The Portuguese Laurel, an attractive evergreen plant

The young shoots of the Portuguese Laurel contrast perfectly against the dark leaves. The shrub produces small, fragrant flowers on longer slim racemes in June. These flowers usually change into berries which attracts birds, bees en butterflies. However these berries and leaves are poisonous to animals and humans.

Things you should know about the Portuguese Laurel:

You can keep the Portuguese Laurel hedge at any size. If it is left untrimmed, the plant can grow between 457 and 609 cm tall.

The Portuguese laurel has a growth rate of 45.7cm per year. Therefore it is not a fast growing plant but it will still be a reasonable hedge.

The Portuguese Laurel should be planted 61 to 91cm apart. Depending on how quick you want the edge. Generally you should plant 2 to 3 Portuguese Laurel plants per meter.

You need to prune away deseased or dead branches. Shrubs that are widely grown or neglected can be pruned back to almost ground level, so they can rejuvenate.

Apply a handful of granular general purpose fertilizer under each shrub in the fall. They only need feeding once a year.

Young Portuguese Laurel plants need watering during planting and in late fall just before the winter freezes the soil.

A pot grown Laurel can be planted at any time of the year. When plantend in March to October, thus the summer months, you must be prepared to provide them with enough water until the end of October. When planted between November and February, you probably do not have to water them as this will be done by the weather. Nonetheless it is advised to keep monitoring them.

Lavender, the south in your garden

Lavender is a popular plant. Understandable, because the wonderful scent of the leaves and flowers and the beautiful purple bloom make every garden a piece of France.

Varieties of lavender
The common or English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is actually not a herb, but a small shrub. The plant has been cultivated for centuries by pharmacists and in monastery gardens for its medicinal properties. There are many varieties of the English lavender. Our favourites:

Lavendula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ is a purple bloomer and a strong plant. There is also a variety with flowers, which bloom white and slowly turn to pink. This is Lavendula angustifolia ‘Hidcote Pink’. This plant grows to a height of 60 cm and has grey-green leaves.

white lavender
Lavendula angustifolia “Munstead” is a true lavender blue. There are also white, violet and pink cultivars. This variety flowers nicely, but does not smell as intense.

A beautiful white bloomer is the Lavendula angustifolia ‘Arctic snow’. The plant remains relatively low and is one of the few true white lavender varieties.

Lavendula angustifolia ‘Pacific Blue’ is a taller variety whose flowers are very suitable for making oil. They smell like lavender should smell.

The lavender that grows in the south of France is the crested lavender Lavendula stoechas. This plant is sensitive to frost, but can withstand drought well. In the open ground he does not even need to be watered! This plant thrives on acidic soil and liming is therefore not necessary.

3 x the most beautiful garden plants for full sun

Which plants are suitable for the sunniest and warmest parts of your garden? There are many garden plants that like a combination of sun and shade. But plants that can withstand a position with sun all day long: you have to choose them carefully. Especially if the plant is in a pot, the root system can become very hot in the sun. Few garden plants can withstand this. We list the three most beautiful and versatile options here.

The Japanese Maple

The beautiful Japanese Maple is known for its special leaf shape and impressive colours. There are several colors available, with the red being by far the most seen. These red varieties turn a shade darker red in the fall and are truly a feast for the eyes! And the great thing about this exotic-looking tree is that it grows native to our climate.

There are many varieties of the Japanese Maple available. So there is always one that is suitable for your garden, or even balcony. There are species that you can keep as a shrub, and species that grow up to 10 meters high! Most varieties will do just fine in full sun. In fact, a Japanese Maple needs a lot of sunlight to maintain its red colors. If the plant gets too little sun, the colors will fade.

A small caveat is in order here. There are a small number of Japanese Maple species that are not suitable for a position where the sun is on all day. Please pay attention to this when purchasing. These require a place where the sun does not shine on the leaves in the afternoon. If this does happen, leaf burn can occur. Especially with the young trees. If the trees are a bit older, the problem is less.

Prevent nuisance from pigeons in your garden

It is a great annoyance for many garden owners, pigeon nuisance. Not only the physical presence of the pigeon itself is a nuisance. No, it is mainly what the pigeon entails. Nests with possible diseases and contamination from excrement. Pigeon droppings have a caustic effect and can cause permanent damage to garden furniture, car or the house itself. Now a single pigeon does not seem so bad, but a pigeon is stable and keeps coming back to its favorite spots. No matter how often you run after it with the broom. Because Dutch legislation protects most pigeon species, the solutions to get rid of pigeon nuisance are few. We asked Avonda Fauna Management for some DIY tips to prevent pigeon nuisance.

How do you prevent nuisance caused by pigeons?
The forms of pigeon nuisance are different. From a pooped facade to diseases that the animals carry. Broadly speaking, the different nuisance forms correspond, so that we can give a number of general tips so that you can prevent them from visiting your garden. A pigeon returns when a spot is comfortable. The tips below respond to making places where pigeons can sit as uncomfortable as possible. In this way, the pigeons do not come into your garden, but seek refuge in someone else’s.

Reflection / Mirrors
By reflecting light with, for example, mirrors or even CDs, pigeons are startled during their landing by a possible danger (the reflection of the light). As a result, they often choose a different, safer place.
A slightly more expensive approach is to install the so-called “Bird Free Gel”. This is a container that can be placed on the fence. To the birds, the gel looks like fire and they won’t want to land near it.

Creating height differences in your garden

Height difference in your garden is a good way to add dynamism to your garden. You can create a difference in height in different ways. Consider, for example, a raised terrace or a sitting pit. In this article I describe four ways to make height differences in your garden.

Sitting pit
A sitting pit is one of the ways to create height differences in your garden. With a sitting pit you literally make your terrace in a pit. This creates a cozy seat in your garden. You can choose to put separate benches in the pit, but it is also nice to process the benches in the stone. Do you also want to make a pit in your garden? Then there are two things you should definitely take into account. Before digging, don’t forget to file a KLIC report. This is a report that you must make before you start digging mechanically. In addition to the KLIC report, it is also important to take into account the drainage of the pit. This is important to prevent your sitting pit from turning into a pond after a while.

Raised terrace
If you opt for a lower terrace for the sitting pit, you can also opt for a raised terrace. You choose to make your terrace higher compared to the rest of your garden. In addition to creating dynamics in your garden, you also have a nice overview of your garden when you sit in your lounge set. To create a raised terrace you can use decking, but also stacking blocks, for example.

5 benefits of the beech hedge

If you are looking for a green boundary fence, you will soon end up with the beech hedge. This is not for nothing, because this hedge has a lot of advantages as a fence. In this article I will give you 5 reasons to replace your fence with the beech hedge now.

Hardy
Many people are afraid that if they choose a green fence, they will see the neighbors garden in the winter. Quite logical, because most trees and plants lose their leaves in the fall. The beech hedge is hardy, which means that it also offers enough privacy in winter. Don’t be alarmed if the hedge turns brown in winter, this is part of the deal. Note: you should not confuse the beech hedge with the hornbeam. This does lose a large part of its leaves in the winter.

Fast grower
The beech hedge is a real fast grower. This is a great advantage. It means that you will soon have a full hedge. This allows you to create the privacy you wanted more quickly. On the other hand, it also means that you will have to prune the hedge from time to time. If you do not do this, the hedge will grow further into your garden and you will (unconsciously) give up part of your garden.

Easy to prune
Pruning the beech hedge should be done about twice a year. The best times to do this are in June and the end of August. The hedge is easy to cut back and you don’t have to do this very often. As a result, the hedge can also be used if you want a maintenance-friendly garden, so you still have some greenery in your garden.