• OUR PAST NEWSLETTERS
    As well as our list of tips tips, we like to introduce and discuss new topics, interesting facts in our newsletter..
    Click here to be added onto our newsletter list

    Below are some of our previous ones:
    Happy Birthday! Black Dahlia Garden Design is 10 years old !

    Baby it's cold outside -brighten up your garden during the cold winter months

    How deep is your bulb? - Guide to bulb planting

    ILL COMMUNICATION - Get busy during lockdown, growing micro greens

    Shake the disease- the box hedge infestation

    A hazy shade of winter - The box hedge infestation Jungle rot - The composting issue

    Ace of Spades - The "no dig" issue, Bulbs planting

    June in January - Why use manure? Top Wisteria tips

    Stormy Weather - Fantastic Neem oil!, top tips for roses

    Here comes the sun! - The Biochar issue

    Subterranean Jungle - Rocket science

    Soil is the new Prozac! - The New Year Issue

  • TIPS
    Gardening resources from Daniele at learning heaven: topiarytree.net/greatgardningresources.php

    French Marigolds: use them on your vegetable border, a Fantastic insect repellent!

    Watering house Plants: Leave the water in a see through plastic bottle for at least a day before using it, this will get rid of the bleach in the water!

    Surviving the frost: Little clay pots make great cloches for protecting young plants from sudden, overnight frosts and freezes

    Clear soup water revival: The next time you boil or steam vegetables, use the water on your potted patio plants, they will love it!

    PH levels: Use leftover tea and coffee grounds to acidify the soil of acid-loving plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, gardenias and even blueberries.

    Dirty fingers: To prevent accumulating dirt under your fingernails while you work in the garden, draw your fingernails across a bar of soap and you'll effectively seal the undersides of your nails so dirt can't collect beneath them.

    Magic pen your hydrangeas: Just put some slate in the soil, it will make your hydrangeas grow bluer than blue.

    Potted worms: If infested with worms (a few worms is good though!), stick matches into the soil, sulfur end down. For an ordinary sized plant, use four matches–six for a large pot. The sulfur does the trick.

    Are they ready yet? You can test seeds for maturity by dropping them into a container of water. The mature seeds will sink to the bottom while the unripe seeds will float to the top.

  • BEAUTIFUL BUT SOMETIMES ANNOYING
    Neem oil : Neem oil is an ideal natural pesticide and fungicide that every gardener should have in their toolkit. It's a natural solution that can be used on indoor and outdoor plants to get rid of a variety of garden pests.
    But be careful as some plants are sensitive to it ( eg: Euphorbias)

    Controlling aphids: organic gardening

    Nematodes: Nematodes are the organic grower's biological weapon. They kill pests such as slugs, vine weevil and ants – without using harmful toxic chemicals.

    List of pest repelling plants: wikipedia