Home & Garden

Hannah’s Horticulture... with Hannah Hobbs-Chell

Welcome to the monthly Q&A session! We have a few questions from readers that you wanted answering, so here goes: We are over run with ivy. How can I get rid of it? Ivy has a bad reputation, sometimes for good reason as it’s a very ‘successful’ plant! It has long been claimed that ivy kills trees, but in fact that statement is much disputed. In a healthy tree, the canopy blocks out the light enough to limit the growth of the ivy, and both co-exist without issue. It is also one of the best plants and habitats for wildlife because of its evergreen cover and nesting facilities, the number of critters that live in it providing food and a whole healthy ecosystem of its own, the berries are great food for birds, and the nectar is a rich early source of food for bees and pollinators. However, the problem comes when there is wind, and boy have we had some wind recently! As you can imagine, the ivy acts as a sail – not necessarily just in trees – and weak trees, plants and structures will cope poorly with the extra weight and force exerted. Ivy can be controlled by regular pruning, and in places where it’s out of control cut the stems just above the base. Cut a portion of the stems out, about an inch, to leave a gap. If you don’t do this the ivy can heal the cut and keep its nutrients and water supply to the tops. Dig out the roots as and when you can.

Is there a cheaper alternative to red cedar panelling that gives the same look? As you are probably aware, the cost of wood has shot up. Cedar is pricier for a few reasons. Although the trees can grow relatively rapidly, the trees require specialist and labour intensive maintenance. Cedar wood is predominately found in the USA and Canada, which over the last few years have been hit badly with devastating forest fires, all but destroying a lot of the crop. Demand is also up, which make the price rise. That being said, cedar is a great and long lasting wood, so an initial investment pays dividends as you won’t likely need to replace it anywhere near as often. Cedar has many other advantages too: Durability: Unlike chemically treated lumbers/plywoods, cedar has a natural ability to resist water and humidity defects over time. With a coat of oil, polish, stain over the surface you can make it even more resistant to water. It’s not easily warped or cracked, and is strong and lightweight. Insect-proof: Not every wood has this anti-insect power that you will be getting with cedar wood. Natural antibacterial and antifungal: it resists pest and diseases Alternatives to cedar are pine, which won’t be as durable and would need staining to make it look like cedar, or hardwoods such as oak, cherry or maple, but here you are likely to encounter higher cost than cedar for fencing!

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Horticulturist and garden designer/consultant Hannah is the gardener at High Mead Farm, looking after four acres of gardens and landscape. If you have a question for her, email:hannah.hobbschell@ outlook.com including a picture if relevant

What is the best way to get grass to grow? To establish a new lawn, start with the soil: ensure it is well raked and fine with most stones removed, level, and moist but not wet. Then choose your seed depending on your situation, shady lawns, general purpose etc. Grass seed is usually made up of four or more varieties, and these different varieties have different advantages and are more suited to different situations, the combination and percentage makes the seed mix for different situations. Sow grass seed liberally at the rate suggested, never less, for a thick sward, put a board/plank over the seed and tread down lightly. Keep well watered until it’s established – this is the main cause of failure. Also consider netting areas to keep birds from eating the seed! Hold off mowing until the grass is at least 2 inches high, and mow on a high setting for the first cut, and then treat as normal lawn. Please do email me with your questions and queries , you can ask me about things such as design, pests and diseases, plant choice, plant and garden maintenance, trees, etc. Have a great couple of weeks!

Buddha in the bathroom...

I have never been to the far East. A fear of large spiders and ‘deli beli’ drove me in tamer directions. Passing people’s houses in deepest Dorset and seeing a many-armed goddess statue in the drive it seemed incongrous and pretentious. A bit of self reflection later and I can see I was envious, but the jealousy melts away as I learn more about the Eastern religions. Judgemental?– yes I had been... presuming all the elephant-headed statuary were just souvenirs proudly proclaiming their owners are big travellers. I mean maybe a few are, but in general it’s an expression of an interest in far east religion and philosophy. Years ago I bought some buddha cushions from The Range purely because I loved the pattern - now I am digging below the surface and love what I find. That elephant-headed god is

Jo Green is a former allotmenteer, forager, amateur herbalist, pickler and jam maker who squeezed her allotment greenery into her tiny garden

Ganesha a Hindu god mostly known for removing obstacles from your path! How immediate and specific is that? In these days especially, I would say we all have some obstacles we need removed! Closer to my heart is Gwanyin - in Chinese mythology she is the goddess of mercy. Gwan Yin is often called on in times of uncertainty, despair and fear and in the recent past my voice has cried to her too. So now my driveway has a buddha statue on it! Gifted by my husband and son as, although they do not follow me in these interests, they are wise men who like to please me!

Never paint your exterior walls again!

Imagine having your exterior walls and roof painted and never having to paint them again. That’s the promise from a westcountry company, Countrywide, which uses a German paint backed by the Energy Saving Trust. The properties of the paint they use, Properla, are quite incredible. Not only has it been tested to last more than 25 years, it also cuts moisture absorption, and even cuts your energy bills. Managing director Colin Butler has been in the business for 14 years. He said: “I was in insulation and went into exterior home insulation with this product. There are so many benefits to it – it is very good with solid stone homes, as they tend to constantly draw up moisture and have very low thermal qualities. “Properla chemically bonds to the brick which reduces the heat passing through the walls and has strong thermal energy qualities. The Energy Saving Trust advocate it and it conforms to British Standards, providing a fully breathable insulation barrier which reduces water absorption by 93%. It’s been tested for durability, thermal insulating properties, breathability and water repellent qualities. “As you might expect it costs a bit more than other exterior wall treatments, but you don’t have to have it done again and that makes it very reasonable.” Countrywide is an approved installer for Properla, which comes in ten pastel shades. Countrywide offers a finance option on request and has fitters dotted around the westcountry. Colin added: “We have a lot of happy customers – check out our reviews. We’re on Checkatrade.” You can book a no obligation survey using thermal imagery to highlight damp or cold spots. Colin said: “At Countrywide we pride ourselves on exceeding customers’ expectations. We offer high quality exterior wall and roof coatings that will make your home exterior look beautiful, protect your exterior walls and roof from the elements and also comes with a minimum of 10 years’ guarantee. “We are currently offering all New Blackmore Vale and New Stour & Avon readers a fantastic discount of 15% off exterior wall and roof coatings.”

Book a free home survey and estimate at Countrywide-surveys.co.uk or call 0800 246 5145.

THINKING OF PAINTING THE EXTERIOR

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Fine flowers for February

In February we held our annual general meeting which was well attended by our members, writes Catherine Jenkins. This was followed by a very interesting talk with slides by Dan Benson from Brothers Farm Flowers which is based at Stapehill. Run by Dan and his brother Josh they run it as well as the blueberry field and they grow the well-known British seasonal flowers which they pick daily. Anyone can call in to choose their flowers and enjoy a lovely cup of tea or coffee and delicious homemade cake made by the family. Not only do they sell to the public and florists but they also have a florist who will arrange funeral and wedding flowers. We all enjoyed our morning and we came away thinking in the summer months we would visit them for a coffee and to pick from the buckets. On March 16, the demonstration will be by the home team. Their title is Fun With Flowers. Our meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 10am at West Moors village hall and all members and visitors are most welcome. For further information contact Catherine on 01202 876441.

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