Now is an ideal time to prevent damage caused by Chafer Grubs

Chafer grubs are the larvae of the chafer beetle.

They can cause problems on any grassed area including lawns by feeding on the roots of grass plants.

The adults range from 9 to 39 mm in length and have different coloured heads and wings cases. The adults emerge between the end of May and July depending on the weather conditions in spring. They may feed on shrubs and trees before laying the eggs into grassed areas.

Larvae hatch about 2 weeks later and begin to feed on grass roots until late September when they move deeper into the soil where they pass the winter. The larvae have white bodies curved in letter C shape, light brown heads, with 3 pairs of legs.When the larvae are small they do not cause much damage to grass unless they are in very high numbers. As they grow bigger, they cause more damage.

Symptoms may appear as straw-coloured weak areas of grass, where the roots have been damaged. In most cases the larvae are discovered when birds or mammals, such as badgers or foxes, begin to rip up areas of the turf looking for the grubs. They are a protein filled delicacy to birds and mammals, which can destroy large areas when looking for them.

It is very difficult to prevent chafer larvae being laid into the lawn. Females prefer moist conditions and so the lawn should not be watered if adults are seen. However, where larvae are present the lawn should be kept well watered to try and counteract the grass from dying through drought due to a weaker root system. In most cases all that can be done is to employ bird and mammal deterrents and tidy up any damage caused.

The larvae can be controlled by removing them by hand or applying a biological nematode, such as Rolawn Chafer Grub Killer, which can be applied from late July until October. Rolawn Chafer Grub killer is specific to the pest concerned therefore safe for the user, children, pets, wildlife and the environment. Click here for further information and to order online from Rolawn Direct.

Join the RSPB Today

The RSPB are passionate about wildlife and with your help and support they can continue to save birds and wildlife, save and recreate special places for nature to flourish and to campaign and influence policies to help save the environment.

Join the RSPB today and receive the following:

• FREE entry to over 100 beautiful RSPB nature reserves in the UK
• FREE magazine, four times a year, packed with fantastic wildlife articles
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• When charges to RSPB nature reserves apply, members get in free of charge

If you love garden birds and other wildlife then join the RSPB today to help our environment.

To help support RSPB conservation the RSPB also have an Online Shop which offers a great range of high-quality, environmentally friendly products.

They sell quality bird food, feeders, nestboxes, and from July to December, they also sell excellent quality Christmas cards, decorations and gifts.

100% of profit go to RSPB conservation

Update

I’m sorry I haven’t been updating the site much lately but Christmas always seems to through out one’s routine.

We managed to get quite a number of brussells sprouts for Christmas actually pulling up a stalk on Christmas Eve for my brother to take home with him. Hope he liked them. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with the lack of taste which can be caused by loose soil or incorrect planting. Of course, it could have been the variety but I’m not sure of the variety we used as it was a pack of generic seedlings from the garden centre. Next year I’ll grow an F1 Hybrid which has the RHS Award of Garden Merit; perhaps Revenge. Thompson & Morgan have 40 seeds for £2.99. I’ll sow them in April and plant out in firm soil in June giving them support or I’ll earth them up to stop them falling over as they did this year.

My own garden is looking a bit sorry for itself as it’s been covered in four inches of snow for over a week!

I’ve been feeding the birds throughout this cold spell and have looked forward to watching one particular Robin and a Blackbird who always seem to appear to watch me putting out the food. Very cute!

I managed to insulate the new shed before the worst of the weather set in, we just need to put down some flooring and paint the outside and we’ll have a sturdy, cozy little shed to help make our allotment experience a little easier. Next job for the allotment is to build more raised beds. We want to erect a six foot high frame around at least two of the beds which will be netted to stop the birds getting in but allow us to get in easily to look after the crops.

Are you looking for a shed? If so Garden Buildings Direct have their January Sale on until 2pm on Monday 3rd January. They are offering some fantastic prices on selected wooden sheds, garden storage, log cabins, playhouses and summerhouses.

Water for the Birds Freezing

I’m having trouble keeping the water for the birds from freezing. Each morning I pour boiling water over the ice to melt it but by lunchtime it’s frozen again. Anyone got any tips?

Frosty/Snowy Weather

It seems the whole country has very low temperatures leading to morning frosts, some areas also have snow!

During this cold spell try not to walk in your lawn as it could damage the grass.

Also, leave out water for the birds but check it every morning, defrosting it if necessary.

Tender plants should be covered with fleece or moved into the greenhouse or conservatory.

Bathing Birds

It’s been busy in the garden this morning!

Regular visitors will know that I keep a number of dishes full of water for the birds to drink and bathe in.

This morning at one point a robin was bathing is my raised dish, two blackbirds were in the large dishes on the patio and I had four blue tits bathing in the gutter

Great!

Rowan Tree

Loving the Rowan Tree in our garden with it’s bright red berries ….. the magpies are going mad over them!

The Rowan or Sorbus sargentiana is a slow-growing tree with large, sticky red buds in autumn. In spring, dark green leaves are produced which turn a fiery orange and red in autumn. The white flowers are produced in early summer usually followed by red berries which are quickly eaten by birds.

A lovely tree for the small garden. Our Rowan is a self-seeded specimen, bought in by the birds no doubt!

It like full sun or dappled shade and prefers a slightly acidic soil which is why it does well here. It doesn’t require regular pruning, just remove any broken or diseased brances in late autumn. Eventual height and spread is 10m.

Crocus.co.uk have a good range of Sorbus Trees, click to find out more.

How to produce a lawn on top of gravel

Question:

We have just bought a new house and the previous owner had a very low maintenance garden, the entire garden is covered to a depth of two inches with stone. As this is our first garden I have no ideal what to do!! Can i put top soil over it? Do i need to remove it? And if so how?? And is turf better than grass seed?

Answer:

It is possible to put top soil over the stones as the stones would act as additional drainage for the lawn but first you need to check that the stones haven’t been cemented in. If they are just laid on bare soil then you will be OK, if they are laid on concrete or slabs then I’m afraid you will have to remove all of that first.

Assuming the stones are laid on soil then lay a good two inches of top soil on top and follow my lawn guides for producing the perfect lawn. You may want to consider leaving some of the stone in place to produce pathways, moving some of the stone from beneath the proposed lawn area to level off the area.

As to whether turf if better than seed; the preparation of the ground is the same but laying turf can be hard work but it is quick to establish and can be expensive. Seed is easy to sow and can be eaten by the birds before it gets a chance to germinate. The seeds that germinate can then take a few months to produce a decent lawn.

Something is pulling up our Lawn

Question:

Something is pulling our grass up by the roots and leaving it looking a mess. it is happening in the middle of the lawn and we can’t find a trail of anything. This is happening during the night; they are only small patches but we won’t have any lawn left soon.

Answer:

It sounds like it may be birds; starlings are known to tear out tufts of grass whilst searching for grubs such as leatherjackets and chafer grubs.

You may not see any other symptoms but there could be patches of poorly growing, yellowing grass and if you check below the surface you may find the grubs feeding on the grass roots. These pests can be easily and safely controlled by applying a suitable nematode based product. Rolawn Direct sell the nematodes but you may also find them at your local garden centre. For more information click on the links. Rolawn Chafer Grub Killer should be applied from mid-July through to late October and the best of year to apply Rolawn Leatherjacket Killer is from August through to late October. So it is very good timing.

Missed the Gooseberries Again!

A couple of years ago I bought a red gooseberry bush.

Last summer, its first proper season, it produced about six lovely sweet gooseberries, well I think they were sweet because just when I thought they’d be ready to eat the blackbirds ate all six in one sitting. I was actually watching it from my office window but couldn’t get down quickly enough to stop it.

This year the bush was covered in them; well about 30. On Friday I thought “I’ll get out there this weekend and pick them before the birds get them”. You guessed it, I came home on Monday morning and there wasn’t a single one left.

I hate netting plants as they look so ugly, but next year I’m taking no chances!

I also wanted to take a photograph of a nice plump, red gooseberry for my blog but missed that opportunity too, hence the green gooseberry photo.

The message of the day; if your gooseberries are still on the bush, pick them now.

RSPB Gift Membership

If you’re looking for a gift for someone with a love for wildlife and birds, why not give a nature experience that lasts all year round and includes some amazing benefits?

RSPB Membership offers FREE entry to over 100 nature reserves across the country and a FREE quarterly magazine that’s packed with amazing photos of birds and wildlife plus news and views on nature and the environment.

What’s more, you can also choose a FREE joining gift The RSPB Nature Guide book is packed with seasonal, fun-filled ideas and activities to help the whole family get the most out of nature, both indoors and out. Perfect for families looking to entertain the kids during their summer holidays – whatever the weather!!

Low Maintenance Flower Beds

Question:

Our local council have decided to grass over four of the flower beds along our road due to cost cutting. They have said that they will consider alternative use of the beds i.e. monument or alternate designs. It has to be low maintenance and be appropriate for the seaside setting as the cliffs are about 200yards away. Can you offer any design ideas or websites that I can use to get advice.

Answer:

Hello, thank you for your email. What a shame you council have decided to remove the flower beds. However, I think one solution that would work well in terms of location and minimal maintenance is to produce gravel gardens. Basically they can remove existing planting and check that the soil is sandy and free draining, if not they can mix in a good quantity of gravel. Add sheets of weed suppressing membrane then top off with gravel and some decorative boulders, stones, driftwood etc. For planting they should use grasses as they will look good for most of the year and only need cutting back once a year, usually in the spring.

I suppose if this is thought to be too much maintenance they can just plant one or two (depending on the size of the beds) pampas grasses in each bed. They require little or no maintenance and can be quite impressive when in full flower.

Another idea, although not exactly coastal in design is to use prostrate woody plants such as Cotoneaster horizontalis, Cotoneaster dammeri, Pyracantha (instead of training it against a wall let it spread along the ground). These plants will soon cover a large area and once establish require no maintenance at all. If a weed suppressing membrane is laid before planting then the weeds should be kept away until the plants establish. An added bonus is that the berries in autumn will feed the local garden birds and the flowers in spring attract butterflies and bees. The links are to Crocus.co.uk to show you what the plants look like.

Questions for April 2008

Question

I am not sure if you can help but I am looking to buy some coprosma evening glow or/and coprosma fire burst so far I have had little luck I have tried googling it but very poor results none of my local garden centres stock it I bought some last year from a local market and would like to get more I really want a fairly well established rather than a small gutting that needs to be grown on do you know of any online nurseries that would sell this also regards dogwood I really like the look of this but again not been able to find it in my garden centres does this come in the form of a shrub or bush has its something I am not familiar with thanks for any help you can provide

Answer

I have to admit to not knowing about Coprosma but I have managed to find a company who sell a few varieties. Click on this link:  http://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pn_id=176. There are several types of Dogwood (Cornus) so I have added a link to a few at Crocus for you to look at.

Question

We have a well established pear tree in our garden. The problem is that is has grown lopsided / horizontally right across the garden, so much so that it is obstructing the garden path. I would like to keep the tree but would like some advice on how to prune it to encourage it to grow upwards rather than outwards.

Answer

It is possible to do what you are asking but it will need to be done in stages as to reduce the stress to the tree. I think the best thing for you to do is to follow RHS advice on this matter so I have included a link below on Apple and pear tree renovation: http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles1101/fruit_tree.asp

Question

I have what seems to be three different type of spotted laurels one is dark green in colour the other light green with what seems like the beginning of possibly some flowers the other is the same colour light green the first two were planted around a month ago and around 2 3 ft the last one was planted last summer and has hardly grown at all I did read for these to produce flowers you need a male and female like a holly and I thought they were very quick growers I have seen some has high has well over 20foot round where I live they seem to get bigger every year mine are planted in full sun in a good quality compost any information on this plant would be welcomed thank you. I bought a shrub called a beauty berry in October last year it had a abundance of purple berries which have gradually dropped of I believe it is suppose to have pink flowers in summer but at moment I have just a bare shrub is this normal

Answer

Regarding your laurels; do you know which variety you have? I have detailed three of the more common ones below and as you can see their sizes and flowering requirements do vary. If you can find the actual varieties I can do more research for you.

• Aucuba Japonica Crotonifolia. Evergreen, bushy, dense shrub with stout, green shoots. Large glossy, dark green leaves are heavily mottled yellow. Grows in sun or shade and well drained soil. Height 1.7m Spread 1.7m. Male.
• Aucuba Japonica Rozannie. Very handsome shrub which has large, toothed and leathery green leaves. This all green form is self pollinating and produces large red fruits in winter. Grows in any situation and any soil to about 1m. Male.
• Aucuba Japonica Variegata. Evergreen, bushy, dense shrub grown for its yellow spotted leathery leaves. Height 7 ft. Spread 7 ft. requires any reasonable soil. Will thrive in sun or shade. Plant with crotonifolia for berries. Can be kept as a colourful hedge or as a specimen plant. Female. As regards your Beauty Berry (Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii Profusion). The lovely purple berries will gradually drop off, or get eaten by the birds, before the end of the winter which is normal. It will remain bare until it begins to produce its leaves then small pink flowers around July.

Question

I have got some branches on our pear tree where the buds are not opening – should I cut them back or just leave it?

Answer

If the tree is the right size and shape for you then I’d leave it. However, you may want to read the RHS article below for information on how to prune your tree should you wish. http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles1101/fruit_tree.asp

Question

Now that the buds are out on the roses does this mean that I can cut them with an outward facing slope away from a bud at a height of 6 inches from the base now? Can I cut the honeysuckle back to 6 inches as well now?

Answer

I would wait until all risk of frost has passed because if you get a hard frost it can cause the tips of shrubs to die back. This die-back can be trimmed off but if the shrub is at its lowest height you will have nothing left to trim away. You should be OK to do it at the middle of April. You will still get a good display so don’t worry, you’ll be surprised how quickly they will grow from May onwards. You method sounds good but don’t forget to give them a little feed of fertilizer. You can buy one specifically for roses or you can use blood, fish and bone meal which can be used on all your plants. A mulch of well rotted manure around the base will also be good to keep down weeds and help improve the structure of the soil.

Question

Leaves on the hyacinth are going yellow. Can I cut them to the base; remove bulbs from the indoor pot and plant in the garden now? Any thoughts as to where best and how i.e. depth etc to plant them?

Answer

Yes you can cut them back and plant them out in the garden. Here’s a link to my Bulbs page which should help you when planting but the general rule is three times its own depth in a sunny position. http://gardeningregister.co.uk/NonProductPages/Articles/bulbs.htm

Question

I have recently bought some of the pretty flowering heathers you see at this time of year but know little about them I did hear that they need to be planted I the special compost you use for azaleas and rhododendrons also how long do they flower for I am told the ones you see in the garden centres are all forced has I believe they do not flower until early summer do I prune them when they finish flowering and when should I feed them thank you for any advice you can provide

Answer

There are two types of heather so I’ll give you the details for both. The first type is the “Erica” variety. These heathers do prefer acid soil but they will tolerate slightly alkaline soil, either way it needs to be well-drained and placed in a sunny spot. If you don’t know how acidic your soil is then it would be best to plant into pots using Ericaceous compost although it’s not essential. This type of heather flowers January to March and should be trimmed after flowering with shears or secateurs to remove the dead flowers and encourage bushy growth. The second type is “Calluna”. They like full sun and well-drained, humus-rich, acid soil or ericaceous compost. They flower July to November. In March or April cut back the flowered shoots to within 2.5cm (1in) of the old growth.

Question

My husband would like to know are than any certain types of methods used to make top soil more firm? He’s clearing out some land and the soil is too soft to hold weight.

Answer

I’m not entirely certain I understand exactly what the problem is but I think it is one of the following. The top soil may be too “soft” meaning it is not compacted enough. If this is the case then you should be able to carefully tread down the surface by slowly walking around until it is firm. However, the problem may be that the soil is too sandy, meaning that it has no substance and keeps falling apart. The added problem here is that it will also be very poor making it difficult to grow anything. If this is the case then you need to improve the structure by adding lots and lots of well rotted organic matter such as horse or cow manure. This can be bought in bulk or, if you live near a farm or stables, you may get it for free if you agree to collect it. If you have to go this route then it will take some time for the soil to change and become more substantial, perhaps as long as a year. To avoid weeds taking hold while you’re waiting you could grow some green manure which will subsequently be incorporated into the soil, again adding goodness. Here is an article which might help. http://gardeningregister.co.uk/NonProductPages/Articles/soil.htm#Green_manures0

Do you need to feed the birds?

I have always been a big believer in feeding the garden birds throughout the year. However, I stopped feeding a few months ago as the feeders were attracting vermin. Since then I have only provided saucers of water; they together with the Ivy and other bird loving plants still attract a good number of birds.

Every day I sit at my computer watching the birds bathing in the saucers of water, feeding on aphids and other insects and I have had wrens and blackbirds nesting in the Ivy and Clematis growing up the fencing.

There are a few birds I miss such as the woodpecker and goldfinch as well as the sparrowhawk but I don’t miss the mice and squirrels!

I will probably put out some high fat food during the winter but will no longer feed the birds during spring and summer, I’ll just enjoy them using my garden as a bathroom.

Wildflower Gardening

Question:

Every year I spend hundreds of pounds on my garden, and every year everything dies. I would like a wild flower garden, that will attract butterflies and bees, I have loads of elderberry trees behind my back fence, which hang over into my garden (which I like) they attract the birds, I would also like to put up some bird boxes. I would also like to grow my own vegetables and fruit.

Answer:

If you plants keep dying then I would normally suggest soil improvement. However if you wish to have a wild flower garden then a poor, less fertile soil is needed. Here are a couple of links to articles from the RHS about starting a wildflower meadow and maintaining it going forward.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles1200/wildflower_meadow.asp
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0600/wildflower.asp

I see you are from Liverpool. The National Wildflower Centre is Court Hey Park, Roby Road, L16 3NA not far from junction 4 of the M62. Here you can find everything you want to about wildflowers and even buy plants and seeds. The website is http://www.nwc.org.uk/

I have also found a company which sells Wildflower turf http://www.wildflowerturf.co.uk/ an easy and quick way to get a wildflower meadow.

The elderberry trees sound great and will indeed attract lots of birds and the flowers will attract butterflies. There are lots of different types of bird boxes you can put up to attract different types of birds so place a variety of styles in sheltered positions around the garden to attract the largest range of birds.

As for the vegetables and fruit. I would suggest building or buying a few raised beds and filling them with good quality compost mixed with well rotted manure. Place them in a sunny position where you can get to them easily. Your wild flowers could be planted around them so that you don’t loose too much ground.

Keep Feeding the Birds

Spring is finally upon us! But just because its warmer don’t forget April can be a month a food scarcities as winter berries have disappeared but its still too early for summer fruits and insects.

Nest building is underway and you may have already spotted birds flying back and forth with twigs and other materials with which they use to construct their nests. They need a lot of energy during this important period so ensure you supply plenty of energy-rich foods such as suet pellets to see them through.

Big Garden Birdwatch Results!

The results are in; see what the RSPB has to say!

“For the first time in the survey’s 30-year history, the long-tailed tit has flown into the Big Garden Birdwatch top ten. This highly sociable species increased by an astonishing 88% from last years count. We believe this pleasant increase is because this insect-eating bird has adapted to feeding on seeds and peanuts at birdtables and from hanging feeders. This result highlights perfectly the positive impact that our feeding and bird care can have on some birds.”

The 2009 garden top ten looks like this:

1 house sparrow

2 starling

3 blackbird

4 blue tit

5 chaffinch

6 woodpigeon

7 collared dove

8 great tit

9 robin

10 long-tailed tit

Wildlife Nest Boxes

Now is the time to put up nest boxes for the birds. Other wildlife in your garden also benefit from have homes provided for them. Take a look at some examples from Garden Bird Supplies:

Plant Native Trees

Give something different with the RSPB; Plant native trees From just £17.00

Did you know that a mature oak tree is home to about 200 species of insect? Every year we plant native trees around the UK. They’re just saplings at first, but they will grow into valuable homes for birds, insects and wildlife, and they’re brilliant at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Order any good natured gift, and you will also receive a FREE Wildlife on your Doorstep booklet. While stocks last.