Poplar Tree Garden Centre | Glasses Lolita Glassware

Poplar Tree Garden Centre Glasses Lolita Glassware

You can find some wonderful hand painted glass here that will make the perfect gift for Christmas.

Making Compost

It’s not rubbish, it’s renewable. Why throw your kitchen scraps in the bin when you could be using them to make your garden more lovely and attractive to wildlife?

A compost heap makes a delicious refuge. Larger mammals come to root around for old fruit, hedgehogs to eat the slugs, and reptiles and amphibians love the warmth it generates. It’s also a great way to attract the elusive slow worm.

Ideally site your compost bin in a reasonably sunny site on bare soil. If you have to put your compost bin on concrete, tarmac or patio slabs ensure there’s a layer of paper and twigs or existing compost on the bottom. Choose a place where you can easily add ingredients to the bin and get the compost out.

Have a container available such as a kitchen caddy or old ice cream tub. Fill your compost caddy or container with everything from vegetable and fruit peelings to teabags, toilet roll tubes, cereal boxes and eggshells. Take care not to compost cooked food, meat or fish.

Empty your compost caddy along with your garden waste into your compost bin. A 50/50 mix of greens and browns (see pages 6 and 7) is the perfect recipe for good compost.

It takes between nine and twelve months for your compost to become ready for use, so now all you need to do is wait and let nature do the work. Keep on adding greens and browns to top up your compost.

Once your compost has turned into a crumbly, dark material, resembling thick, moist soil and gives off an earthy, fresh aroma, you know it’s ready to use. Lift the bin slightly or open the hatch at the bottom and scoop out the fresh compost with a garden fork, spade or trowel.

Don’t worry if your compost looks a little lumpy with twigs and bits of eggshell – this is perfectly normal. Use it to enrich borders and vegetable patches, plant up patio containers or feed the lawn.

Types of compost heap

• A literal heap – a loose pile – is good for animals that might like to burrow into it, such as hedgehogs and toads.
• A dustbin-style compost bin is good for worms and invertebrates but larger animals won’t be able to find a way in.
• Make a traditional boxed compost heap with planks, posts and chicken wire.
• A compost heap with several chambers is ideal. Once you’ve filled one section with scraps, you can leave it to rot while you put fresh waste into another. If you don’t have space, try to build in access to the bottom of the pile with a door, so you can use the old stuff while you’re adding to the top.
• Avoid chemical activators. They can be poisonous to wildlife.
• Autumn leaves are good for the heap.
• Compost needs to be damp to keep it decomposing, but not soggy-wet. Sunlight should stop it from going slimy.

How to Prune safely and effectively

Whether they are grown in a pair of sleek galvanised steel containers outside your front door or planted among perennials in a border, box topiary shapes are among the most useful plants in the garden, providing structure, texture and all year round colour.

Although box balls, cones, cubes, pyramids, domes, spirals and a menagerie of animal shapes are among the trendiest things you can grow, they quickly lose their appeal when a crisp outline is lost beneath a shaggy coat of new growth. The answer: give plants a trim in June.

When to prune

Box will burst into life in March and lots of lime-coloured shoots will soon conceal the dark green shape beneath. Although you'll be itching to prune shoots back as soon as possible, don't.

Trimming young, sappy growth in the spring is likely to bruise the foliage, leaving you with a topiary shape that is unsightly. It is best to prune in mid-June, when the leaves are hard and leathery, and again in late summer if necessary. Don't worry if you did prune in the spring, the bruising will be eventually hidden by the subsequent flush of growth.

How to prune

It's possible to trim simple shapes - such as cones and balls - by eye, but for greater accuracy use a garden cane as a cutting guide for straight edges or make a template.

To prune balls, take a length of garden wire and twist it into a circular shape that can be held and moved over the plant as you prune. To ensure you are left with a perfect sphere, make the frame smaller than the mass of foliage.

Restore a cone shape by standing above the plant and pruning in an outward direction from the centre, working around the plant with an easy to handle set of secateurs. Alternatively, rest three canes on the sides of the cone and push into the ground. Secure the canes at the top to make a wigwam and bind the sides together with garden wire. Use your shears to prune to this framework.

Topiary spirals may look complicated, but it is easy to re-establish an overgrown specimen. Working from top to bottom with your secateurs, prune the upper surface of the spiral making sure you remove the foliage as far back as the main stem. Next, trim the upper and then the lower turn of the spiral to create its curved edges.

With practice, pruning topiary is a doddle. For the greatest success use a pair of hand held trimmers to leave a lovely clean finish, and regularly step back to double check your progress - unfortunately, if you make a mistake there's no turning back.

Pruning a Deciduous Shrub - Deciduous shrubs such as Forsythia (Yellow Bell's), are those that lose their foliage during the winter season and have a unique ability to renew themselves almost indefinitely. Some of these shrubs growing in the eastern part of the country are alive and healthy after more than a century, yet these plants don't appear to be to be more than five years old. The secret is proper pruning. Each year a deciduous shrub produces many shoots from the plants base or roots. Wait to begin pruning deciduous shrubs until they are three years old. The best time to prune deciduous shrubs that do not bloom in Spring is late winter. Wait to prune shrubs that flower in Spring until after they bloom. The goal is to remove all but 1/3 of the plants shoots. Below is a basic guidline for pruning deciduous shrubs.

Laying Turf

The key to successfully laying turf is using the right tools and planning carefully.

The best times to lay turf are between March-June and September-November.

Prior to the selected turfing contractor doing the job have a good look at the area in which the turf will be situated.

When planning where to lay the turf try and leave a border near fences and walls as it is hard to cut the lawn there.

Is it a jungle? Weeds will need treating several weeks before the lawn is laid with a good biodegradable weedkiller. One that will kill the root as well as the leaves such as Roundup or Tumbleweed. I know from experience that thistles in particular are a real pain when it comes to coming through the turf. Before the lawn is down you have an opportunity to get rid of them - take it! Or else you will be continuously standing on them with your bare feet as you admire your garden on a cool summers evening. Not the best thing. Have a look on the product label to see when it will be safe to lay the turf after the ground has been treated. If in doubt ask at your local garden centre.

Ground preparation for turf

Is it a building site? Your contractor should make sure that any rubble is raked off the surface of the ground prior to any turf being laid. Loose stones and building rubble will prevent the turves roots from making contact with the soil and could make the turf die in patches.

The topsoil should then be thoroughly rotivated down to about the first 6 inches to aerate it properly. It is then raked level and gently treaded down (not whacked with a spade as I have seen on Rogue Traders!)

Turf arrives!

Your contractor will probably have ordered 5% more turf than needed, this is normal and should be included in the quote as this excess will be lost when then lawn is laid and trimmed.

Apart from exceptional circumstances the turf should arrive the same day it is to be laid. From the moment it is dug up on the 'turf farm' until 4 weeks after it is laid in your garden there is a constant battle to keep it moist enough. Failure to do means it will suffer and may die. Therefore, sitting rolled up on your drive or in the back of a truck all night is bad. If its impossible to lay the turf on the same day then it should be rolled out on your driveway (not your prepared surface) and watered to keep it moist.

Laying the turf

Start by laying the first turf down the longest straight edge. Butt and fold the neighbouring turf next to it knowing that there will be some shrinkage and if you try and stretch the turfing at this stage you will end up with some gaps when it is bedded in.

The turf should be firmly but carefully tapped down using the back of a spade to ensure that the roots and the soil are in good contact.

If there is an obvious dip in the profile add or remove soil as necessary.

Avoid using odd small sections of turf near the edges of the lawn as these will dry out faster than you can water them and probably die.

After laying the first row, place a plank on the turf and use it to carry the next row of turf to the bare areas of soil. Do not walk on the turf or soil whilst you are laying it as it can be damaged.

Stagger the joints of the turf whilst laying; as you see bricks in a wall.

Once finished the edges can be trimmed. The correct tool being a half-moon spade.

During the first four weeks the lawn should be watered constantly. The first watering should soak the cultivated layer of top soil the turf is laid on. This is very important, as until the root system binds with the soil the turf will lose moisture at an alarming rate and can die quite rapidly if abused.

Avoid excessive walking on the turf especially at the early stages and after about two weeks give the lawn its first cut. Use Turf tracks wherever possible to minimise damage to the turf. Try and cut about one quarter of the length of the grass during each trim at this stage, progressively taking more off as the lawn matures. Just think that a grass plant partly lives via photosynthesis through its blade and chopping all of that off will severely injure or kill the plant and hence your lawn. At best it will go a very unattractive yellow for a few days. A sign that you need to get the lawnmower out more often.

Regular cutting of the grass also tends to reduce the number of weeds that grow in the lawn. Also, take note that trimming a little and often, combined with a Lawn Fertiliser. applied twice a year is the difference between having something that looks like a park football pitch and a bowling green.

Finding safe, clean and easy passage in the garden is not always easy! With the Garden Track, it is possible to create an instant, robust and weatherproof walkway in seconds. The Garden Track consists of 24 panels, connected by sturdy link pins, to create a 3 metre long path. It allows for easy passage over muddy terrain or gravel, while the snaking action adapts easily to uneven ground. The Garden Track is particularly useful at preventing lawn damage caused by regular and repeated foot traffic. Examples can be found in routes to and from vegetable beds, compost bins and washing lines. The Garden Track will also be of real use to campers and caravanners, as well as offering a useful access solution to wheelchair users, when negotiating problem surfaces such as wet ground and gravel. One time, self assembly is required but this takes a matter of minutes and no tools are required. Once assembled, the unit packs flat for easy storage. Each Garden Track can be extended to provide a longer pathway using the additional link pins provided. Each Garden Track panel is made from recycled polypropylene, while the link clips are in nylon. Dimensions - 303cm (l) x 39cm (w) x 2cm (h)

How to plan a garden party

For peace of mind, begin planning your party in the garden six to eight weeks in advance. This will allow you time to gather all the supplies that you need, including garden party decor, gifts, and menu items. Planning ahead also gives your guests time to RSVP and make travel plans, if needed. Don't panic if you find yourself short on time; you can still plan a great party! Planning ahead simply reduces the risk of conflicts with guests' plans and may increase your garden party’s attendance.

If making the invitations yourself, think first about who you are inviting to the party. Consider a flower-themed design, or focus on herbs and vegetables as your inspiration. A general garden invitation can be made from simple construction paper or card stock. Just fold the paper in half, and either decorate with flower or veggie stickers or create your own designs with paint or markers. If you’re short on time, you can purchase personalized or pre-printed garden party invitations online. We recommend mailing your invitations three to four weeks prior to the party—any sooner and your guests may forget, any later and your guests may already have plans. For this party, colors will depend on which direction you take the theme. If veggies and herbs are the focus, stick with lots of greens, tans, and yellows. If flowers are the main focus, any bright or pastel colors will work great. For goodie bags, purchase small toy gardening tools, gloves, sun hats, and flower-themed items like flower rings and pinwheels, seed packets, and assorted candies.

To set the mood there is no better way than lighting your area properly but elegantly. There are a few places where you can get mood setting party lights or solar lights that will bring your garden to life. Most good garden centre shops will sell them. They are easy to install as they require no wiring and because they use solar power they cost nothing to run. The effect these solar lights will give to the party are remarkable.

Make sure your guests are seated comfortably. There is plenty of outdoor furniture available from a garden centre that will accomodate large parties and become a centrepiece for the evening. It is important to chose furniture that is eye catching and materialistically perfect whilst still being great value for money ofcourse. It will give your guests the wow factor as soon as they arrive.

Most importantly, sont let the evening be spoilt by the typical British summertime weather. The chances of rain in late summer and autumn are quite high but with a gazebo the party can go on completely uneffected and into the night. It will cover all four sides and is large enough to accomodate dozens of guests, furniture, banners, foods, lights, heaters and whatever else your party needs. They are great value for money and can be used year after year and party after party. Keep the food coming from the barbecue and entertain as if it was 40 degrees outside.

With the end of the summer approaching, the nights can sometimes get a a little chilly. It is a shame to head back indoors so early. A simple, cheap and effective may to heat your party is to get a patio heater. There are several options to chose from but most people tend to opt for the gas powered patio heaters. They range from £150 to £400 depending on how much you are willing to pay. It is debatable that you actually get any more benefit from spending large amounts of money. You can get just as effective results from a £200 patio heater. Gas bottles are easy to fill. Most, if not all, caravan shop will refill your gas bottle if you take it to them for a very small fee.

Take care of your patio heater by covering it in damp weather and you will have something that will make family and friends talk about your garden parties and barbeque’s for years to come. Patio heater covers may seem a pointless expense, but you will soon realise that it is a cheaper alternative than buying a new patio heater every year.

Keep the dogs out of the shrub beds

If you sit down and calculate the time, money and effort you put into your own beloved garden, it is easy to feel sorry for those that are affected by animals destroying their beauty. Dogs seem to be the main cause for concern. Whether its pulling up plants in the shrub beds, urinating on topiary or running all over your newly laid lawn, you can often be left tearing your hair out looking for solutions to keeping your pets (and other peoples) where they should be.
Now there is a simple, cheap and effective solution. Available in most good garden centres is a variety of devises that emit sounds that only animals can hear. The Yeoman is one of those brilliant inventions and one of the most effective on the market. The Yeoman Keep Pets Off emits an ultra sonic sound wave that the pet can hear. Each time you pet moves into an area the vibrations set off the unit and the ultra sonic sound waves are irritating to your pet and hence your pet should move away from the area. Ensure the unit is positioned in the centre of the area you want the pet to keep off on a flat surface. It can even work indoors. Does your dog jump on the sofa or on your bed the minute your back is turned? For soft suraces like beds and sofas set to high sensitivity and for hard surfaces such as table tops set to low sensitivity.