Author

John Moore

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Scarifying is not just about having a scarifier; it’s also about reducing the spread of moss before a scarifier even touches the lawn by applying a moss killer with iron sulphate a week or two before, which I’ve discussed here. Not forgetting, aerating the lawn with a lawn aerator improves aeration and lets essential nutrients and water reach the grassroots. If you need more information, I’ve previously discussed lawn aerating here. I’ve also covered how…

I’ve worked in my family nursery for over 20 years and as a professional gardener for as many. Over the last few years, I’ve noticed a big increase in awareness of planting bee-friendly in mind. Sadly, our local bees are declining, so anything we can do in our gardens to provide bee-friendly plants is essential. With this in mind, if you’re looking to attract bees and other beneficial insects into your garden, most people go…

Lavatera shrubs are one of my favourites, and I’ve always had a few on my borders. As a professional gardener, I’ve always recommended them for large borders as they are so versatile and easy to care for. In my family’s nursery, they are also one of the most popular shrubs and a favourite of many gardeners. If pruned correctly, they produce an amazing show of flowers in mid to late summer. However, they do need…

Rhododendrons have to be one of my favourite shrubs, both the evergreen and deciduous varieties, including Rhododendron luteum, a more recent addition to my garden. I’m lucky to have worked as a professional gardener for over 20 years. My family also runs a small nursery where we sell a large selection of rhododendrons. Over the years, I’ve seen and experienced my fair share of problems that affect rhododendrons in my garden, my customers’ gardens, and…

Phormiums are one of my favourite shrubs and are very popular at my family’s nursery. Over the years, I’ve written a few guides, including this guide on phormium care and phormium mealybugs, which can be an issue, and so are worth looking out for. Over the years, as a professional gardener, one question I’ve often been asked is, ‘How (and when) can you prune phormiums?’ The answer depends on whether you need to give your…

As a professional gardener, I have often been asked what climbing plants I recommend for covering fences. However, there are many options when you consider deciduous varieties, and I’ve talked about some of them in my Climbers for Fences guide. I’ve also talked about evergreen climbers in general here, so in this guide, I want to focus on the best evergreen climbers for fences. What makes these climbing plants different is that they are perfect…

When it comes to large grasses, not many varieties of grasses make more of a statement in the garden than an established pampas grass with tall swaying plumes. I’ve been a professional gardener for over 20 years and have worked in my family’s small nursery for as many years. I often get asked ‘when and how to prune pampas grass? I first covered this in my Pampas grass growing guide, which covered planting, general care,…

I’ve been a professional gardener for 20 years, working on my family’s nursery. Over the years, I’ve often been asked about the best shrubs for small gardens and shrubs for low-maintenance gardens. However, in this guide, I want to talk about some of my favourite shrubs that thrive in full sun with very little shade. Many shrubs prefer a more partially shaded position with the sun for around 5-6 hours a day; in 10-12 hours…

I’ve previously talked about ground cover plants in general and some of my favourite recommendations, as well as which ground cover plants I plant in shady positions. In this guide, I want to focus on fast growing ground cover plants and have included shrubs, perennials and even a couple of my favorite alpines. Some of my recommended ground cover plants, including Vinca, also known as Periwinkle, thrive in more shady positions, while others, including Ceanothus…

As a professional gardener and working on my family’s nursery for over 20 years, one of the most common questions I get asked is, ‘Why is my conifer turning brown?’.  After further investigation, it’s nearly always usually caused by one of two reasons: by trimming to hard into brown wood or at wrong time of year. The second reason for browning is the Cypress aphid, but more on this further down. There are a handful…