Garden gifts at Christmas

All serious gardeners need and want are a decent hand fork, hand trowel, border fork, fork, border spade, spade, good loppers and last but the most important secateurs. Forget all that nonsense that the magazines are trying to say is the next best thing, I can't even remember the name of that hand gadget that proposed to revolutionise  gardening, the hand spork or something, the thing with the spokes poking out of it, all you had to do was turn it and it pulled out weeds and everything. If something like that was available and worked don't you think all us gardeners would of invented it a long time ago, believe me, we get alot of time to think of tools that might make our life easier.

If you want to buy a present for a gardener and it's in the budget then i suggest Felco secateurs, they are about £35 and are the professionals choice, I've had mine for about 5 years now, not like that cheap rubbish from DIY stores and every good garden center carries spares for them, new blades, new springs etc. They come in about 7 models I think, large handed, small handed, left handed and there is also a model that's particularly good for arthritis sufferers. I will not post a link to anyone specific for these just google Felco secateurs and find the supplier that suits you but I promise give these to a gardener and they will be ecstatic.

Leaf blowers.?????

Honestly, these things are the devil incarnate. Do not buy one (especially for a grand parents at Christmas because they will be mortally offended) and be very dubious if you've employed a "professional gardener" that swiftly pulls out a back pack that resembles something out of "Ghostbusters" to work on clearing your leaves. Electric or petrol I do not know of one professional horticulturalist that uses one, sure lets be lazy and blow the hell out of those piles of leaves from one side of the flower bed to the next but doing this has an  environmental impact.

1.) Worms love to pull down decaying leaves into the soil to munch on, thus conditioning your soil with their number 2's.

2.) small piles of leaves provide shelter and cover for small insects over winter, which in turn will also provide food for birds (I know, save one to feed another)

3.) Leaf litter is just good for the soil when dug in, natures compost.

4.) You (employ) someone to clear the leaves with a petrol blower, in turn that gets put in polythene bags which then goes on a merry little trip in a diesel van to the dump ( for free I am happy to advise anyone who wants to compost leaf litter).

5.) If there is one sure way of spreading every weed seed around your garden this is the most effective. Every nook and cranny will get a helping of weed seed this time of year, patios, the smallest gaps in brickwork, drains etc, leaf blowers literally force those ground laying seeds are over the place.

6.) The noise, louder than any lawn mower, jetwash, drill etc, definitely a sure fire way to upset the neighbours.

Instead arm yourself with good leaf rakes, I find a large lawn one and small border rake easily tackle the task in hand and really, it does not take any longer, have you ever tried using a leaf blower in the wind? forget it.

Herb gardens

After reading an article in  December in a popular garden magazine titled "50 ways to recycle and save money " I feel compelled to post that in those 50 it did not mention to grow your own herbs or divide herbaceous plants. I must of bought 40 to 50 plastic wrapped, silly bunches of herbs  last year from supermarkets all costing £1.50 + a time (I have a completely shady garden or I would grow my own).

If you enjoy a sunny garden then growing your own herbs is child's play. Either in window sill troughs (kitchen window best) or by creating a little patch somewhere in the garden. The majority of herbslove sunny, well drained areas as most originate from the Mediterranean,  so if your soil is not too free draining mix in some grit or sharp sand to help drainage. I would suggest planting 3 each of your favorite most used herbs then you will have a ready supply. MINT! plant this in a pot in the ground, it spreads like wild flower.

For an excellent supplier of herbs go to http://www.jekkasherbfarm.com/

If you would like an area designed in your garden for herbs please send an email to scott@scottlawrence.co.uk or contact me on 07792 185130.

Just when you think you've seen everything ....

When you book a gardener to come around please try and make sure they are qualified and know what they are doing. Yesterday, as I worked in my study I witnessed 3 guys working (or drinking tea) in a garden no bigger than 15m x 5m - each one armed with a petrol hedge trimmer. There are no hedges in this garden, so they just went to work on everything with the trimmers; shrubs that are about to flower, large leaved shrubs and even roses. After this very gruelling day of work (estimate charge 3 persons x £150ish ea) they even tied up a bramble - which I can only think they thought was a climber.

Please, please check that whomever you decide to employ - for your garden's and wallet's sake - they really knows their horticulture.