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Mulching Roses - Do not spread compost or old farmyard manure around rose-bushes in winter because this keeps the ground cold and wet. Instead, use it as a summer mulch to conserve moisture. Many other products are available to mulch roses, including old sawdust, straw, l... more

How To Plant Trees - Holes for shrubs and trees should be dug about 30 centimetres wider and about 15 centimetres deeper than the size of the soil ball of the new plant. When digging the first layer of soil, place it to one side so that this topsoil can be replaced around the... more

Lawns from Stolons - Some grasses spread rapidly by creeping stems (stolons). With these grasses it is entirely practicable to establish excellent lawns by planting small pieces of rootless and leafless stolons or of stolons with roots and leaves or by setting pieces of turf... more

Rocks and Stones in a Japanese Garden - Although rocks are conspicuous in Japanese gardens, their use is quite different from that in Western rock gardens, where the aim is to duplicate natural rock formations as closely as possible. The rocks in a Japanese garden are considered individually as... more

Soil Substitutes for Sowing Seed - Substitutes for soil are often used for indoor seed sowing. Most popular of these are vermiculite, perlite and milled (pulverized and sifted) sphagnum moss. The latter is especially advantageous when sowing seeds of plants such as snapdragons, which are s... more

Preparing your lawn - Levelling - You can level an area fairly accurately by these means. You will need a straight edge and a carpenter's or bricklayer's spirit level. The straight edge could be a piece of 15 x 2.5 cm oregon or other, light timber, dressed straight and parallel and about... more

Sowing Seeds in Glasshouses - There are various methods of seed sowing that apply to plants raised in glasshouses and cold frames, but the necessary requirements for germination-moisture, warmth and air -are the same as those for sowing out of doors.... more

Potted Roses - Rose-bushes, growing in various kinds of containers, are sometimes available during late spring and summer. These plants are useful in filling bare spaces in rose beds or other parts of the garden.... more

Seedling Transplanting - Transplanting of seedlings should be done as soon as the seedlings produce their first true leaf. The earliest "leaves" to appear are the cotyledons or seed leaves; their shape is normally simple and different from that of the true or normal leaves of the... more