*Things that You Need*

Stakes, strings, tape measure, hedge clippers or electric shears, gloves, and a mask to avoid irritation from particles are some of the essential supplies required. Some fertiliser and water should also be kept at accessible distance. Also remember, ladders are an essential DIY item for most households , especially if your hedge is really tall.

*Determine the Height*

Insert the stakes into the ground at each end of the hedge. Next, tie the string to the top of the stakes parallel to the hedge and at the height to which you want to maintain the hedge. You can measure and record this information using the tape measure, so that you know exactly how tall you want the hedge to be.

*Trimming*

Trim off the excess growth off the top of the hedge to get an even surface. Also use the string to determine exactly how much of the hedge you want protruding outwards. To help with leaning up the sides evenly, tie another string to the bottom of the stakes as well, and anything that protrudes beyond the invisible wall indicated by the string must be evenly trimmed off. * **Fertilising*

After you are done with the trimming process, ensure that you fertilise the soil below the hedgerows with adequate fertiliser and water to nourish the trimmed hedges. Sprinkling some water on the surface of the hedge is also a good idea, since freshly-trimmed hedges need some moisture to heal.

Tremendous care and attention towards the process would help derive some wonderful results.

2. Clear weeds from a patch of ground about 2-3 feet from the trench you are going to dig. This breaks both the digging and the clearing up into manageable chunks, making the task less boring and easier on the back. As you dig, move your arms and bend your knees, not your back.

3 Whatever tool you choose to dig with, take small “spits” or bites rather than huge ones.

4. Work methodically across the plot in strips, slicing first the edge and then the butt of each spit before lifting it up, inverting it, and smashing it down again to shatter it into small clods. Clods can be broken up further with a slap from the back of the spade or a whack with the pitchfork. Remove any roots or debris as you go along and throw into two buckets or barrows. Roots can then be burnt, or rotted under water and later composted. Debris such as stones, bricks, bottles, etc. put to one side for using as hard core, post-hole filling or concrete mixing. Reserve plastic, wire, and old batteries (surprisingly prolific in some gardens! to be safely disposed of.

5. To make the digging process easier, it helps if the first strip of soil spits are dug out onto a plastic sheet or into a wheelbarrow and put to one side.

6. For best results, break up the bottom of each trough before refilling. You can use the spoil from the first strip to fill in the last strip. Either wheel it in place or if the plot is to be worked in two halves, first one way then the other, the spoil will be close by the finish.

7. You may wish to incorporate manure or compost while digging. Fairly wet or claggy manure and compost may be forked into the bottom of each trough as it is broken up. Alternatively, you can spread it over the surface some weeks before digging to break it down further and then mix it in with the topmost layer when it is dug over. Other enhancements such as sand to improve drainage, burnt clay to improve fertility and water-holding, ground rock dusts, such as lime or rock phosphate, as well as wood ash or fertilizer may all be mixed in now. They are usually of most benefit when worked into the upper soil layer, rather than being buried deeply or inserted as a discreet layer. Dried sorts are most uniformly mixed in by spreading them on top of the ground before digging starts.

8. Skim off the surface from the next strip of spits and deposit in the first trough, then dig and turn as before.

9. When you reach the edge of the patch to be dug, wheel the topsoil saved from the first trench to fill the last.

10. The final result should ideally be reasonably flat, uniformly bare soil with few enormous clods or roots sticking up. It is important to give the soil time to consolidate again before introducing plants, as few like to encounter slumping soil or hollow air pockets. In the meantime, do not neglect weed control¡ªweeds are likely to appear in multitudes.

Spent mushroom compost
This by-product of the mushroom-growing industry used to be more widely available than it is now and was much-favored by landscapers. A mixture of animal manure, loam, and chalk, this used to provide a cheap source of bulky organic matter to dig in or spread over soil as long as lime-hating plants like rhododendrons were not present. Organic gardeners should only take compost from organic mushroom production units. One would usually order a small lorry load for the garden from local suppliers, but it is scarcer and being superseded by waste from municipal compost recycling schemes.

Municipal compost
Under initiatives to reduce landfill, local authorities are embracing their own composting schemes, Green waste is collected from households and composted on an industrial scale. The results are sold to golf courses as top dressing for greens (the finest grade), bagged and sold through garden centers as soil conditioner, and sold by the truck load to landscapers and those with larger gardens. The compost is thoroughly rotted and the temperature of the heaps is tested regularly throughout the process and is high enough to kill the roots of pernicious weeds and weed seeds.

Composted bark
Hark is widely used in horticulture, but only well-composted bark should be dug into the soil. This is potentially an expensive way of conditioning soil, but bags of bark are widely available at garden centers and are an easy means of improving small areas of ground.

Pulverized bark and shredded prunings
Both these materials are routinely spread over soil as a mulch to conserve moisture ami suppress weeds, but as they are not yet decomposed, they have the potential to rob the soil of nitrogen while rotting down, because the bacteria involved will use up nitrogen. Don’t dig these mulches in and, if you use them, add a fertilizer to the soil under the mulch. Heavy mulches like these discourage self-seeding and are perhaps not a good idea in cottage gardens where one would like aquilegias, forget-me-nots, foxgloves, honesty, and other plants to self-sow.

Cocoa shell
Main gardeners looking for mulching materials favor this product, which is made from the outer husk of the cocoa bean. It makes a good weed-inhibiting mulch, is said to repel slugs, and will acidify soil. Cocoa mulch can be harmful to dogs and some are tempted to eat it. At one stage in its decomposition, a mold grows over the mulch, but this is quite natural.

Seaweed
Seaweed contains a lot of potash and an alginate that helps bind soil particles together. Either dig straight into empty ground when wet, or add to the compost heap. I used to worn about the salt content, but some gardens have been treated with seaweed over a long period with no unwanted side effects. Dried seaweed meal is a good soil improver and calcified seaweed seems to benefit both light and heavy soils, improving structure and helping plant growth.

Most gardeners are happy to erect a few trellis or fence panels, but many regard extensive fencing or wall projects as jobs for the contractors. Before accepting larger challenges, compare the time and effort it will take with the money you will save by doing the job yourself.

Gravel boards
A gravel board is the horizontal strip of treated lumber at the base of the fence that prevents the fence panels from touching the soil and rotting. It is cheaper, more durable, easier to replace, and quicker to paint than a panel. The alternative to using gravel boards is to put the fence panels above ground level so that they don’t touch the soil; this will prevent them rotting, but it does leave a gap at the base of the fence.

Fixing prefabricated panels
There are several methods of fixing panels to posts. One method is to nail them using galvanized nails through the outer frame of the panel and into the posts. If you are not using gravel boards, prop the panel up on brieks and check the level before nailing. Alternatively, you can use L- and U-shaped brackets with predrilled fixing holes. These should be fixed in the center of the post and attached with 2-inch galvanized nails. Make a T-shaped gauge with two off-cuts: the vertical one aligns with the edge of the post and the horizontal one marks the center of the post.

Shortening a panel
If the fence does not finish with an exact panel width, it is easy to shorten a panel. Measure the distance between the penultimate and final post, scribe a vertical line down the panel, then carefully remove the upright batten at the end and reposition it on the inside edge of the scribed guideline. Hammer galvanized nails through the batten; putting a brick underneath turns the ends of the nail for added security. Then support the batten on a workbench or table and carefully saw off the protruding ends with a panel or jig-saw using a blade with fine teeth; work slowly and carefully to prevent the timber being split or damaged, cutting as close as possible to the outer edge of the newly repositioned batten. Paint the cut ends with wood preservative.

The natural distribution of this genus is from China in the north, across to Japan, throughout the Himalayas, India, down through Thailand, the Malaysian Peninsula and as far south as northern Australia. The habitat is diverse, with plants growing at high altitudes in the Himalayas, tolerant here of cool nights and hot sunny days. There are also tropical rainforest varieties. Other species, such as C. sinensis and C. caniculatum, grow in very dry, arid conditions in Australia, relying on the annual monsoon rain during their growing season. The hard-leaved species, such as C. aloifolium, found in Thailand and other parts of Asia, can stand full blazing sun. They grow as epiphytes on deciduous trees or rocky outcrops.

Due to their habit of growing high in trees, many of these species produce long, pendent flower spikes which, when the plants are grown in cultivation, are tied upright. Other species, such as C. insigne, are terrestrial and grow in long grass among rhododendron bushes. They have thus adapted to produce tall, upright flower spikes. As the habitat for cymbidiums varies considerably, so there is great variation in the shape, size and colour of the blooms.

Miniatures, Compacts and Standards
Cymbidiums are divided into the these three groups. True miniatures will fit into a 10-12 cm (4-5 in) pot with a flower spike about 45 cm (18 in) high. They have pretty, petite flowers arranged along the stem. Standard cymbidiums can grow into very large plants. In huge tubs, they produce magnificent blooms on 120 cm (48 in) spikes. The compart Cymbidium, which has been produced somewhere between the other two, will fit an 18-20 cm (7-8 in) pot and produce spikes 60-70 cm (24-28 in) high, four or five to a plant.

A History of Cultivation
Of all the orchids in cultivation, the Cymbidium has the longest history. By 2000 BC, the Chinese and Japanese were cultivating them around their homes and temples for their perfume. C. ensifolium, one of the most strongly scented cymbidiums, comes from southern China and was highly prized. The Chinese made no attempt to hybridize from this species but cultivated it just for its perfume. The Japanese have always grown a wide range of miniature Cymbidium species, keeping them in very decorative earthenware pots.

Modern European interest in this genus started when the plants were first introduced into England. They became popular for the large conservatories of the Victorians, but it was not until the end of the 19th century that hybridization started. As a result, we can enjoy an immense range of colours, shapes and sizes unimagined by the early growers.

Hybridization
Surprisingly, only a few species have appeared in our modern hybrids and there are many that have never been bred from at all. As few as five or six species play an important part and only ten or twelve are likely to appear in the background of the hybrids that you will see at any big Cymbidium show. This is because the majority have small, insignificant flowers.

By the 1950s, hybridization had continued at a pace but most breeding had been confined to a limited number of species. With the season, starting in Europe around February, peaking in March or April and finishing in May, anyone with early cymbidiums that bloomed in January was extremely lucky. Flowering before Christmas was extremely rare.

Selective breeding has now brought the early cymbidiums so far forward that they start blooming in )uly and August, and any collector, choosing his plants carefully, can now have cymbidiums in bloom all year round. Most of the hybridizing has been done with the high-altitude species from the Himalayas, with the result that they can be grown anywhere in the world where the temperature is not too high.

Providing the Right Conditions
In those parts of the world where the temperature does not drop below 10¢XC (50¢XF), cymbidiums can easily be accommodated in shade houses, which provide them with the ideal broken light that they enjoy, or in a greenhouse. They will flourish in the latter, producing many long-lasting flowers. When the plants are in bloom, they can be successfully brought into the home. Keep in a cool room in good light, away from a direct source of heat. They should be returned to the greenhouse straight after flowering.

In colder climates, such as Europe and the eastern seaboard of the United States, cymbidiums must be grown in heated greenhouses where the temperature should be maintained at least at 10¢XC (50¢XF) on the coldest of winter nights, with a natural rise during the day. These cool nights are essential for flowering.

Some growers prefer to place their cymbidiums out of doors during the frost-free months. Place in a bright, airy position with some broken shade to protect them from the rays of the hot summer sun. Do not put them in a dark corner or behind a thick hedge where no light can reach them. A raised bench is preferable to allow air movement around the plant and to make it difficult for unwanted pests to make their home in the pot.

Cymbidiums do not make ideal houseplants in a centrally heated room as the temperature is usually too high at night and the light too poor.

When making your own garden compost, it is important to include a good range of different materials, confined in a bin. If you have a lot of waste and layer it up carefully, there should be enough heat inside the bin to “cook” the compost, making it even more valuable. However, you can still make a good mix with a small amount of waste, you will just have to remix it and repack it when the container is full.

Making or choosing a bin or container
First you need a compost bin to contain the heap. On a large scale, four pallets tied at the corners is inexpensive and effective, but you could make an equally good bin using netting supported by posts and lined with cardboard. Smaller bins made of wood or plastic are available, but the drawback here is that the smaller the bin the more quickly it fills and the less well it “cooks.” If this is all you have space for, insulation is very important. Rotating composters are a good idea in theory, but they don’t perform well in practice; likewise those with flaps that allow the removal of the base material from underneath.

Whatever style of container you choose, you will need a lid to keep rain out because rainwater will chill the heap and leach out nutrients. Even a partly matured compost will still need a small roof to throw the rain off. For best results, try to construct some kind of cover that still lets in air at the sides to help the heap mature and dry out.

Adding the materials
Try to assemble as wide a range of compostable materials as possible, because the more you put in, the more you get out in terms of quality. You can either add your material to the heap in thin layers as it becomes available, or store it temporarily in trashbags before mixing it all together.

Whatever von do, it is best to regard the accumulation and initial filling of the bin as just the first stage. Once the bin is full, you can either leave the ingredients to rot down slowly and dig it out the follow ing year for use, or dig it out, remix it and repack it a week or two alter the initial filling to speed up “cooking” and create a really good compost.

Whether you layer up ingredients as you go, or remix and repack, make sure you do not pack the materials down too heavily or you will exclude air. For best results, alternate dry (straw, hay, or shredded paper) with wet (fresh grass clippings) material and sprinkle soil or sifted compost on everything as it goes in. Remixing generally works best with two bins, so you can dig from one bin to the other¡ªalternatively, shovel everything out onto a plastic sheet and then repack. When refilling the bin, put the less well composted outer layer back in first, followed by the well composted core around the edges and top. Add more wet or dry material if needed. Top off with a thick layer of compost from a mature heap, as this will help keep in the heat and trap any beneficial vapors coming off.

Orchid Flower Structure
Three sepals form the outside of the flower while it is in bud and protect the inner parts of the bloom as they develop. These are usually about equal in size; the uppermost sepal is known as the dorsal sepal and the two lower ones the lateral sepals. Next we have the three petals; the two upper petals are often similar in appearance to the sepals, whereas the third, lower petal is adapted to form the lip or labellum. This arts as a beacon to the insect pollinators of the flower, attracting them with its usually yellow centre or yellow honey guides to steer the insect towards the nectar. The lip is also formed in such a way as to provide a landing platform for the inserts. There are many orchids that have evolved over thousands of years to a highly specialized flower structure that is geared to one specific pollinator. Some even have a particularly cunning way of trapping an insect inside until it has done its job and then can be released to freedom once again. The various slipper orchids, Paphiopedilum, Phragmipedium and Cypripedium, are common examples of how flowers have formed to catch their prey to make sure the flower is pollinated before the insect is released. The lip has been formed into the shape of a pouch into which the insert will drop when attracted by nectar. The only route out of the slippery interior of the pouch is via a hairy path up the back which takes the insect conveniently past the pollen, through a tight exit that forces the pollen on to the insect.

Just above the lip of the flower is the column. This elongated part of the flower stem carries the stigmatic surface on its underside (where the pollen from another flower will be deposited to pollinate this flower) and the pollen on the foremost tip, covered by the anther or pollen cap. The pollen is held in a number of solid masses called pollinia, which are bright yellow when fresh and are attached to a sticky pad that clings to the insert’s body. The pollen is then deposited on the sticky stigmatic surface of the next flower that the insect visits, so pollinating that flower.

Once pollination has occurred, the petals and sepals die off while the column starts to swell slightly as it transfers the pollen grains down towards the ovum, held within the stem that attaches the flower to the flower spike. This stem is actually the ovary and is now on its way to becoming the seed capsule as the ovum and pollen grains come together to form the tiny seeds. This will swell and increase in length over the following weeks and months until it becomes ripe.

Sowing grass seed to make a lawn is cheaper than buying in sod. There is also something rather magical about carrying that box or packet of seed into your garden and creating an entire lawn out of it. By contrast, the volume of sod bought in for a similar area is huge. There is also a lot more choice when you go to buy lawn grass seed. You know exactly which grass species are in the box, and in what proportions. The disadvantage of seed is the anxious wait for it to germinate and the fact that you’re at the mercy of the weather. Too much rain can wash the seed around, whereas too little sometimes forces you to water. On some soils, watering can make a “cap” or crust over the soil, which the grass shoots then have difficulty penetrating. While seedling grasses are thickening up, weeds can encroach into the embryo lawn and these need to be removed so they don’t compete with the grass at this crucial stage.

The main advantage of laying sod is the startlingly instant effect it creates. At the beginning of the day there is bare, brown earth and by the end of it, you have a green lawn. All the gaps are filled and there is no room for weeds to conic creeping in. Buying sod, though, can often be a bit of a lottery. It’s a good idea to see what you’ll be getting, but more often than not, you order the sod and hope for the best. Most of the time it will be good, but I remember receiving one had lot and having to insist that it was replaced. You should expect a good, uniform distribution of grasses with no or very few weeds. ‘The grasses should be short and the color rich and not yellowing. Expect the sod to be of reasonably even thickness and the grasses well rooted into good soil. The sods should hold together well and be easy to handle without tearing and falling apart.

Before ordering the sod, you need to be organized and have the site ready. Unlike a box of grass seed, sod will not store and should be laid as soon as it arrives. Each hour that it is stacked will see it deteriorate.

There are several different grades of bark that can be used for different types or sizes of orchid. The finest grade contains pieces of bark that are, on average, 5 mm (1/4 in) across and this is ideal for very young orchid seedlings or mature miniature orchids that have a fine root system. As the young plants mature and are moved into larger pots, they can be potted into a coarser grade of bark; each piece in this grade measures around 2 cm (3/4 in). Certain types of orchid prefer an even coarser mix, such as cattleyas, which like to be kept relatively dry-bark with quite large chunks will not hold the water for as long as the finer grades.

Try to buy bark chippings that have been produced especially for orchids. The bark that is sold for mulching flower beds in the garden can be very rough and contains a lot of white sap wood pieces which are not easy to use in a pot and do not hold moisture well. An even grade with bark pieces of a similar size is the best. The most commonly used barks are pine and fir, which are stripped in timber production. Redwood barks are of a higher quality, so tend to be a little more expensive.

There are many additives that can be used in conjunction with the bark to aid either moisture retention or drainage. Moss peat or a peat substitute will help to prevent the compost drying out by holding water. This is good for those orchids that prefer to be relatively moist, such as the terrestrial paphiopedilums and pleiones. It is also common to add perlite or the larger perlag into a peat and bark mix, as this helps with the drainage. These are types of porous volcanic rock that have been reduced to very small granules. A mixture of peat fine-grade bark and perlite is ideal for seedlings.

Before bark composts were so easily available, the most common potting mixes were made from sphagnum moss and osmunda fern fibre. The latter is not so easily obtainable now, and bear in mind that it dries out easily. Sphagnum moss is still regularly used, usually purchased in dried and comparted form, which is then rehydrated with Inter. The moss helps by holding moisture around the orchids’ roots and is especially good for potting sickly plants to aid recovery. Another possible addition to compost mixes chunks of coconut fibre. This performs a similar role to the bark in holding some moisture while still draining freely.

The first job is to clear the site thoroughly and methodically of any rubbish, including rubble, bricks, and tree roots. Use Roundup to eradicate perennial weeds. Alternatively, smother them or dig them out. Where trees are growing right next to the lawn, think carefully about the shade they will cast, as grass grows best in a bright, open position. You might want to take some trees out entirely or saw off some of the lower branches to raise the canopy.

If yours is a difficult site, now is the time to think about the gradient of the lawn and also consider drainage. Most sites are only going to require the minimum of leveling out and this can be carried out by digging first and then raking, but where there are deep holes and an uneven surface, von might need to shovel soil about and perhaps even buy in some extra topsoil. Where soils are badly waterlogged, proper drains or soakaways may be needed.

Fortunately, the soil in most gardens will simply need digging. For autumn action, dig over in early autumn, as soon as the soil is workable after summer’s droughts, or during the autumn and winter to prepare for spring. Single dig the soil, so that the topsoil layer is loosened and turned over to a spade’s depth (spit). Do this by removing a trench first, so that you can get at the subsoil underneath. Don’t bring this up, but having turned over the top spit, fork into the bottom of the trench to loosen any hard pans of soil or solid clay, so that water can find its way through more easily.

Digging and leveling
While digging, take the opportunity to improve the soil under the potential new lawn by adding well-rotted garden compost to light, sandy soil, or grit to open up thick clay. Remove all weeds and large flints or stones painstakingly as you go along.

Digging early allows time for the soil to settle naturally but, in reality, few gardeners work this far ahead. Some won¡¯t have time to dig and might use a mechanical cultivator instead. If so, allow for repeated treading and raking to make sure the surface is firm and flat before sodding or sowing. This is a fun job, but can only take place when the soil is dry enough¡ªanother good reason not to leave preparation until the last minute. Tread over the whole site, making small overlapping steps and digging your heels in.

Having done this, rake over the top. Repeat again and again until the surface is firm (though not rock hard) and the soil won’t sink. This is a good time to grade the site and make small improvements to levels, using the eye as a guide. You might want the lawn to flow smoothly in a slight slope, following the lie of the land. What you don’t want are bumps and hollows. I have always successfully used my eyes as a guide, but should you want to be sure of an absolutely flat lawn, use wooden pegs and a spirit level in much the same way as for laying concrete.