Your Questions About Gardening

GardenersCardiff answers:

There is nothing you can spray to keep your dog from peeing on the carpet. First take your dog to the vet for a check-up to be sure there are no medical problems. Then you need to potty train your pup. He has not yet been successfully trained to only potty outside. Here are a few tips that should help if you have the patience to follow them:

The sooner you potty train your puppy the better. You want to establish good habits from the start. And a dog who has never gone potty in the house will never consider the house a place *to* go potty. I’ve always found the puppies we purchased from actual farms were the easiest to house-train. They only ever wanted to go potty on grass or hay – as they had only ever gone in the barn or outside. They frequently wouldn’t even go potty in a parking lot – we’d need to find grassy areas on the way home for them to go potty.
Here are some tips that should help – as long as you follow them:

1. Close supervision. Do not let him out of your sight! Watch him as though you were babysitting a very young child who could/would get in trouble if you didn’t watch them. A puppy is the same as a toddler in this respect.

If you see your puppystarting to sniff around take him outside right away. *If you can’t supervise keep him in a crate*. Some people have tied their dog’s leash to their waist while potty training – but you still need to *pay attention* – or he’ll pee on your foot!

2. If you find him going potty in the house say “NO!” in a sharp tone of voice and take him outside to finish. It could help to put the paper towel you clean the mess with outside so he will have the scent there. Be sure to *thoroughly* clean and de-odorize the area where he pottied in the house. Use special products made for this purpose – or he will go there again. In fact, watch him *extra closely* when he starts sniffing around those areas.

3. Take him outside about once an hour whenever possible. Do NOT play with him until after he goes potty! When he does go potty give him a treat and then PLAY with him. Reward him lavishly and immediately!

4. Control when he eats and drinks – and be sure to take him outside about 15 minutes after he eats or drinks or wakes up. (Be sure he gets plenty of food though and especially plenty of water.) Continue to take him outside for about 5 minutes every 15 minutes until he goes. But *watch him* the whole time! And be sure to *praise and reward* (treats, praise, and play) every single time he does go potty in the proper place

I know this is a lot of work at first until you form the habit. But really, it is the only way it can be done. Be sure you have the proper size crate. Ask at a pet store before buying one. — Take him outside as much as possible to increase his opportunity to eliminate outdoors – and if he doesn’t go outside do NOT take your eyes off hime when you bring him in. Most importantly: lavishly praise and reward and play with him when he does go outside.
Good Luck!
Michele
http://www.e-dog-training.com

GardenersCardiff answers:

A right of way is called an “easement” and it should normally be recorded against both properties – the one with the benefit of the right and the one with the burden. If its only recorded against one then there might be a problem, but there could be several explanations of why this is, or appears to be, the case.

Do you / they really have “deeds” or are you refering to the property register held by the Land Registry? If the property has been sold or mortgaged since 1990 it will definitely be registered. It may be registered even if the most recent transaction was much older.

If both properties are registered you need to make sure you are looking at the most recent entires on the register. You can obtain a copy of any property for £4. If you do this and there is no discrepancy then the problem is solved, one way or the other. If they are different (eg one property has the right shown and the other doesn’t) then you need to contact the Land Registry. They have a procedure to resolve this kind of thing, and they have a duty to pay compensation if they have made a mistake.

Assuming there is not actually a problem, there are several reasons which might be causing the confusion. The easement may have been formally extinguished, but your neighbours are looking at old documents dating from before this. Or it may have been recently created and you are looking at old documents from before this.

If you do actually have old fashioned deeds it may be that you are not looking at the complete set. Often deeds referred back to older documents, and only by checking these will you see all the rights or burdens on the property.

It may also be that one of you is simply misunderstanding what you are seeing. Deeds and Land Registry documents are not always easy to understand for someone who is not familiar with them.

GardenersCardiff answers:

TOP 10 Easy to Grow plants in doors
easy-to-grow plants will brighten up your kitchen.
1. Daylily, ‘Stella de Oro’
Bring a beautiful summery yellow into your garden with the ‘Stella de Oro’ daylily. Not only is this plant easy to grow, but its elegant flowers make for a great variety that is the first to bloom and the last to stop.
2. Black-Eyed Susan
Once you plant this native daisy, you’ll never have to worry about it again. It is virtually void of pests or diseases and it’s yellow blooms are full and long.
3. Hosta
Who doesn’t love the hosta? Perfect for a shady corner, this leafy hosta will bring a great green texture to your garden and is easy to grow.
4. Blanket Flower, ‘Goblin’
An extremely popular plant in the south where it is known by its heat-tolerant reputation, this blanket flower will keep your vases full with scarlet blooms all summer long.
5. Strawberry, ‘Surecrop’
The USDA picked the name because it was the most descriptive of this high-yielding and sweet berry. Think of the ‘Surecrop’ as a berry factory!
6. Yarrow, ‘Paprika’
Heat and drought tolerant, this spicy red flower can brighten up any garden. Also great as a dried flower, the yarrow’s color will keep you fascinated for months.
7. Rose ‘Felicia’
This low-maintenance rose will brighten your garden and bloom profusely all summer.
8. Stonecrop, ‘Vera Jameson’
This is a must-have because it’s low maintenance and gardeners will love its late-season color. Its thick, fleshy, succulent leaves and dusky, pink flowers draw butterflies by the droves.
9. Tomato
Don’t miss out on this easy-to-grow vegetable! You’re lying to yourself if you think growing tomatoes are hard. All these varities some sun and support.
10. Lamb’s Ears, ‘Silver Carpet’
Use this plant as a silvery, gray-green edging in your perennial beds or mix it with colorful annuals. Children will love it for its furry texture and adults will love its velvety leaves.
Here are several tips that will enable you to spend less time caring for your plants. The more of these tips you can follow, the better your chances of succeeding under difficult circumstances.
Light:
Even if you don’t have a sunny window, try to give your plants at least 10-12 hours of light. While stronger light would be better, it can even be the same lights you would use to read in that room. The less intense the light, the longer you should keep it available. Light surfaces will also reflect additional light to your plants.
Soil:
Your choice of potting soil will have a huge impact on caring for the plant. The best potting soils are either soil-less (made primarily of peat moss and vermiculite) or a high quality soil-based mixture (usually made of equal parts of peat, compost, sand and garden soil). While a soil-less mix is lighter and retains more moisture and air, soil-based mixes provide a healthier balance of microbial activity, making your plants more resistant to diseases. Avoid inexpensive, low quality soils. They are often too heavy and have poor drainage, aeration and moisture retention. In fact, their only virtue is their low cost.
Watering:
When you do have time to water, be sure you thoroughly soak the root ball of the plant and, if possible, mist the foliage. Even though letting a plant stand in a saucer of water isn’t usually a good idea, it won’t hurt if it happens for a day or two every now and then. If you have a chance when you are potting or repotting, consider using a polymer crystal. Mixed into the soil, these crystals will hold a considerable amount of water, releasing it as it is needed. The crystals expand and contract as water is available, which also helps with aeration. If you have rain, well or distilled water available, it is healthier for the plant.
Fertilizing:
Unless the plant is looking unnaturally pale, don’t fertilize. Fertilizing just asks the plant to grow and growth requires lots more light and water. If you do fertilize, use a water soluble food at half the recommended strength.
Containers:
When you know you aren’t going to have much time to care for a plant, put it in a container slightly larger than is recommended under average conditions. Plastic pots will retain moisture better than clay or wood.
Drafts:
Most plants can tolerate a wide range of temperatures if they are not in a draft. In addition to windows, heat/air ducts and cold air returns often create problems for your plants. Drafts will also cause your plant to dry out more quickly.

I hope this helps you a bit and good luck?

Have a great day princess xoxo