Blog

Cup of coffee with smoke and coffee beans on old wooden background

In a previous Gardens and Mowers Minute, <a data-mce-href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/a-friendly-foe" href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/a-friendly-foe">A Friendly Foe</a>, we noted that coffee grounds are great at keeping slugs away, but coffee has other uses in the garden.&nbsp;One of the main things to know about coffee is that it contains goodies like nitrogen, phosphorus, and magnesium that work wonders for the health of your plants. These qualities make coffee a perfect fertiliser. You can mix your coffee grounds into a mulch mix, steep them in cool water to give to plants that need it a little extra help, and add them to compost. The only thing you must be careful with are seedlings, coffee can stunt their growth so it’s not advisable to use it on them.&nbsp;But remember when using coffee in you garden, don’t overdo it. And caffeine isn’t good for cats and dogs, so if you have a pet you may want to avoid using coffee as a fertiliser.&nbsp;

Proper Coffee

Keeping your mower bag clean improves the quality of your cut when you cut your lawn, and reduces the strain on your mower's engine. What's even better is that keeping your mower bag clean is nice and easy to do.&nbsp;To prevent future buildup of debris, empty your mower bag of clippings as soon as you have finished using it. For harder to shove portions of clippings use a stiff brush to get rid of them. Every once in a while you may need to use plain soapy water (anything harsher than this could damage the bag) and a sponge to give the bag a good clean, and leave it to dry. Just remember to remove the mower bag, and check it for damage before cleaning it with your soapy water solution.And that's all you need to know to keep your mower bag in great condtion. Take a look at these other mower care related Gardens and Mowers Minutes: <a data-mce-href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/caps-on" href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/caps-on">Caps On</a> <a data-mce-href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/stabiliser-is-essential" href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/stabiliser-is-essential">Stabiliser is Essential </a> <a data-mce-href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/not-on-the-cutting-edge" href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/blog/not-on-the-cutting-edge">Not On the Cutting Edge</a>And if you're in the Midlands and need your mower repairing or servicing go to our <a data-mce-href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/professional-lawn-mower-repairs" href="https://gardensandlawnmowersbyclive.com/professional-lawn-mower-repairs">Machinery Repairs and Maintenance</a> page.

It's in the Bag

In 2021, a rose the colour of fresh butter was named after a gardener. Plants being named for gardeners is of course not unusual, but the gardener this rose was named after, John Ystumllyn, was quite unique in his time because he was one of the first recorded black people in Wales.&nbsp;From inauspicious beginnings as an enslaved person, he rose to become an expert plantsman, gardener and florist. He spoke English and Welsh, married a local girl, had a family, and died in comfort in 1786 as the owner of a cottage gifted to him by his employers for his dilligence.&nbsp;It wasn't always easy for him though. While John didn't face an enormous amount of predjudice, he lost his position as gardener at the Ystumllyn estate (the place he gained his surname from) because he got married without the permission of his employers. In time, however, all was forgiven and his position at Ystumllyn was restored.&nbsp;In most places that sell them, you can get your own 'John Ystumllyn' rose for around £30.00. That's a small price to pay for an attractive rose that commemorates such an interesting person. That's all for today's minute, and hwyl am y tro!

Ystumllyn

Slugs can make your hostas look as if a hole punch has been taken to them, but slug resistant varieties of hosta are available. We’ll only cover three types of slug resistant hosta today, but there are so many out there, so keep your eyes peeled.Variegated hostas add interest to any area that needs brightening up and there are some delightful slug resistant ones. One such type is the ‘Firn Line’ variety. ‘Firn Line’ has leaves with a lovely brushstroke of white around a central almost verdigris coloured streak.The next hosta variety is quite popular so you may have heard about it before; it’s ‘Sum and Substance’. The size and habit of growth of ‘Sum and Substance’ as well as its golden green leaves make it perfect for filling in empty border space. It is one of the most slug resistant varieties of hosta too because of the thickness and waxiness of its leaves.The last variety we’ll look at is ‘Neptune’. ‘Neptune’ is slightly less resistant to slugs than some other varieties but it’s still quite resistant. The leaves of the ‘Neptune’ variety have a scalloped edge, and the plant produces purple flowers in summertime, a gift in any garden.

Slug Resistant Hostas

Rolling out new turf and making new lawn with grass

A bowling green perfect lawn probably isn't what you want when you have active kids who like to play in the garden. You need a lawn that can take some trampling and is easy to care for. A utility lawn.&nbsp;So, what do you need to look out for if you need a new lawn and you want it to be hard wearing? Perennial ryegrass is key. You can get perennial ryegrass as turf which is more expensive than grass seed but more likely to produce a successful lawn with less effort. If you don't want to buy turf, most standard lawn seed bags contain perennial ryegrass.Other hard wearing lawn winners are creeping red fescue and poa pratensis (smooth stalked meadow grass). Creeping red fescue is perhaps the easiest type of fescue to germinate from seed, and maintain, it's strong, and like perennial ryegrass appears in a lot of standard seed mixes. Poa pratensis is also tough, while being a gorgeous colour and soft to the touch. The main drawback of using poa pratensis is that it can be thirsty over the summer months, but keep it watered and the benefits of using it will be innumerable.

Utility Lawns

Glistening row of dewdrops on edge of backlit wild rice leaf blade in area of browning leaves

Seeing dead browning patches on your lawn can be quite frustrating, but it is easier than you might think to identify the causes of them, and deal with them.If your dog uses the loo in a particular area of your lawn, dog effluvia, which can be too nitrogen rich is likely the cause of the patch problem. Another sign that points to a potential cause of your patchy lawn involves birds pecking and scratching at your lawn. Birds peck at lawns when they’re trying to eat leatherjackets and chafer grubs that eat away at the roots of grass. Other causes are overwatering or underwatering your lawn, fungal lawn diseases, or even simple wear and tear and incorrect mowing.Protecting your lawn from developing brown patches involves keeping on top of the usual lawn care tasks, like feeding, watering, and scarifying, and looking for the signs listed above. When you are dealing with a severe case you can turn to lawn fungicide or even remove the offending patch or patches and reseed or returf the affected area.That’s your minute! Come back tomorrow to find out about hard wearing lawns.

Gardens and Mowers by Clive

The Gardens and Mowers Minutes

Proper Coffee

It's in the Bag

Ystumllyn

Slug Resistant Hostas

Utility Lawns

Patchy Grass