Gardener’s Cuttings Is this the tiniest ever lawn?


Many people are glad not to have a large lawn to mow when they down-size in retirement, but when Muriel and Peter Scott moved to a smaller house and garden which was covered in paving, Muriel found that she missed having grass to look at.


So they made a miniature lawn with turfs set in grow-bag trays at their home in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire. “The tiny ‘lawn’ has caused a lot of amusement, with people offering us ride-on mowers,” Muriel told Country Gardener.


“We had a large lawn at our previous house at Allingham, near the Severn. When we moved my husband got rid of the mower. But I did pine for a bit of grass in the garden. Now we mow the ‘lawn’ with shears.”


It was not the only addition to the small rear garden, which had been paved from fence to fence. They had raised beds made to grow flowers and vegetables, and an Alpine bed constructed in the centre.


Muriel Scott ‘pined’ for a little grass in the garden


So now they have to get on their hands and knees to ‘mow’ the tiny lawn – but they say they don’t mind the exercise, and it probably doesn’t take them very long.


Viburnum beetle the number one gardeners’ concern


The viburnum beetle has taken over as the number one pest in our gardens. Each year the Royal Horticultural Society charity’s entomologists add up all the enquiries they have answered and produce a list of the ten most troublesome pests. In most years slugs and snails have topped this list but last year more people wanted to know more about problems associated with the viburnum beetle.


This pest eats the foliage of various viburnums commonly grown in gardens, especially the evergreen shrub Viburnum tinus and the deciduous Viburnum opulus, also known as guelder rose or snowball bush. Adult beetles cause damage in late summer but it is the grub stage in April-May that can cause severe defoliation.


Principal RHS Entomologist, Andrew Halstead says, “The damage to evergreen viburnums is more apparent because it can be seen all year round.”


Enquiries into two sap-sucking insects, cushion scale and horse chestnut scale, have increased. Cushion scale infests the underside of leaves on evergreen shrubs, such as camellia, rhododendron, holly and trachelospermum. Horse chestnut scale is seen on the trunks of horse chestnut, lime, bay trees, sycamore and maples.


RHS members were also concerned about the glasshouse red spider mite, which sucks sap from a wide range of greenhouse and garden plants.


The number one plant in terms of pest enquiries in 2010 was grass. This was followed by viburnums, roses, apples, fuchsias, lilies, plums, maple, pears and bay. Lawns are usually the number one problem because they have a wide range of pest problems, although most of the damage is caused by chafer grubs.


The Sty’s the Limit for farmer Jon Warman


When Jon Warman bought a former pig farm near Street with a view to turning it into a premier venue for equestrian competitions, thousands of tonnes of pig manure came with the plot. Now he has turned what some people might have thought was a liability into a business opportunity. The land has a lagoon containing around 20,000 tonnes of pig manure, which when rotted down makes great plant food. It’s the perfect fertiliser for gardeners. After decades it has rotted down to a dry, crumbly nutrient-rich fertiliser full of nitrogen, phosphate, potassium and magnesium. It is relatively low in ammonia so it won’t burn roots and foliage, and as it has been heat treated to kill any weed seeds, it’s also odour-free. Jon, of Ashcott near Street, has come up with a memorable name for his venture: The Sty’s the Limit. “In terms of plant benefits, it’s similar to chicken manure but it is lower in ammonia and higher in phosphorous so it’s very good for roots,” he said. Sty’s the Limit compound fertiliser has no chemical fertilisers or additives. It is suitable for the vegetable patch, bedding plants, hanging baskets, potted


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Where there's muck there's brass, as Jon Warman has found


plants and for feeding established plants, and is available in handy 12.5 litre or 25 litre tubs. A 200 litre drum costs less than £10. Sty’s the Limit is available from local garden centres or direct from Jon. Call him on 01458 210158 or email j.cwarman@virgin.net


Country Gardener


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