Crowther Landscapes

Saturday 4th September: 9-11 a.m.

ken — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:16:05 +0000

Ken’s phone in this week will be with Bernice Brewster, ponds and wildlife expert, answering all your questions.

Thursday 2nd September: 2-4 p.m.

ken — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:52:24 +0000

Ken invites your calls to the programme with any financial questions you might have for his expert Graham Marsh. He will also be meeting celebrated Maori tattoo artist Te Rangitu Netana who has done tattoos for the likes of Robbie Williams and is currently visiting the UK. He’ll also be joined by a man dubbed as The Birdman of Chelmsford who has been making birdboxes for kestrels and othe species to help with their survival.

Wednesday 1st September: 2-4 p.m.

ken — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:22:56 +0000

The Sound Advice phone-in today is on Insurance – you can call 01245 49-50-50 with your questions. Ken will also be finding out about the English Heritage open days happening soon, and finding out about Dunmow’s Best Kept Village award.

Tuesday 31st August: 2-4 p.m.

ken — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:20:54 +0000

Ken will be hosting the Sound Advice phone in with Chris Hepper who will be giving valuations on books you may have that you’d like to call about. Ken will also be meeting an Essex company that restores classic cars.

September Diary: Week 1

ken — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:14:19 +0000

Now that it ha’s rained it is the ideal time for killing perennial and woody brushwood weeds, such as bramble, bracken, nettles, docks, thistles, perennial crouchgrass and ground-elder. The weed plant needs to be actively growing to quickly and effectively absorb the weedkiller and move it right down to the end of the root system. So it’s always advisable to water the soil where weeds are growing a couple of days before treatment if it hasn’t rained. Pick a calm dry day when rain is not expected and mix up your Roundup GC or Weedol Rootkill Plus weedkiller concentrate, in a pressure sprayer according to the directions on the box. Spray carefully to lightly wet all the weed leaves, but avoid all spray and spraydrift getting onto cultivated plants and desired vegetation inlcuding the lawn and decorative grasses. These are not selective weedkillers and they will kill all green plants.

August Diary: Week 4

ken — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 23:05:05 +0000

As the soil gradually dries out in summer, powdery mildew spreads more easily among Roses, Sweet Peas, Michaelmas Daisies and all manner of shrubs, especially those positioned against a wall. Deep watering and plenty of room for air to circulate between plants will go some way to keep your plants clean, but when you spot the first signs of this white powdery deposit on leaves and buds, then it’s wise to spray right away. FungusClear Ultra is among the newest of the systemic disease controls that get inside the leaves to fight any existing disease and prevent new spores from germinating. It contains a new ingredient called triticonazole which gives good control of powdery mildew, rose blackspot and rust.

Monday 23rd August: 2-4 p.m.

ken — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:12:48 +0000

Ken’s guest will be Roland Smith from Meadowcroft Nursery and Garden Centre and there will be news of the Orchid Festival coming to Essex soon. We’ll also be finding out about a scheme called Invitation To View whereby a group of owners of historic houses and gardens have a calendar of open dates allowing anyone to book a visit

Saturday 21st August: 9-11 a.m.

ken — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:10:25 +0000

Tom Cole from Writtle College joins Ken in the studio to answering your gardening questions.

August Diary: Week 3

ken — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 23:05:01 +0000

To ensure Dahlias remain upright in heavy winds, tie new stems to stakes regularly. Some annual plants such as Poppies, Love-in-a-Mist and Clarkia will easily set seed that can be collected and saved for use next year. Use a paper bag to collect the seed and write on it what it contains. For maximum viability allow the seed to thoroughly dry for a couple of days indoors and then pop bags into an airtight food container. So go on, in these difficult times why not save a few bob next year.

Monday 16th August: 2-4 p.m.

ken — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 09:19:13 +0000

Former Gardener’s World TV presenter Peter Seabrook joins Ken as his special guest today.