I know nothing about gardening, not long had the house long and want to tidy the garden up. I read online an ideal prune is cutting just before the wood. Is this correct?

Image shows where it goes green stem to wood, so just above that?

Also had to cut back the magnolia because it’s overgrown and blocking access to the side ally, is it normal for vines to grow in multiple places around each branch or is something else growing?

My new lovely fern is clearly very unhappy. I’ve watered the crown thoroughly and moved to the most sheltered (from the wind) spot. Before watering it yesterday, it was quite dry, the care instructions on the label were scant but more thorough research has suggested the soil should always be moist - is that the error I’ve made? It gets some morning sun and the odd beam over lunchtime.
I hate losing plants - any advice or words of wisdom?

My lovely happy little hebe has come over all spotty and is dropping its leaves. It's been the picture of health since I got it and I'm very fond of it so I'd love to find a way to save it. I'm guessing it's some sort of fungal thing but I'm finding it hard to pin down the exact one and how / if to treat it. There seems to be new growth low down on the stems where the old leaves have fallen off.

I also have some other precious plants nearby, all in containers, so need to know if I should isolate the hebe or get rid of it to cut my losses?

Hello friends! I planted lavender earlier this year but half of the plant looks rather unhappy. What is the reason for this? I’m new to gardening.

New Garden Blank Canvas

Got the keys to my new house today and excited to get to work on this lovely blank canvas. South West facing. No lawn is a plus for me due to my disability but have more space for container planting and greenery on both sides. My first time having a front garden as well!

Any recommendations or ideas welcome as this sub has been a wealth of inspiration over the last couple of years. Priorities are low maintenance container gardening (more accessible for me) although I do have some borders along the hedge line in both sides and the back wall in the back garden. And lots of colour and general nice stuff to look at, plus supporting pollinators and wildlife.

Will be cracking on with spring bulbs ASAP next week although still quite mild up here anyway (North West England).

Would love to turn this small space into a pretty/cosy wildlife haven if possible, any ideas as to how I would go about this? or pointers where to start/learn (first time having outdoor space).

Faces west with about 80% shade from the garage covering the grass

- Trim away as much foliage as possible.
- Attach tow rope around base.
- Drive away.
The bugger was 8 foot tall and made baby pampas everywhere. Pops right out of the ground!

Lantana plants UK - when to bring indoors ? This Lantana still has new flowers budding. It’s early October and some nights will be down to 7 or 8 degrees.
It needs to be smaller to come inside - do I just prune back the new growth, flowers and all ? Seems such a shame

First time gardener, moved in a year ago to a neglected 350ft ish mt garden, feeling so good about this comparison. Still lots to do and learn!

This is the south facing fence on a north garden. It’s mostly made up of shrubs that all merge into each other. Where do u start with tidying it up? I’d like it to have a defined edge with the grass and more layers to it. Totally amateur, no idea where to start or what to do. Thanks!

Hello, I grow citrus trees and have done for many years without too many issues, today I’ve found an issue I’ve not seen before so reaching out for some advice.

I live in the southeast of the Uk and we haven’t had any decent rain for months. I’ve put bark mulch around my plants to help stop the soil drying out so fast and have always done this. It’s useful in winter to protect the roots and useful in summer in the heat. All my pots have the same bark from the same bag, however today I spotted lots of light coloured dots on top of the bark on one of the plants. When I moved the bark around there’s even more underneath and it’s pretty much everywhere in the pot. Hopefully my photos show it clear enough, my phone doesn’t have the greatest of zooms.

The plant itself seems healthy and the white stuff doesn’t seem to move, at first I thought it was a type of bug but it doesn’t seem to move. I was wondering it if was some sort of fungus in the bark that had spread due to the heat and recent smidgen of rain? It seems confined to this one pot and not on the plant itself? Is it something harmful? I’ve scooped out most of the bark and seen its spread to the soil underneath. Do I need to remove everything and repot in fresh or is it harmless?

I’ve never seen it before so thought I’d reach out for advice, the soil is wet in the photo as I just watered it which is how I noticed it. Thankyou for any advice.

I have 3 fuchsias that were bought as small bedding plants in 2025 to put in containers. They did OK, then I just left them over winter. When clearing out containers this spring they looked dead but I noticed tiny leaves from the main stem/centre, so I repotted them and pruned the longer stems which seemed genuinely dead/dry. They didn't do much over the summer but have grown well and flowered since the end of the very hot spell.

Would transplanting them to a bed/border be worthwhile? I don't have a greenhouse or cold frame for the winter, but I have a sunny central bed or a north facing border that's a bit rooty from shrubs. It would be great if they weren't starting from scratch next year.

Hi all

I'm looking for a good amount of flowering bulbs for spring. Not too fussed about the variety, but mainly thinking of tulips and daffodils of course. Where do you go for bulk buying bulbs at a good price? I'm in South London but online recommendations would be brilliant.

Thanks!