To Grow Every Seed will help ensure that every seed you plant has the best chance of growing into a healthy, robust plant.

During increasingly common heat waves in summer, temperatures can soar, making it a challenge to maintain a healthy garden.

We all know that wildfires are an increasingly common concern in many parts of the world, even in areas where they have not been an issue before. You may be considering fire safety for the first time or looking to future-proof your property in areas where wildfires are becoming more common. Either way, as a permaculture garden designer, I have created plans for a variety of climates and considerations, and today I thought I would share with you my simple design tips for gardens in fire-prone areas.