Box hedges….i want to grow a dense hedge around my garden, they are coming bare rooted and about 12" tall. Thanks

boxwoods come in two varieties (horizontal and vertical). Generally the variety you purchased would be horizontal in nature.
This plant will grow three to one. Three inches wide while growin one in in height. Whereas you have twelve inch plants they are approximately fifteen years in age. They will be sherred for shipping thus you’ll have a 12′ h by 8′ w plant on your hands.
Regardless allow the plant to assume it’s natural growth patterns. Prepare your bed to allow for both internal and external growth. Picture five years from now. Place the plants back away from the drive or pavement you want by at least four feet. Space them at least 30 to 36" center apart.
I recognize this differs greatly from previous advice, however, the key to this is what happens in the future versus immediate result. At the previously applied thoughts you will have plants that either smother each other or die to lack of water and fertilization. Boxwoods are great for training in growth. You can prune them to go taller (prune the sides) or horizontally (prune the top). Always prune with a hand pruner vs. the electric/powered pruner.
Prepare your bed by hand or roto-till. Again make it at least three feet off any pavement. Although evergreen they can tolerate neutral soil as well as acidic. Prior to planting add both a 10-10-10 with mineral granular (really cheap) and some bone meal to the soil. Do this on the last pass of roto-tilling or raking in the bed. Buy a double or triple shredded hardwood mulch for the plants.
Establish the original planting level by the difference in the root material. The level of planting should meet with where the bark is darker (this is above ground). Spread the roots, as best you can and dig a hole to support the spread roots.
Once in the ground tamp the soil to set it. Boxwoods are hearty and you will not hurt it making sure it is in place. Mulch around the exterior root structure, however, do no allow any mulch to touch the uprights. In general make a dam or well around the plant about six inches from the mainstem and do not mulch near that.
Water the dam/well you have made for a few minutes or until the perimeter is full of water. Let it be for a week or more depending on your rainfall. If there is none do it again but let the dam/well fill half way. If there is some leave it alone.
Sorry to be so detailed and longwinded, however, when properly grown the boxwood can become not only a hedge but a work or art. It easily adapts to pruning and is made into all kinds of shapes (letters, animals, waves). Hope this helps. I’m at gjgjobs@yahoo.com for other advise. Good Luck.

What do I do and do you know why? They were fine before the winter. Went thru the winter and now they are yellow. TY

they will be this way cause it was wet for so long,do not wet them just leave them to dry out…if this continue into the end of may then you have problems…I would pull back some of the soil from close the roots
so it can breathe…good luck..

I want a hedge at the front of my garden and have 5 box shrubs, but will they grow the same as a privet hedge or should I plant privet instead

No privet usually is used for higher screening purposes.
Box is usually used for ornamental purposes eg small 300mm high hedges.
No they are not the same, and are suited to their own purposes as above.

i want to plant some bushes/shrubs around my garden to hide some parts that are tatty and bare. they dont need to grow tall and will have partial sun, also they wont have anything behind them to grow against. should i just go for a simple box hedge?? ideas and advice please x

I would go with some beautiful Azalea bushes which will have foliage even in the winter. They fill in nicely and the flowers in the Spring really brighten up the landscape.

To grow bamboo, place a piece of the plant in the ground or in a container and provide it with plenty of sunlight. Grow bamboo with tips from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Expert: Yolanda Vanveen
Contact: www.vanveenbulbs.com
Bio: Yolanda Vanveen is a third-generation flower grower and sustainable gardener who lives in Kalama, Wash.
Filmmaker: Daron Stetner

Duration : 0:2:7

Learn tips & advice on how to become a better gardener in this free horticulture & beginner gardening video clip.

Duration : 0:1:18

Technorati Tags: backyard, care, diy, Garden, Gardening, grow, home, howto, ideas, planting, plants, tips

I don’t know the first thing about gardening, but I would like to plant a couple plants, and keep my garden looking nice over the summer. Any hints or tips?

Any garden needs to have some preparation before anything should be planted. If you did not prepare a site–remove sod, ammedn the soil and till–perhaps you should try container gardening to begin with. Tomatoes are great to start with. They are easy and have great results within weeks.
Cherry tomatoes ripen quickly. Put one plant into a 10" pot in full sun. Water only when the soil begins to dry a bit.
Larger varieies will need staking and also a large pot–one plant into a 12" or 14" is good.
You can grow peppers as well.
In any case, starting small is far more rewarding when you are successful. If you jump in too quickly, you may become discouraged and give up too soon!

Thru them you can get to the CSU Cooperative Extension on line bulletins which will give you more info on drought tolerant plants.

You can access CSU Extension fact sheets at
www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/pubs.html

Copies of Growing Points: The Wit & Wisdom of the Colorado Master Gardeners of El Paso County may still be purchased at www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/growing-points/1500280

Here’s a little info on reading seed bag labels:

Name of seed variety
Each kind (VARIETY) of lawn seed is listed by its percentage (PURITY) by weight in the box or bag. Improved varieties have characteristics that are patentable under the Federal Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Act. Thus, you should find specific trade names of varieties rather than the generic names: i.e. Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue. For example, Unique Kentucky bluegrass, Brightstar perennial ryegrass and Shademaster II creeping fescue are trade names.

Germination
The germination figure is an important percentage because it tells you how much of each pure seed variety listed will "sprout" and is capable of growing a grass plant. The higher the percentage, the better.

Inert matter
This is any substance in the container not capable of growth. It could be broken seed that couldn’t be removed, or a filler added to take up space. The lower the percentage of inert matter, the better.

Weed seed
Any weed seed present is listed by percentage of weight. We really don’t want any weed seeds in our seed container, but it is difficult and expensive to catch all weed seeds during the cleaning process.

Acceptable limits range from 0.3% — 0.5% The higher the percentage of weed seed shown on the label, the poorer the quality you are buying.

Noxious weed
Most states have listed weeds so troublesome and undesirable that their presence must be stated on the seed label. For a quality lawn, you want to avoid boxes or bags with noxious weeds listed. Your label should read: NONE FOUND.

Other information
There is other important information on the label that you should read and be aware of:

•The name of the producer/distributor

•Where each variety was grown

•Lot number used for tracing the container through the marketing channels

•When the seed lot was tested.

•Many state laws require that a bag or box be retested and relabeled after 9 months — 1 year if not sold. You should check and be aware of the month and year the seed was tested.

There are many places where non-perennial annual grasses are beneficial to the environment, however this grass seed should not be purchased to establish or renovate a permanent lawn. Improved perennial varieties are your best buy for a permanent lawn.

Just wondering whether any of you know of anything that you can put in your fish pond to clean it out, for example this pond has gone green and it looks quite dirty, so just wanted to know whether you can buy something to put in to clear the water,

Thanks a lot! X

snails .