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Please help me with my novice-gardener issues...

5 replies

ClockWatchingLady · 16/05/2013 16:41

We've just moved into a new house with a pretty big garden and I'm a total novice (as is DP). Along each side (2 long flower beds) is what looks to me like a jungle of plants. I know these questions are probably ridiculous but:

  1. How do I find out what each one is, whether it is a "weed" or deliberately planted?

  2. How do I find out if any of the plants are poisonous and so I need to particularly watch the kids around them?

  3. What are the little blue pellets I keep finding dotted around? Slug pellets? How dangerous are these? So far, I've just been keeping the kids away from them and have told them not to pick them up. They're so dispersed that I'm not really sure I can get rid of them all. Will they eventually dissolve away, or do they last indefinitely?

    I'd really appreciate any advice. Thank you very much for reading. Smile
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cathan · 16/05/2013 17:18

Blue pellets are slug pellets and unless you know for sure that they're organic ones (unlikely) you should certainly keep the children away from them. They will eventually dissolve, but you can speed up this process by watering them! As to the question of how to find out what plants are "plants" and which might be dangerous, a good, knowledgeable neighbour would be the best start. Failing that, you could look up "common garden plants" on Google and look for images! A gardening encyclopedia would be a good long term investment - you can probably get one quite cheaply from a charity shop. Hope this helps.

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AnythingNotEverything · 16/05/2013 17:31

Firstly- teach the kids not to eat ANYTHING they find in the garden. Safest way!

If you do a google image search for British weeds you'll get a good idea. Basically, weeds are the ones that spread like wildfire. Most actual garden plants will contain themselves reasonably well.

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MaybeBentley · 16/05/2013 20:44

I found a few good gardening books in my local Oxfam book shop! Luckily my back garden was pretty clear when I moved in, but the small front garden was a jungle. I'm sure experienced gardeners will cringe, but I followed the philosophy that if I liked it I kept it and if I didn't I pulled it out, regardless of whether it was plant or weed! Someone quoted me "A weed is just a plant in the wrong place".

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ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 16/05/2013 23:20

If you post pictures of your plants to your profile, the MN gardening gang will help you identify them.

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ClockWatchingLady · 17/05/2013 13:48

Thank you all.

I will indeed post some pics in due course - would be great to get some help with this. Thank you, ComeIntoTheGardenMaud.

AnythingNotEverything, searching for common weeds sounds a good idea. And yes I agree about teaching not to eat anything, and I do tell them this repeatedly. I still can't fully trust that my youngest will do what I say, though (especially as there are some things that look like little strawberries!), so if there's anything very toxic I want to remove it. Otherwise I'll have to watch her every second, which means it'll take me hours to do anything!

Thank you Cathan for helpful tips on slug pellets. And MaybeBentley I like the weed quote, and may try local charity shop for some gardening books.

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