As the lead designer for The English Lady Landscape and Home I meet with people everyday who have concerns about the environment, their home, and the economy. 
We are in a time of great change and now is the time, more than any other, to take the opportunity to replenish your heart, mind, and soul.
You see, when we think about investing in our property it is really an investment in ourselves. Our emotional bank account is as important as our financial one and it is this emotional one that takes the most withdrawals and fewer deposits. An investment in your property not only replenishes your emotional bank account, but nurtures the planet as well, and in turn feeds the economy.
We at The English Lady believe that in a mindful and balanced manner, while respecting your budget, you can have an 
organically inspired home and garden that can help you find that respite from the daily grind.
No matter what project we create, from a small garden or walkway to a new fountain or patio, or makeover your living room with new paint or kitchen with tile, we often hear the same thing from our newly content and relaxed client; “we should have done this years ago.”
Please invest in yourself by planning ahead, phasing in your project, and smiling as you inhale a breath of clean air contributed by you and your garden to Mother Nature. We look forward to meeting with you.
Ian
Moldy mulch/?fungus on mulch. We’ve noticed a fungus in the mulch at our office campus where our azalea plants are. What can we do? Also, any advice for aborvites that took a hard hit this winter – alot of bent branches, thinned bodies. Should we brace the branches together and trim the tops? we’ve got some smaller ones that need to grow to help fill in a privacy border. Sorry for 3 questions – any advice is appreciated!
Michelle, there is a fungus in the mulch called ‘artillery fungus and the only way to get rid of it is to remove all the mulch – it means you received a bad batch from the supplier.
Do not tie up the arborvitaes – just add some manure and peat in the soil around them and in October put some fine bark mulch to keep the roots protected in the winter. The manure in the soil,strengthens it and will strengthen the plants. Maureen
Maureen:
We have had a Japanese Pink Almond for many years. This tree has always been beautiful and in full bloom. This year however, we had very few blossoms and at the moment, very few leaves.
Could these effects be a result of the this year’s winter? Does it have a chance? Should we wait it out and hope it regains next year?
By the way, your advice on one of our Crabapple Trees last year was right. We left it alone, and it has come back this year and has looked very healthy.
Thanks for your help with the Pink Almond tree.
Linda
Linda, give the Flowering Almond, similar treatment as the crabapple. Put some composted manure around the base, keep it watered and be patient. Many plants labored through last winter with the harsh weather, wind being the biggest culprit when it came to damage. Cold winter wind dries out plants, breaks limbs and can cause plants to heave out of the ground, particularly any evergreens planted in September that fall. Maureen
Maureen,
Are there any perennials that will bloom all summer without deadheading? I can’t think of any.
Thank you for answering my plume poppy question. I have removed the spent blooms and pods. Now secondary flower plumes are forming in many of the lower leaf notches. This promises to be an ongoing battle of wills.
Jan
Jan, Like all living creatures, plants need some attention – low maintenance is always a good idea
Perennial Salvia is a good one, that can just be sheared off when the bloom is finished and by doing this a few times in the season – you will get repeat bloom, the same goes for Spirea and Coreopsis – you just need a sharp pair of shears. Maureen
Hello. I just found your website. Absolutely amazing stuff. Been growing tomatoes, peppers and a few other veggies. Tried zucchini this year and was so infested with pickleworms that I had to pull up every one and throw them into my composter. Is the garlic spray enough for the pickleworm? Would love to hear from you. Thanks so much.
Meena, definitely try the garlic spray and also put an aluminum pie next to the zucchini with slices of cucumber in it, – it will attract the pickleworm and keep away other insects.
Maureen
maureen, what do you do with shasta daisies after they’ve bloomed and become
wilted. Should they be cut – do they rebloom again during summer?
thank you
Robin, cut off the dead bloom and they will rebloom – put some more manure around the base of the plants for an extra boost or purchase some of our manure tea from the website for the total garden particularly any container plants. Maureen
Hi Maureen,
I have a plume poppy that came up from seed last year. It was a cute little bugger so I left it. This year it is 6 feet tall with many stems and runners. They are attractive with their white stems and plume of flowers. I wondered if the little fluffy older flowers are actually the seeds or if they will eventually form pods? I need to know so I can lop off the plumes before all the gardens end up with seedlings.
Have a great day,
Jan
Jan, they will form pods within which are the seeds. Enjoy Maureen
Maureen: I wrote to you about 2 weeks ago regarding my beautiful hostas, but I don’t see an answer. I will try this again! My hostas are being eaten by something – the critter only eats the leaves and leaves the stems. Would a garlic spray work on the bugs?
Thanks so much. I love your newsletter. It is so helpful!
Mary, check gardening tips on the website and look at June tips – where you will find my garlic spray recipe that will take care of the hosta problem. Mauren
Dear Maureen,
I’d like to plant a privacy screen. Ideally, I’d like to use an evergreen that remains green year-round, and does not drop needles or cones. Our conditions are: full-to-part sun, moist soil (in process of fixing drainage/grading issues). We have a high water table, which will remain even after the drainage issues are fixed. Can you please give a recommendation on a planting? Also, there are five large stumps (from 50+ year old pine and ash trees) present… Do they need to be pulled out along with their roots before planting our privacy screen? Alternately, can one backfill the area (to a height that buries the stumps) and then plant the privacy plants such that they are not situated directly above the large stumps?
Thank you in advance,
Karen
Karen, I suggest that you contact my son Ian for a consultation as I feel that would be the best approach so that you have a right solution when Ian sees the site. Call Ian at 1877 The E Lady.
Maureen
How do you propagate a hydrangea?
Grace, hydrangeas do not do well either by rooting or air layering. You might want to obtain another fully grown plant. Maureen
Hi Maureen,
I noticed that my lillies didn’t blossom for very long and today I noticed a long bright red bug eating the plant. Do you know what this is and how do I get rid of it?
Thank you,
Pam
I have an azalea bush in my front yard that was hit pretty hard by the winter storms. It now has very little left that’s living and is an eyesore. Would it be okay to cut it down to the ground or is their no hope for it?
Thanks.
Leslie
Leslie, if 50% or more of the bush is left, then its a gonner – take it out and replace with something you love.
Maureen
Dear Maureen -
I planted a Peonies bulb over a year ago and it is just starting to come up. The branch leaves are still small and now I have noticed that some of the leaves are shriveling up and turning brown. Can you tell me what the problem is and what can I do. Thank you so much.
When is the best time to cut flower stalks from Lamb’s Ear – before or after the flower top turns pink in color? Do I hang them upside down to dry or can I put them in a dry arrangement immediately after cutting? Please add me to your email list.
Sharon,
You can cut flowers at different stages – from buds to fully open – each stage will open fuller as it dries. Pick plants in the late morning
when they are dry but not wilted from the hot sun. Begin the drying process immediately but if you can’t put the flowers in a bucket of lukewarm water in a cool dark place.
Air drying works well so that the plant retains its form. Hang plants in bunches upside down – 6 stems to a bunch wrapped with a rubber band two inches from the end of the stem. Hang bunches so they do not touch other bunches. Air drying usually takes from less than a week for less solid plants to up to three weeks or more.
Not only the flowers from the lambs ears look good in a dried arrangement but also the silver leaves. Let me know how it goes.
Maureen
maureen i have a clemetis plant running up my dogwood tree and some time of bug is feasting on the leaves, can you tell me what to do. Thank you.
Hi Maureen i have a clematis plant climbing on a dogwood tree in my yard, and it seems that some type of bug is feasting on the leaves, i haven’t actually seen it but that’s what it looks like.What do you suggest.
Celine, make a garlic spray. 4 Large garlic cloves crushed, 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil and a squirt of mild dish soap in one gallon of water. Let the mixture stand for two days covered and then put in a one gallon sprayer and spray in the clematis in the morning, when it is cooler.
Maureen
I would like to know how to get rid of bamboo, it is growing all over my garden. Tried digging up roots but didn’t help.
Linda, as you have discovered bamboo is difficult to control, especially the species growing in New England.
One way to help is to remove any new shoots and foliage as soon as they appear, as without these for nutrition the rhizomes (roots) cannot survive.
For a larger clump you will need a barrier to keep it controlled. I suggest you call Summerhill Wholesale nursery in Madison at 203-421-3055 and ask for a retail source to obtain a bamboo barrier. I suggest Summerhill as they themselves grow bamboo. Good luck Maureen
Maureen whats the best way to care for calla lilles just planted a couple of plants and would like to know how to keep them hearty.thank you
Celine, in zone 6 here in Connecticut the Calla lilies are a tender perennial, meaning that you would need to dig up the bulbs in September and take them indoors for the winter – allowing them to dry off in the sun first then put in a brown paper bag in a cool dry area like a basement for the winter until you can plant them again if the weather is suitable in late April or May when the soil warms up to about 45 degrees. In the meantime they like moist conditions, so give them plenty of water and manure in the soil. Good luck Maureen
I have hydrangeas that are over 30 years old…..last year and previous, they have been outstanding in color and number…….at the end of the fall season, when blossom have dried, I have always just cut the blossom stems off and nothing else and it’s always been fine the next year……but this year, they are far too woody……I am thinking of asking my brother (who helps me with heavy duty stuff) to completely cut the plants down, clean out all the dead wood and start over next year…….what do you think?
Annamae, As you have had wonderful blooming hydrangeas for years, I suggest you do not cut them down or you will not get bloom for many years. Ask your brother, when the hydrangeas have finished blooming this season to prune out the old thick wood stems and any new weak shoots. Any other questions you will find the article on the website if you type in the search box ‘hydrangeas’ very useful. Maureen
I have noticed that the leaves on my tea roses are starting to be devoured by some type of bug. What type of solution can I make up from common household ingredients to prevent this? Love your site!
Thanks
Rick, so glad you love the website. For the bugs on the roses, try a garlic spray which is: 5 crushed garlic gloves, a squirt of mild dish soap, 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a gallon sprayer of water. Spray in the morning on the roses, when it is still cool. Maureen
could please tell me if there is a difference between aged manure and H-manure? Thanks, Fatima
Fatima, buy bags of manure from the garden center which is aged or composted well and spread it on the garden. You will see wonderful results. Maureen
maureen… is there a local distributor for your tea’s … i live in the area and would love to just drive and buy…. thanks..kathy
What can i spray on tamatoes plants to stop chipmunks from eating my tamatoes.
Kenny, in a gallon of hot water, mix in a handful of cayenne pepper and leave the mixture overnight. Then in a one gallon sprayer spray around the tomato plants in the morning or evening. Maureen
I have listened to your advise on radio and know that you can help me. I have some verigated hydraneas that don’t flower. I changed them from a shaded area to a more sunny area but still no flowers. I live in New England and believe that I have acid soil
Gloria at the beginning of this website http://www.theenglishlady.com type hydrangeas in the search box and you will get your answers. Maureen
Hello,
I am a novice gardener who decided to give container gardening a shot this year. My banana pepper plants seem to have these tiny red things on them near the buds…. I’m not sure if they’re larvae or bugs. Any tips for getting rid of them or what they could be? I did get rid of a catapillar on the same plant a week ago or so.
Lori, make an organic spray consisting of:
1 pot of fresh myrtle sprigs
1 pot of lavender or marigold
Infuse these into 2 pots of boiling water and allow to stand for 12 hours. Strain and add 2 handfuls of soap powder. Mix well and spray onto affected plants.
this treatment works on whitefly, red spider mites (which seems to be your problem) and aphids. Good luck Maureen
Thank you,
Lori
Please print your recipe for repelling deer from eating hosta, etc. I heard it on the radio this morning but was driving and couldn’t remember the entire thing. Thank you!
Reva, four large crushed garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil, a squirt of mild dish detergant in a gallon sprayer of hot water. Leave overnight and spray in the morning or early evening and following rain. Maureen
Dear Maureen,
I have a double mock orange bush that is about 6 years old, yet it has never bloomed. It gets plenty of sun and water, and it has lots of leaves and growth but no blooms. Is there something I can do to encourage blooms?
I sat you at the Cheshire Women’s Club early this month at Manor Inn but did not get the chance to ask about a problem with my indoor plants. The past Winter , some plants like gardenias and jasmines started to have sticky substance on their leaves followed by whitish fungus like material on the stems and branches . Now , it has affected 6 of my orchids pots and now on the flowers. . I tried to manually clean them off but the problem has recurred. Anything else I should do in your opinion to get rid of this infestation ? Thanks in advance.
Rosemarie, the problem is a soil born disease. You will need to repot all the plants, scrub the pots, and repot in new potting soil but before that wash the plants thoroughly in an organic sulphur solution called Safer from the garden center. Repot the orchids in bark. Maureen
You spoke to the Gardeners of Watch Hill on May 18th and I was fortunate enough to attend and thought you were wonderful.
My lacetop hydrangea does not bloom as fully as it used to. It is about 5 ft high. THey no longer sell Miracid which I used to use. Could you please suggest something else? Would it be manure?
June, put manure around the base and some peat if your hydrangeas are blue, as the acid in the peat will encourage bright color. Keep the hydrangeas well watered which is what they need. So glad you enjoyed my presentation. Maureen
my daughter has a problem with ticks in her back yard. She has a small dog and two girls that are always playing in the yard. What can be used to get rid of the ticks and keep them away saftley
Karen, your daughter needs to purchase an organic tick spray by Quantum which she can get on line at Quantum.com or from a local health food store or a natural oil called ‘Don’t bug me” from Three Sisters Farms in Essex at http://www.threesistersfarms.com
Regards,
Maureen
I was fortunate to be at your presentation on 5/16 in Vernon and came away with numerous, wonderful suggestions and ideas. My husband and I downsized a couple of years ago and having just retired, I now have the time to putter and make our little cottage our “oasis”. Much of our property is wooded and I’m battling with poison ivy vines – sometimes as thick as my wrist – plus those pesky “pricker bushes” that keep intruding from the woods to the lawn. I’ve been hand pullling the pricker bushes by hand when they first appear in spring; and I’m reluctant to spray the poison ivy and the pricker bushes as we live near Columbia Lake and I’m concerned about polution and the environment. Thanks so much for your caring concern and delightful presentation.
Pat, so glad you enjoyed my talk. Yes the only way to go is to stay out of the poison ivy areas and plant a Comfrey plant which helps with the skin irritation by putting the leaves in a bath and you soak in it or making a comfrey tea. Maureen
I have a question. Our tulips are blooming and are very beautiful now. Soon the flowers will drop off. Can I pull the bulbs and replant them next fall. We have chipmunks that I’m sure would love them through the year as a snack. I would appreciate some advice.
John, do not pull up the bulbs as they will shrivel and die. Put manure around the base now so the manure can go into the bulb for food for next season and sprinkle cayenne pepper around the area occasionally which will keep squirrels, chipmunks etc. away. Maureen
I have a weeping Cherry tree and I am not sure which branches I can cut without hurting the tree. Any suggestions I have one growing straight up.
Deborah, as long as the straight up branch is not the main leader, you can prune it with a sharp lopper, go as close to the trunk as possible and the cut will heal without any other care now. Maureen
The mulch I put down last year has gotten very hard on top. Should I rough it up and break the “cake like” hardness it has formed on top?
Lois, regular mulches always crust – that is why I use aged manure as a mulch in my garden, it helps build the soil and never cakes or crust. However, you can break up the old mulch, lay down two inches of aged manure and a thin layer of brown fine bark mulch if you prefer that look. Maureen
Hello Ian,
I planted daffodils plants 2 years ago and they have not bloomed. I was wondering by cutting their leaves after planting, would I have interrupted their nourishment supply to the bulbs? They spike every year without flowers. What can I do to encourage them to bloom?
Thank-you,
Almerinda
Hello Almerinda, Yes you did take away their food supply. Also the bulbs may be planted too shallowly. Dig them up and plant them with aged manure in the holes at least nine inches deep and do not cut off any leaves until they turn yellow. Maureen
I have a red backed bug about 1/4 inch long that feasts on my Lily plants. Litterly strip all the green leaves off the stalk. I’m looking for a solution that is enviromently safe to use to get rid of these critters. Can you give me some suggestions? Thanks Bill
PS I love your radio time.
Hello Bill,
the problem is red lily beetle. buy organic Neem oil for the problem, it works well. Maureen
Am so happy that I was introduced to your web site. My question is , is it possible to grow Endless Summer hydrangeas in a spot that gets sun until about 3:00. We live in PA. We also have a drip watering system. Advice????
Sharon, your conditions are ideal for hydrangeas as you get some shade from mid afternoon on. Put aged manure from the garden center around the hydrangeas and keep them well watered, they are a wetland plant and love moisture. Maureen
I love to listen to you on the radio. I love the fact that you are kind to nature with your “green” solutions. I want to make a raised vegetable garden and would like to know what kind of soil mixture I should fill it with. Any suggestion is most appreciated.
Thank you, Fatima
Fatima, get some good quality topsoil from the garden center and mix in a good amount of composted manure that you can buy in bags. Two weeks before planting, mix a small amount of lime on the bed and after planting, mulch with the manure which does not ‘cap’ like
other mulches, meaning it does not form a crust, so that air and water can get through to the roots of the plants. Good luck Maureen
i
I was watching tonight on CPTV with Sara Connors you mentioned that you could go on line to see your garden design template. I am interested in this and could use help in my back yard. Thank you
Nancy, call the office about my laminated designs for sun and shade gardens. You can purchase one of these which I’m sure will help with your garden. Maureen
i love your site. please add us to your email list. many thanks! s
Will do. Maureen
Ian,
Love the witch hazel-the flowers are out, so pretty and rather exotic looking flowers.
Thank you. Hope you and your wife are well.
Spring is in the air!
Sally
I saw you on my local programming channel the other day talking about houseplant care. I loved your personality and was eager to check this website. If you have the opportunity to check out my blogspot, you will see that my husband Eric and I feel very much like you do. At Oak Hill Lodge, we are slowly creating a safe haven out of an overgrown tangle of white field pines, left to ravage my grandfather’s carefully tilled vegetable garden after his death in the 60′s.
Pamela, I went onto your Oakhill lodge site, what a great spot for gardens. I grow my vegetables and fruits in eighteen inches of aged manure, as my family have done in England on our nursery for centuries, loose manure and soil, so the plants can touch, a natural shading of weeds, keeps moisture in the ground and acts as a great mulch which does not cap. Keep checking our website for the manure and seaweed tea we will have on the market in the next few weeks. Keep in touch Maureen