i put beets on my fall salad. what about you?

Fantastic Gardeners has spent 10 years putting down roots in London and now we’re ready for new growth. We’ve spread ourselves to the North West of England, call us for our affordable, professional gardening services for private residents and businesses in the following areas:

Autumn slowly settles in and the pretty flower gardens lose most of their charm. However, every cloud has a silver lining, which means it’s time to admire the pretty autumn foliage that trees offer. Did you know that the ancient Celtic druids used to worship trees?

Q: We have a Malus (ornamental crab apple tree) in our back garden, which has grown from small to its present 20ft over 15 years. It buds and flowers nicely, but then turns a bit shabby. It doesn’t seem like a healthy tree. Can you help? We are debating whether we need to remove it and replace it. If it does need to be removed, what replacement would you suggest? CF, Co Kilkenny

Pre-lit Christmas trees can be used outdoors, provided they are marked as outdoor-safe by the manufacturer. To protect them from weather damage and prolong their life, ensure they are adequately covered or sheltered from the elements. 

In an oval roundabout in Menston a dozen Poplar trees were planted in the 1970s. As you can see only about half survive and these have been mistreated by polling them to restrict height.

A prickly subject is our Berberis unless you pick with care.

The Brown Turkey fig, Ficus carica, produces large, sweet, juicy figs even in British conditions.

Giving trees what I call the ‘Royal Chop’ is not as drastic as it sounds. It is one way of controlling the low growing branches that restrict light, create unwanted shade  and generally get in the way. The technical term may be to ‘Lift the Crown’ which has the result of leaving the lower trunk clear of branches and letting the growth starting at an acceptable height.

Few things compare to the intoxicating smell of brewing coffee in the morning—whether you enjoy the taste or not. As a cornerstone to morning rituals across the country, coffee culture runs deep with fancy gadgets and equipment to make virtually anyone a barista in their own home.

A: As much as wild ivy provides a very important habitat for birds and insects, and the arboreal form (the older, shrubby growth which produces flowers), and is a really valuable source of nectar, it can also be problematic in established gardens where it can damage built structures as well as some established, older trees such as your apple tree. With the latter, very heavy ivy growth can eventually cause death by overburdening the tree’s leafy canopy, which in turn can result in (a) broken branches, leading to an increased risk of disease and (b) destabilising of the tree’s root system, increasing the risk of it falling in a storm. Very heavy ivy growth in the canopy of a fruit tree can also reduce the amount of light needed for healthy growth, interfere with blossom set and slow down ripening of the fruit.

The spring migration of ruby-throated hummingbirds from their tropical winter homes to South Carolina gardens is a highly anticipated event. These jeweled visitors usually arrive in mid-March; therefore, it is important to put up hummingbird feeders by around March 15. Nothing is more exciting than spotting the first arrivals.

These beets were injured by glyphosate overspray. Only the last 6 feet of 6 beds were affected.