Seeds And Strains And Some Problems

[gardenaway]

Hello everyone, I am new to this forum seeking some info on a couple of problems i have en counted in my garden. I have some beautiful traditional Lilly's in my garden and they keep being eaten or maybe just rotting away i'm not sure it's not like i catch the little buggers in the act. Does anyone know what type of bugs you get in standard English gardens and what i can do to avoid them? Also it could be the strain that i have? does anybody have a good English garden seeds for sale site? I say sites because i am busy working and would like to spend my free time in the garden not the garden center haha. And then the question you all get.... WEEDS driving me crazy coming through my gravel and grass everywhere kinda out of control.

Any info would be great

Thanks

[songbird]

most the time in grasses if there are a lot of weeds germinating that means you are trimming it too low. i don't care much if there are weeds in the grass here, we have a lot of variety. mint in some areas, yarrow, clovers, trefoil, the bunnies will sometimes come through and eat the stuff out that they like and we mow it regularly with a mulching mower.

in gardens you can mulch around your plants using layers of cardboard and then cover it with wood chips. by the time the cardboard disintegrates the weeds below it are smothered and won't regrow. if they do, just repeat until they give up.

don't disturb the soil as much as possible as that moves weed seeds around (from where they won't germinate to where they will).

some of the lillies i grow here are often eaten by animals (deer, rabbits, voles, etc.). i have most of the ones i really care about in the fenced gardens which keeps most of the trouble makers out. the rest stumble along and seem to survive.

are they getting enough light?

songbird

[Jeff Layman]

You almost certainly have lily beetle. It's a nasty pest which can defoliate lilies and fritillaries. You might see the very attractive beetle itself, which is bright red (see

. There is also its very unattractive larva, which look like a black mobile bird dropping. You need to catch the beetles and kill them. They are crafty and drop off at the slightest touch, often remaining still and upside-down on the soil. The underside is black and difficult to see against soil. So if you see one, put a piece of paper or flowerpot saucer under the beetle before you touch it. They are quite tough and you need to use a bit of force to crush them. You can spray with a pyrethrin-type insecticide, or a systemic insecticide such as acetamiprid.

For seeds there are numerous suppliers. If you want to try something a little bit different, have a look at Chiltern Seeds.

Weeds on gravel can be treated with a glyphosate-based herbicide. On a lawn, you'll need a specific broad-leaf based herbicide. Do NOT use glyphosate, as grass is particularly sensitive to it. See suggestions here

for killing weeds in lawns.

[gardenaway]

Hello Jeff

Thanks for the links, I have done a lot of reading on the lawnsmith page but the rhs page din't work?? to be honest you have answered my questions!!

Big thanks