Gardening

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Wed 7 Sep 2011 11:54
Gardening - Bobbin Threadbare

Is anyone one here green-fingered? I have a Japanese maple which, basically, looks like a set of twigs in a pot. I followed all the advice I could find about caring for it, and it had leaves last year, but even over the summer this year it seems to have given up. I don't think it's dead, and I have been watering it and I moved it to a nice sheltered spot.

Can I revive it? They can live a long time I have read. I'm not sure what sort it is, so the care information is conflicting!

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Wed 7 Sep 2011 12:20
Gardening - unthrottled

What's the matter-Can't you use Google?!

Is it a maple or an acer? The latter is very prone to wind burn and the leaves will curl up, go brown and die. I also find that they don't like to spend more than a couple of years in pots. The soil gets exhausted of nutrients. Try repotting it in a larger pot, feeding it, and preferrably move it to a sheltered location. They don't mind shade at all. It should recover next year.

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Wed 7 Sep 2011 13:09
Gardening - Bobbin Threadbare

What's the matter-Can't you use Google?!

I have used Google - don't you be taking cues from others!

I think it might be an acer instead. It has quite spindly leaves anyway (when it actually has some). All the advice keeps telling me that it would like the sun more, but I'll re-pot it and try and shelter it more. Thanks unthrottled.

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Wed 7 Sep 2011 13:18
Gardening - unthrottled

I'm only parodying someone else!

Acers and Maples are from the same family. I think Acers suffer badly from wind burn because of the high surface area of the leaves which leads to a very high rate of transpiration from the leaves which causes them to dry out.

Forced convection (wind) is probably worse than direct sunlight. I've got a very exposed garden that gets a lot of sun and wind-and has sandy soils which go bone dry. I'ver had problems with acers amongst others. When I moved them, the problem stopped.

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Thu 15 Sep 2011 23:31
Gardening - Ben 10

On the subject of gardens and fencing, can anyone shed light on a dilema. Advice please.

The boundary fencing to one side of our property is owned by four leasehold flats next door. This fence needs repairing or replacing. Obviously it would benefit me rather than them as it runs along their driveway.

I contacted the owner of the ground/building who says it is the responsibility of the leaseholders/owners of the flats. How do I persuade them to spend money on repairs (for my benefit) and could I make them do it compulsory under any existing laws?

I am willing to pay a fifth of the money or even half. But how do I get them to part with their money?

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Thu 15 Sep 2011 23:33
Gardening - jamie745

Im not a legal expert but i would think if you dont own that fence or the land the fence is on then you cant really make anybody do anything but you're more than free to buy them a new fence if you're that way inclined. Why not have your own fence built 3 inches inside your boundary instead? That sounds like something i'd do LOL

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Fri 16 Sep 2011 00:29
Gardening - Ben 10

I've just spent £1300 on the fencing on the other side of my property. So a little light in the wallet.

The fencing guy said their fence has only about 2 years left in it in parts.Other bits are already rotten. The thing is if it falls apart in large bits then the security of my property is at risk. Surely when the plot was bought originally in the 60s, the fence was put up to appease the owners of my property as well as denoting their boundary. Would there not be a section in their lease to maintain the boundary to a satisfactory standard?

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Fri 16 Sep 2011 00:42
Gardening - jamie745

Would there not be a section in their lease to maintain the boundary to a satisfactory standard?

Well if its not in yours then it should be in theirs. It'll be in somebodies, that much is clear. But you'd probably have to wait for it to literally fall down before you could reasonably 'force' anybody to do anything. Maintain to satisfactory standard is a matter of opinion with that word 'reasonable' probably in the paperwork somewhere.

Ive got something similar where i live, the perimeter fences were all there when i moved in and dont belong to me, the fence seperating me from the neighbour on one side is their fence and the one seperating me from my closest neighbour on the other side was in a terrible state and nobody had a clue who's responsibility it was so i bought a new one and will send a bill next door if their 6 year old daughter kicks it one more time.

Long term look at planting thornbushes, ive done that for the front of my house, take a couple of years but eventually it'll be a massive thorny hedge. Survive any weather conditions, they'll never need replacing and nobody would be stupid enough to climb it.

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Sat 17 Sep 2011 21:23
Gardening - daveyjp

You need to find out who manages the property. It could be a third party company, it could be the individual occupiers, but they are the ones to contact. Without definite proof of who is reponsible for the fence it is a case of talking to each other.

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Sun 18 Sep 2011 00:09
Gardening - bathtub tom

I found that to denote a boundary, all you need is a line of posts with a wire running through them.

If you want anything more secure, it's up to you.

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Wed 28 Sep 2011 02:24
Gardening - HF

I spent nearly 2 grand in the summer paying someone for work on the outside of my house. The work wasnt done, and cos i never got a proper receipt i don't have a leg to stand on. Be careful, I was made to think this guy and his family were my friends, and so i trusted them. this is not related to my other thread.

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