Help Control Moss

Enjoying the beauty of plants and flowers is the number one reason most of us love to garden, so it’s always fun to find new ways to help our plants look better and bloom longer. Over the years, I’ve picked up some tricks that can be used to help perennials bloom longer into summer. Here’s what I’ve learned.

Our gardens can be valuable habitats for birds, providing nutritious food, nesting sites, and life-saving shelter, especially during the coldest months when overwintering birds are challenged. If we are mindful of these basic needs as we design our beds and borders, we will be rewarded with a landscape rich in birds. Here are some things you can do to help our feathered friends when times are lean.

Moss graffiti, also called living, green or eco-friendly graffiti is a new take on guerilla gardening, which utilises living plants to convey messages in the form of words, pictures, and other shapes. This is the latest hype in urban landscapes, adorning walls along streets and private and public buildings. Moss graffiti add a needed touch of green to urban landscapes and are a much more environmentally sound way of artistic expression than spray paint graffiti.

One of the most beautiful and delicious fruits, kiwis are favorites of both children and adults alike. However, like camu camu, these bright green fruits might be most adored by the wellness community, as they're incredibly nutritious. One potential health benefit of kiwi that's been causing some buzz recently? Eating one before bed might help you sleep better—and as it turns out, that might be true.

The fascinating garden at Knepp Castle in Sussex, home to ‘Wilding’ author Isabella Tree, reopens for the scheme this year. Credit: NGS 

Get it right and you can grow bumper crops on straw bales.  It is clean, cheap and environmentally friendly. The principle is that decaying straw generates heat to form a ‘hot bed’encouraging healthy roots.

You don’t need to have muscles like Popeye to grow spinach. It is a simple leafy vegetable that is undemanding if given the right conditions.

Every gardener wants to have better plants and flowers, but, sometimes we just need to get to the root of the matter so to speak. There is nothing more satisfying than a deep rich loamy soil. Unfortunately, unless you are very luck, you are unlikely to inherit such a soil. Nevertheless it is definitely worth investing the time and energy to improve your soil. Over time looking after your soil will pay dividends.

Wild Flag Iris are easy to grow. The flowers are bright yellow, blue or purple. The seed heads show bright red seeds and are quite decorative.

If you want to help your  Rhubarb water it even when it is raining!

Biological controls work best when it is warm and activity is highest. The more pests the more there is for the control to eat and treat.

Unfortunately, my lawn has a lot of moss (if you look closely) this is because I’ve gone for the ‘wildlife effect’ i.e. too lazy to mow the lawn.