Thanks Fairygirl! I'm fairly new to gardening and slowly learning how to help the plants in my garden to do the best they can. Feeds, fertilisers and mulches are like a minefield once I started looking into them! Hopefully one day I'll get it right. Love the idea of using what I have to hand if possible (like an excess of pine needles) Lower 20s here all week. Feels rather warm for mid-September.
Just a word regarding bonemeal, FB&B etc... Not sure where you are in the SE, but if you happen to have a lot of urban foxes, they will go mad digging around with either of those, so your mulch might not end up staying put. I can't use either because even if it's deep in a planting hole they get the scent and dig the whole plant up. I haven't tried chicken manure - keep meaning to - but as it doesn't smell of chicken so much as of poo, it's probably OK. I use seaweed extract, manure etc with no issues.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
It's all a learning curve @wellhellotoyoutoo The internet is great for having loads of info at our fingertips, but some of it is good, some of it is dubious at best, and some is downright misleading. It's being able to sort out which is useful and which isn't that's the tricky bit
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
We had several Scots pine trees in our last garden. I didn’t deliberately use the needles as mulch but we naturally had one created where they were overhanging beds. I also used to put any I swept off the drive into the compost bin. They take ages to break down but must have some value adding organic matter to the soil. They didn’t seem to bother any of the plants, acid lovers or otherwise.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
They drop shedloads here too @Butterfly66. I have a conifer and a pine in the garden, and I just sweep them off any bits they drop onto. There are loads of pines round here.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@Fairygirl they do drop a lot don’t they, lovely trees though. Used to love watching the blue tits doing acrobatics to get the fresh seed from the new cones.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
Thanks Fairygirl! I'm fairly new to gardening and slowly learning how to help the plants in my garden to do the best they can. Feeds, fertilisers and mulches are like a minefield once I started looking into them! Hopefully one day I'll get it right. Love the idea of using what I have to hand if possible (like an excess of pine needles) Lower 20s here all week. Feels rather warm for mid-September.
the internet is a very useful tool, but a Forum like this has , collectively, hundreds of years of experience in multiple soil/climate conditions. Feel free to ask anything you like. Nobody will laugh at what you might think are " stupid questions" One day in the past, we all knew nothing.
Thanks all! I'm not actually sure the needles are 'pine' they are very tall conifers of some sort. They look lovely and the birds definitely enjoy them. Lots of blue tits here. I have a few plants that look a bit worse for wear and I can't figure out where I have gone wrong with them. The forsythia didn't put on any growth and the leaves are browning. Same with some of the laurels and pyracanthas. The roses haven't faired well this year either. Few leaves, little growth, few flowers or none at all. Lots of leaves for the peony and tree peonies but no flowers. I thought perhaps it could be heat or not enough water so thought a mulch might help them for next year. There are foxes visiting the garden so perhaps I'll stick to a chicken pellet feed which hopefully won't attract foxes to the plants? Appreciate all the advice!
If the shrubs are near the conifers, they'll be struggling for moisture. Conifers suck up a lot, so unless you're in a wet area, that's a very difficult job keeping them moist enough. Soil will be undernourished too if that's the case. Peonies are different, but need a sunny site and decent soil. The herbaceous ones need to be planted not too deeply as that can affect flowering. If you can upload photos, it's easier to give advice on individual plants
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The shrubs are probably near enough to be affected by the conifers. Hopefully the soaking, chicken manure and mulch this weekend will help. Maybe another 'feed' and mulch in Spring as well? The peonies I (hopefully correctly) planted about a year ago. Lots of lovely green leaves this year, but not even a hint of a flower. Perhaps they take time? I keep telling myself that one day the garden will look beautiful! I live in hope!!
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Lower 20s here all week. Feels rather warm for mid-September.
The internet is great for having loads of info at our fingertips, but some of it is good, some of it is dubious at best, and some is downright misleading. It's being able to sort out which is useful and which isn't that's the tricky bit
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
There are loads of pines round here.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
Feel free to ask anything you like.
Nobody will laugh at what you might think are " stupid questions"
One day in the past, we all knew nothing.
I have a few plants that look a bit worse for wear and I can't figure out where I have gone wrong with them. The forsythia didn't put on any growth and the leaves are browning. Same with some of the laurels and pyracanthas. The roses haven't faired well this year either. Few leaves, little growth, few flowers or none at all. Lots of leaves for the peony and tree peonies but no flowers. I thought perhaps it could be heat or not enough water so thought a mulch might help them for next year. There are foxes visiting the garden so perhaps I'll stick to a chicken pellet feed which hopefully won't attract foxes to the plants? Appreciate all the advice!
Soil will be undernourished too if that's the case.
Peonies are different, but need a sunny site and decent soil. The herbaceous ones need to be planted not too deeply as that can affect flowering.
If you can upload photos, it's easier to give advice on individual plants
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The peonies I (hopefully correctly) planted about a year ago. Lots of lovely green leaves this year, but not even a hint of a flower. Perhaps they take time? I keep telling myself that one day the garden will look beautiful! I live in hope!!