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<p>Discover the answer to&nbsp;<strong>when you should stop mowing your lawn in autumn</strong>.</p>

<p>We are often asked <strong>when to stop mowing your lawn in autumn</strong>. The answer is, it can vary! So we have put together this guide to help you with keeping your property in tip-top shape over the winter months, and that all starts with doing the right thing in autumn. Even though it is much colder outside now, there is still plenty to be doing in the garden and preparing the lawn is one job you need to do.&nbsp;</p>
<ol>
<li>Prepare the lawn&nbsp;</li>
<li>Mowing the lawn&nbsp;</li>
<li>Taking care of your lawn&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
<h2>Know when to stop mowing your lawn in autumn by preparing it first&nbsp;</h2>
<p>Before even thinking of mowing your lawn, the first thing to do is to make sure it is prepped and ready for mowing and the cooler months ahead. There is considerable leaf fall during autumn, and if you have trees around your garden, grab your leaf rake and rake up all leaves and debris. Don't forget to put the leaves into leaf bags to store and make your leaf mulch. It is often a sign when at least half of the leaves from deciduous trees have fallen that it is time to stop mowing the lawn.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>So when should you stop mowing your lawn in autumn?&nbsp;</h2>
<p>It is all about grass growth.</p>
<ul>
<li>If the season is warm, you will find your grass continues to grow.</li>
<li>If it is cold, grass growth will slow down considerably.</li>
</ul>
<p>So depending on what area you live and what the climate is doing each year will dictate when your garden grass stops growing. It is really important to start planning ahead for this and never mow the lawn too short. Start lifting the blade on your mower, so each mow is slightly longer than the last until most likely November. Mowing doesn't need to take place between December and March but also if you really do need to, and the grass isn't frosty or soaking wet, an occasional tidy up won't hurt,&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Now you know when to stop mowing your lawn in autumn. What next?&nbsp;</h2>
<p>Over the winter months, you will most likely be staying warm indoors than running around on the lawn but don't forget to go out into the garden and enjoy the frosty winter mornings. Try to step on the wet, icy lawn a lot less than you would in the summer to prevent any damage,&nbsp;and if you need to trim edges or around pathways, that's a great way to keep things looking neat. You can use a garden fork to aerate the lawn as well and remember to give your mower a clean and service, so it's ready for spring.</p>
<p>Lawnmowers, grass seed and all tools needed to keep your lawn looking great can be found in store.&nbsp;</p>

When to stop mowing your lawn in autumn?

<p>Here are some tips and what to expect on <strong>Black Friday</strong>.</p>

<p>Here is <strong>what you can expect on Black Friday 2021</strong>. Friday, 26th November is the Friday following Thanksgiving in the US and has become synonymous worldwide. It is the day when the sales hit the shops, and shoppers are out to bag a bargain. It’s perfect timing to start Christmas shopping and keep it within budget as well. It s a fun time of year to take a look in your favourite shops and see if you can pick up the gardening accessories, plants and furniture you’ve had your eye on all year. Here are some tips and what to expect on Black Friday.</p>
<ol>
<li>Top tip</li>
<li>Bargains in the plant department&nbsp;</li>
<li>End of line garden furniture&nbsp;</li>
<li>A great day out&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
<h2>Top tip for what you can expect on Black Friday&nbsp;</h2>
<p>One this is for sure, and that is the bargains sell out fast! So put your alarm clock on, grab a good breakfast and get ready to shop&nbsp;as soon as the doors open. You won’t be the only one, so make sure you have some comfy shoes on so you can shop comfortably and enjoy a day of shopping for your garden. Don’t forget to write a list of everything you would love to buy but also expect to pick up some spur of the moment purchases.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>What you can expect on Black Friday is plant bargains</h2>
<p>Plants don’t escape the sales! You could pick up one of your dream plants in the black Friday sale or find something completely new and exciting. You might find some Orchids that have finished flowering for a bargain, so remember you can absolutely get them to bloom again. Don’t forget a lovely pot for it, too.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>End of line garden furniture is what you can expect on Black Friday&nbsp;</h2>
<p>You could pick up a great bargain in the garden furniture department. There is often summer furniture, end-of-line with a lot of money off for Black Friday. So keep your eye out for your next garden seating, tables and accessories. Make sure you have measured up so you know what size you can fit in. On Black Friday, delaying a purchase means you might miss out on it all together.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>What you can expect on Black Friday is to have a great day out</h2>
<p>One of the most important things to remember is to have fun!</p>
<ul>
<li>Enjoy your day out,</li>
<li>Go with friends,</li>
<li>Grab some lunch,</li>
<li>And see what you can find.</li>
</ul>
<p>If you need a pick me up, take some time for a coffee and a chat before you head back to the shops to hunt those bargains - especially the plants!&nbsp;</p>
<p>Visit us in store for our Black Friday sales!</p>

What you can expect on Black Friday

<p>Here are a few <strong>tips on indoor-grown vegetables</strong> to get you started.</p>

<p>You don’t have to have a big garden to <strong>grow your own vegetables</strong>. As long as you have a sunny windowsill, you can still enjoy growing your own food. Your harvests may not be huge, but they’ll be no less satisfying for being small. Here are a few <strong>tips on indoor-grown vegetables</strong> to get you started.</p>
<h2>Growing organic vegetables</h2>
<p>Growing vegetables organically – i.e. without the use of man-made chemicals – gives you the benefit of knowing exactly what went into your vegetables. It can take time and effort to become a fully organic grower, but you can get started by sowing organic seeds, avoiding chemical pesticides and using organic fertilisers such as liquid seaweed.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Tips for growing vegetables indoors</h2>
<ul>
<li>As for growing plants in containers outdoors, choose the right size container for the plant you are growing. Vegetables with long taproots will need deep containers, while smaller salad leaves will grow happily in a window box.</li>
<li>Use a good quality potting compost, and check what sort of fertiliser your vegetables need. Most composts contain enough nutrients for at least 6 weeks’ growing, but after that, you will need to feed your plants regularly.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Most vegetables need at least 6 hours of sunlight a day to grow well, so you may need to consider adding supplementary lighting such as LED grow lights, especially if you’re growing plants in mid-winter when the days are short.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Vegetables to grow indoors</h2>
<p>Salad crops can be grown all year round on a sunny windowsill. Choose cut-and-come-again varieties so you can just pick the leaves you need and leave the rest to grow. Sow regularly and you’ll have a constant new supply of leaves. You don’t have to stick to just lettuce either. Beetroot, spinach and pak choi can all be grown indoors for delicious ‘baby leaf’ salad leaves.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Chilli peppers can be grown in a pot on a sunny windowsill. They need around 10 hours of sunlight a day, so you may need to invest in grow lights. Outdoor-grown chilli plants are pollinated by a combination of bees and wind shaking the plants, so when growing indoor plants, give them a gentle shake once or twice a day once the flowers have formed to achieve the same result. You won’t get as big a crop as you would outdoors, but your plants will still be fruit, and they look pretty too.</p>
<p>Tomatoes need warmth and plenty of sunlight, so grow them on a south-facing windowsill or in a conservatory in summer.&nbsp; Look for small varieties like the Tomato ‘Balconi’ range that have been specially bred to be very compact. Like chilli peppers, indoor-grown tomatoes need a gentle shaking to pollinate the flowers, unless you are growing them next to an open window.</p>
<p>Whether you’re growing vegetables in a pot on your windowsill or in rows on your allotment, we have everything you need for a great harvest. Visit us today to see our great range of seeds, plants and gardening tools!</p>

Organic‌ ‌vegetables‌ ‌to‌ ‌grow‌ ‌indoors‌ ‌

<p>We’ve gathered together the latest research on <strong>growing plants in peat-free compost</strong>.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Peat-free composts</strong> are big news these days, as gardeners become increasingly aware of the importance of preserving our peat bogs. Fortunately, plenty of alternative composts work just as well and are far more sustainable than peat-based compost. We’ve gathered together the latest research on growing plants in peat-free compost.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Why use peat-free compost?</h2>
<p>Peat bogs are a very specialised ecosystem supporting a unique range of plants and wildlife. Peat – partially decayed vegetation from these peat bogs – is a vast carbon store and takes thousands of years to develop. Currently, gardeners use the equivalent of 24 million wheelbarrows of peat annually, so it is being used up far faster than it can possibly be replaced, destroying a precious resource as well as contributing to climate change. Because of this, research into alternative growing media has been going on for many years, and there are now plenty of good peat-free options available. Growing plants in these composts sometimes require changes to how we sow, water and feed plants, but the results can be just as good as increasing peat-based composts.</p>
<h2>Alternatives to peat-based composts</h2>
<p>Peat-free composts are usually a blend of different raw materials to achieve good drainage, nutrient retentiveness and water holding capacity. Here are some of the most common materials used:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Coir – a waste product from the coconut processing industry with good water-retaining ability. It is low in nutrients but makes a good seed compost.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Wool – wool-based composts drain well but need added nutrients from other sources. They are an excellent slow-release source of nitrogen.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Composted green waste – this is produced from green garden waste. Too rich to use on its own, it can be added to soil or other compost mixes to create potting compost.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Composted bracken – bracken compost is an effective use of this invasive plant which can be a problem to farmers.&nbsp;</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Composted bark – a by-product of the timber industry, with good drainage qualities.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Inorganic materials like grit, sharp sand and perlite are mixed with peat-free composts to improve the structure and allow good drainage.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Tips for growing plants in peat-free compost</h2>
<p>Peat-free composts often behave differently from traditional peat-based versions, so follow these tips to get the best from them.</p>
<ul>
<li>Check the moisture levels in the compost with a fingertip to assess whether you need to change your watering regime. Coir-based composts can look dry on the surface even though they are still wet, so check before watering.</li>
<li>Check the compost packaging information for details of any fertilisers required. Different composts have different nutrient levels, depending on what they are made from.</li>
<li>Cheaper peat-free composts are likely to contain high levels of composted green waste, so they are best mixed with soil rather than used on their own.</li>
</ul>
<p>If you’d like to know more about composts, come in and talk to us. We have a great range of compost and soil improvers in the centre, and our staff are always happy to advise.</p>

Growing plants in peat-free compost

<p>This <strong>how-to grow Hellebores guide</strong> will help you to produce the best Helleborus in the neighbourhood!</p>

<p>This <strong>how-to grow Hellebores guide</strong> will help you to produce the best Helleborus in the neighbourhood! Evergreen Hellebores are great plants for a shady garden, and because they flower during the colder winter months, they are lovely to see when there isn&rsquo;t much else blooming. The other benefit to growing Hellebores is they aren&rsquo;t enjoyed much by pests such as deer and rabbits. They are a treat for any garden are exceptionally easy to maintain.&nbsp;</p>

<ol>
	<li>soil&nbsp;</li>
	<li>pruning</li>
	<li>companions</li>
	<li>other care</li>
</ol>

<h2>How to grow Hellebores in the right soil&nbsp;</h2>

<p>They will grow well in well-drained soil, which is primarily moist and in part shade. During prolonged dry spells, give them some water, but Hellebores are more drought tolerant once they are established. Ideally, ensure the soil has been given an application of well-rotted organic matter and a balanced fertiliser during early spring to help them along.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Pruning methods to learn how to grow Hellebores&nbsp;</h2>

<p>The plants are evergreen, but the foliage can look messy sometimes, so you can prune back before new growth appears. Also, you can remove a few of the leaves to allow the flowers to be seen better. You can prune the old flowers stems after they have flowered, although if you leave them to set seed, they will spread, and you will have more Hellebores! Remove all dead or diseased foliage during autumn, or before if they look particularly messy.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>How to grow Hellebores with companion plants&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Hellebores can look pretty all on their own, but for a shady garden or area, they are excellent companion plants for many other shade-tolerant plants. Create a woodland vibe with Ferns, Pulmonaria and Hostas. For a blast of colour, add in Campanula, hardy Geraniums and Epimedium.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Other care for your Hellebores&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Hellebore plants don&rsquo;t tend to grow so well in containers, but for a seasonal display, you could grow them in a container and then move them into a garden border afterwards. They aren&rsquo;t keen on being divided, and allowing them to naturalise is a great way to fill a space anyway. There are many different colours from white to pink and dark purple so you can enjoy them no matter what style you are going for in your garden. They also suit contemporary and cottage gardens, attracting early pollinating insects.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Growing Hellebores is very easy. Try some of these varieties:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>Helleborus Niger - the Christmas Rose (white)</li>
	<li>Helleborus x hybridus Golden Lotus (yellow petals with pink edges)</li>
	<li>Helleborus Double Ellen Picotee (frilly petals with purple trim)</li>
</ul>

<p>If you feel inspired to add a Hellebore to your garden, we have a great selection&nbsp;for you to choose from in store!</p>

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