The skills and knowledge of Garden Graft can be shared with you. You may want help and advice or you may just want someone to tackle the job for you. Specific areas you may find useful are:
1. Lawn Maintenance
When to mow, when to feed, when and how to scarify, to aerate, to kill weeds and moss.
Learn about your choices with new lawns:
Grass seed or turf? Which type of seed mix? Which type of turf?
2. Fruit trees
Choice of rootstock will dictate how big the tree will grow. Extremely dwarfing rootstocks allow the trees to be planted in a suitable container, but they also require more tender care.
3. Soft fruit
Choice of varieties to increase harvest period. Use of fruit cages and other pest protection including companion planting.
4. Rockeries
Site location. Choices of plants, including alpine and other perennials and dwarf Conifers. Choices of rock or slate.
5. Ponds
Site location. How big? How deep? Add a waterfall? Connect two ponds with a rill or a waterfall?
Wildlife choices. You will inevitably get wildlife, but achieving a “natural” balance takes time and understanding.
6. Raised beds
Use of raised beds and correct placement. Which materials for construction? Which soils to use?
Using ornamentals mixed with edibles.
7. Composting and compost heaps.
Which type of compost bin? How many? What to put in it and what to exclude. How to activate the compost.
8. Leaf bins
Construction and usage. Which leaves to add and which to exclude. How to activate the leaf bin.
9. Vegetable plots
Where to site the veg plot. How to prepare the site. Which vegetables to use and in which order of harvesting. How to feed organically or otherwise. How to keep the site free from pests such as cats, foxes, squirrels, badgers, rats and mice.
10. Potager Gardening
What is it? This can be simply explained as a method of mixing ornamental and edible plants to increase the interest, beauty and efficiency of your available space. Practical applications explained and correct choice of plants to avoid over competition.
11. Soils, composts and mulches.
Understanding the soils you may have and how to get the best from them. How to improve the soil structure to produce a faster warming soil. How to improve flocculation. How to change pH and why. Which compost to use and when. When to mulch and what do I use?
12. Container Gardening
If space is at a premium, why not go for a container garden? Easy to prepare and fun to look after.
Grow your own herbs, fruit and vegetables in containers. Try growing strawberries ready for Wimbledon, cut-and-come-again salladings for that summer salad, or go with nature’s traffic light and have a planter that changes with the seasons.
13. Bulbs
Bulbs are not just for the spring season. You can enjoy these value-for-money plants at any time of the year. Choose bulbs for the lawn which can be mown over after flowering. Choose bulbs for those extremely dry areas under tree canopies. Choose bulbs for autumn colour. Bulbs can be the first sign of spring and the first flower colour to be seen in February. How to buy bulbs- whether to obtain from a garden centre or by post. Do I buy bulbs “in the green”? That is, already showing foliage, in bud and about to flower.