It seems that the most common question when buying trees or shrubs is, "How do I prune it?"

The more sensible question to ask would be: "How big will it grow?"

In fact, pruning can't do what most people think it can:
The height and shape of trees and shrubs is determined by genetics. The trouble with doing it badly is that it forces you into more pruning because your cuts stimulate growth.

Yes, there are plants amenable to severe shaping, those used for hedges and topiaries - yews, privet for example. But this is a high-maintenance game that most people reject in favor of a more carefree style of gardening.

The reasons for pruning woody plants are simple - to correct floored form (branches that are growing badly or rubbing), to encourage better growth, remove dead branches, and to thin out the canopy for more air and light.

If you have to prune a shrub three or four times a season, it is in the wrong place - transplant to a spot where it can get as high and wide as it's supposed to and then in its place, plant a shrub that's a better fit. Your garden is not an old age home for has-been woody plants, so just because you (or the previous owner of your house) planted a shrub or a tree in the wrong place doesn't mean it has to stay there forever.

It may just be "dirt" to us, but for your plants, the soil is home.

When it comes to flower gardening, good bed preparation is the key to success. Whether your soil is sandy or heavy clay, the solution to improving its structure is the same: adding organic matter, such as compost or well-rotted manure.

Earlswood offer several different solutions that you can use to improve the soil and structure in your beds.

•  Mushroom compost

•  Top grow

•  Poultry manure

•  Bone meal

•  Grow more

•  Horticultural grit

All of the above are stock items and there our friendly staff, are on hand to offer helpful advice.

If you plan carefully, the show of bulbs can last from late winter - when the first snowdrops and crocuses emerge - to June, when the lollipop flowers of ornamental onions (alliums) bloom.

If there's one bulb that seems to personify spring, it has to be tulips. These bulbs are the ultimate visual spring tonic, and there are scores of wonderful varieties to choose from.

Tulips may be the most popular spring bulbs, but there are many lovely, easy-to-grow, lesser-known bulbs.

They include windflowers ( Anemone blanda ), wild hyacinth ( Camassia ), Snake's-head fritillaria or guinea-hen flower ( Fritillaria meleagris ), Persian fritillaria, ( Fritillaria Persica ) and Bulgarian ornamental onion (Nectaroscordum siculum ).

Fortunately, most of them are unappealing to garden menaces such as deer and squirrels.

New gardeners often ask when to plant bulbs for spring. Spring bulbs arrive in the stores before summer is even over, so should you plant them as soon as they're available? The answer: it's best to wait.

However, it is a good idea to buy bulbs as soon as they're in stores because if you don't get them right away, you may not find the varieties you want.

But according to the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center, a little procrastination is a good thing when it comes to planting your bulbs. About six weeks before the soil freezes hard is the best time to actually get your bulbs into the ground.

Soil tends to reach this temperature when average night-time temperatures drop to around 50 degrees F (10 degree C) or cooler for about two weeks.

If you plant bulbs for spring before the soil cools down, you can have problems, especially in a wet fall. Since most flower bulbs come from areas where the winters are very cold, but summers are dry and hot, bulbs planted in warm, wet soil can succumb to rot or mildew.

If it's not wet, but still warm when you plant bulbs, they can also start making top growth, which you don't want to see until spring.

While waiting to plant, store your bulbs in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. After planting, water your bulbs thoroughly. Fall rains normally provide all the moisture necessary, helping bulbs grow strong, deep roots to give you lot of colorful flowers for spring.

The general care guidelines for Spring Bulbs

Spring Bulbs are generally quite simple and easy to grow because most have similar requirements so once you understand the basics you can grow nearly any Spring flowering bulb with ease.

Planting time:
For best results plant Spring bulbs in Autumn.

Depth & Spacing:
Most bulbs are planted twice as deep as the bulb is high and the same distance apart. In most cases, the pointed end of the bulb should be upwards.

(If in doubt, plant the bulb on it's side.)

Soil type:
Most Spring bulbs require a moisture retentive, well drained soil. If your soil is soggy you can raise the beds to improve drainage or plant in pots.

Position:
Most bulbs require full sun to light shade. Generally heavier shade produces taller (and softer) stems. In warmer climates, most bulbs tolerate greater levels of shade.

Watering:
Spring flowering bulbs in the garden will not usually require watering providing they are planted in moisture retentive soil. Bulbs planted in containers

(hanging baskets, tubs, window boxes, etc) should be kept moist but not wet.

Feeding:
Top dress all Spring flowering bulbs in Autumn with a bulb or general fertilizer. Many bulbs perform better if a second dressing is applied straight after flowering.

Spread the fertilizer over the top of the soil and water in.

Post flowering care:
Remove dead heads and allow foliage to die back naturally.

During this period the leaves are acting like solar panels, generating food which is stored in the bulb for generating next year's flower.

So it's important that the leaves are not removed prematurely or tied into knots.

Digging and storing your bulbs:
Allow the foliage to die down before lifting (or for at least 6 weeks after flowering). Firstly loosen the soil with a fork and gently pull up the bulbs by their stems.

Allow the bulbs to dry somewhere cool (but not in full sun). Once dry, clean off excess dirt and remove old flowering stalks.

Store the bulbs somewhere cool (less than 25 o C), dry and airy until replanting in Autumn.

To lift or not to lift?:
This is one of the most popular questions when it comes to bulb care.

There are many bulbs which can successfully be left in the ground from year to year without any detrimental impact on their floral performance.

Some bulbs however, especially tulips and hyacinths, are best lifted each year.

One of best things you can do for your garden soil is to layer mulch over the bare spots between plants in your planting beds.
Have you ever noticed that Mother Nature doesn't like bare soil? Perhaps you seen how quickly bare patches of soil get covered with weeds.
That's Nature's quick and dirty way of ensuring that soil doesn't blow away or get washed away. But if you're a gardener, you aren't exactly in love with weeds.
You can do your part for the soil and your plants by adding mulch. It's a job that makes other garden chores easier because, as well as making your beds look neat, mulching does a lot of other neat things. It's hard to think of another job that gives so much garden payback.

A layer of mulch keeps weeds down, mainly by blocking out light they need to germinate - and if a weed manages to poke through, it's easier to pull it out when rooted in a layer of mulch than in the soil.

Preserves soil moisture by reducing evaporation, and helps prevent erosion caused by rain and wind. Bare soil often gets a crust on it that prevents rain from penetrating easily.
Moderates soil temperatures.

Keeps soil cooler in summer and helps to reduce the risk of damage to plant roots in winter.
Keeps soil from splashing onto leaves, which keeps plants looking neater and helps prevent soil-borne fungal diseases.
As the organic material decomposes, it adds all-important organic matter to the soil and keeps the top layer of soil loose and airy.

GARDEN MULCHING - HOW TO
All you do is just layer the stuff two inches to four inches deep over bare soil around your plants. Just don't put it right on top of perennials, and keep it from direct contact with the bark of trees and shrubs, as excess moisture right up against the bark can cause disease and rot.

When to add mulch: Do your mulching in spring before hot weather comes and while annual and perennial plants are still small enough to work around easily. If you happen to have a few spare one or two gallon nursery containers, put them over top of your plants and then you can shovel the material right onto the bed without worrying about covering your perennials. As for what to use, see your choices below.

Winter mulch: This doesn't actually keep plants warm, but maintains a more even soil temperature - a good thing in areas of the country where winter brings alternating periods of freezing and thawing and where there isn't enough snow cover to give plants a thick insulating blanket. Boughs cut from your Christmas tree make good winter covering, and have the added bonus of trapping insulating snow that might otherwise blow away.

The good news is that outdoor furniture is made to endure harsher conditions than your indoor stuff, so it can usually be cleaned with the hose and your average household detergent. Always refer to the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning and maintenance tips. If you have lost them (and really, who hasn't) we can tell you all you need to know.

To really give the furniture a good scrub-down with half the effort, rent or buy a pressure washer (aka power washer). Consider the money spent an investment in spring cleaning and use the pressure washer for other outdoor areas too. Use a low setting as not to damage the furniture (especially wood furniture). The pressure washer can be quite powerful nonetheless. Go slowly and check the furniture after a few seconds to assure there is no damage being caused by the washer itself.

The only maintenance necessary for your furniture is periodic cleaning. We have several products in store that will bring the natural colour of the wood back up if the natural weathering colour isn't to your liking. Regular applications of teak oil, or a hard wood cleaning solution , that will keep the fresh colour. This method is sufficient for general cleaning.

New teak is a bright, golden color. Your furniture will appear polished when first assembled; this appearance comes from oil occurring naturally in the wood. The surface oil will evaporate after a few days outdoors, while the oil that remains below the surface will endure, enabling the wood's unmatched durability

Teak or hardwood furniture, when left outdoors, will turn a handsome silver-gray. Weathering will take approximately nine months, depending on the amount of sunlight and rain exposure. Before the wood is completely weathered a slight "checking" or lifting of the grain may occur on the top edges of the arms and legs. You may even notice a few small cracks. This is perfectly natural, as wood expands and contracts slightly when left out doors.
To aid the wood as it weathers, simply clean the furniture with a soft bristle brush or sponge. If water spots or other discoloration occurs during the weathering process, don't worry; these marks will even out, and the furniture will eventually become a uniform silver-gray

After a few months, teak will begin to weather. Weathering doesn't affect the furniture's life span, only its appearance. If the look of weathered teak is too rustic for your taste, we offer teak sealer. This product will maintain the original colour of the teak for approximately one year and can be reapplied as needed (usually once a year).

If the furniture has weathered and you wish to restore it to the original colour, we recommend using our teak cleaner. The cleaner will restore the furniture to the natural golden colour regardless of how long the piece has been outside. Teak cleaner requires no heavy scrubbing or polishing and takes approximately thirty minutes to apply to a chair. It can be used as often as you wish. We do not advise using oil on outdoor teak furniture because of the maintenance involved and the tendency of oiled outdoor teak to mildew, or the colour to become irregular.

THE TEAK TREE

Teak (Tectona) is a genus of tropical hardwood trees in the family Verbenaceae, native to the south and southeast countries of Asia. They are large trees, growing to 30-40 meters tall.

There are three species of teak:

• Tectona grandis (Common Teak) is by far the most important, with a wide distribution in India and Indo-China.
• Tectona hamiltoniana (Dahat Teak) is a local endemic species confined to Myanmar, where it is endangered.
• Tectona philippinensis (Philippine Teak) is endemic to the Philippines, and is also endangered.

HANDY HINTS AND TIPS

Buying and remembering to use waterproof furniture covers for your wooden furniture keeps tables and chairs safe from their biggest danger , extreme wet. You're unlikely to want to shield them from their secondary attacker, however — the sun! On days that the sun's in full glory, you no doubt want to be out enjoying it. These tips help you to do just that for longer.

Avoid standing wood legs directly on grass. The moisture from the ground may rot untreated wood over time. If your garden is such that you truly can't avoid this, at least give wood legs some extra protection by standing table and chair legs in saucers of wood preservative for several hours, so that as much solution as possible gets soaked into the wood.

In cleaning up wet spills, be sure to dry as well as wipe. Unless it's a real scorcher of a day, never assume that the sun will do it. The wood may take all day to dry out, and in that time, airborne dirt such as pollen may have formed an invisible yet sticky film on your table.

Resin furniture doesn't cost much, so it often simply sits in the garden, taking all that the weather and the trees and bushes and the animals and insects throw and blow its way. But with just a little care, that plastic can outlive pricier wood furniture. Unlike wood, plastic doesn't rot or warp. Unlike metal, it doesn't rust.

Resin does, however, fade, and excessive heat can make some plastics become brittle. This brittleness can be accelerated by abrasive cleaners because tiny, gritty bits in the cleaner work against the plastic to turn it from a smooth to a slightly rough surface. To prevent this, wash down plastic tables and chairs with a mild all-purpose cleaner — the same one you use for vinyl floors indoors or for washing down walls.

When white plastic ages, it can yellow. If your furniture gets to this stage, you override the abrasives ban and use a mildly abrasive cleaner. An abrasive cleaner also helps to keep at bay the black grime that gets embedded in the rough edges of the plastic. Soaking such a stain in a strong bleach solution —2-1/2 tablespoons to 1 gallon of water — also helps whiten it but gives no guarantee of uniform results. If you can, position the chair so that the bleach solution covers an even area. Rinse the solution off after 30 minutes.

Most metal furniture usually has a protective finish. So, essentially, you're simply washing a hard-wearing, synthetic top-coat, and all you need is to wash it with a cloth that's been dipped in and wrung out from a soapy washing-up liquid solution.