Gardening tips, gardening info and heaps of ideas to help gardeners of all experience get more out of their hobby and out of their gardens.
I would never have bought a collapsible garden container myself so I'm very thankful that my daughter surprised me with one for Christmas. To me, this product seemed as useful as a keg at a teetotalers party.
My normal gardening activity sees me move around the garden deadheading, pruning and weeding leaving little piles of refuse everywhere. Sometimes I cart around my wheelbarrow but more often than not it's full of compost or soil or some other project resource. So the little piles grow and remain until I can be bothered returning to pick them up - or my wife gently nudges me with "When are those rubbish piles going to move, Stuart?"
So, I took my new collapsible container for a test run in the garden yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. Not only was it easy to maneouvre and carry it was also incredibly sturdy and strong enough to carry my edgings and summer prunings. At the end of my gardening tasks it was just as easy to carry the container over to the compost bins and empty - a vast improvement on trying to lift it out of the wheelbarrow with a garden fork.
As I was testing it out, I contemplated the features that impressed me most about this new garden tool. Obviously the "collapsible" thing was a standout winner. Being able to collapse the container when storing it makes it ideal for my limited garden shed. Plus, another neat bonus was that as I was kneeling on the ground picking out weeds, reaching into the bag was effortless - it just collapsed and folded down and then instantly sprang back.
What would I look for if I were going to buy one of these?
If you don't have a collapsible container for your garden yet then I would seriously suggest you consider it. It is probably the best tool to emerge in the garden over the past few years and will come in very handy for years to come.
Hebes are one of those plants that possess the "girl-next-door" looks. In fact, most gardeners may have a hebe plant or two but grow them as fillers rather than the focal plant in their beds. And it's no surprise, they're just one of those plants that go about their growing business without too much fuss.
But, don't make the mistake of writing them off either. The Hebe, sometimes bundled in with the Veronica family, is a plant that deserves far more attention than it receives.
The reason for its omission on the front cover of gardening magazines is due primarily to its ovate foliage. Can you recall the last stunner that possessed ovate leaves? They're the shape that kids draw when they first start depicting plants with leaves and, quite honestly, hold very little appeal to the masses.
Hebe flowers aren't anything to write home about either. While they're certainly pretty enough and hold some attraction for bees and butterflies they don't last long and look hideous when they've finished performing against many of the other stunning blooms. And dead-heading them to encourage a second flourish just doesn't seem worth the time, or the effort.
No, hebes were destined to be the "poor cousin" to your standard, floribunda roses, fragrant gardenias and impressive magnolias.
Yet with new hybrids starting to enter the market, the plain-Jane hebe may see a rejuvenated acceptance, possibly - dare I say it - desire, amongst gardeners. Their foliage is improving with more elongated ovate leaves and some, like my H. "Mary Antoinette", offering burgundy undersides which look amazing contrasted against the deep green leaf. Even the flower colour is deepening from vivid whites through magenta pinks and dark purples.
Hebe Plant Care & Management Tips
If you've gone ahead and put a couple of these in the garden or ordered a few varieties through your local nursery, you will need to know how to keep them looking their best.
Garlic is usually considered in the same moment coupled with halitosis - smelly breath. In fact, in most conversations that centre around this wonderful vegetable/herb, bad breath will most certainly be raised as a reason for its distaste. Yet there are so many other uses of this distinctive plant.