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Introduction & Quick Question
My name is Lupin and I am probably going to be spamming this page with questions sooner or later. I always seem to do that when things go wrong with my plants (I have a horrible black thumb and seem to be able to kill off cacti. Cacti.) and the garden in our backyard. Hopefully, I'll become a little more plant savvy like my dad and grandfather.
Anyways, my question is this:
I have a Senecio radicans (better known as String of Bananas) that is better off inside that outside as I discovered when I forgot to water it for a week and most of it became burnt from 90+ degree weather. It's since popped back up in the last few weeks and is doing well now that it's in my room which gets a nice amount of afternoon sun. I have been watering once a week, give or take a day depending upon work and if I remember.
However, in its pot, along the top of the soil, is a bunch of fuzzy patches of white mold.
I know a few techniques for getting rid of mold, but I've also been told you can leave it alone, and if you want to prevent it, don't water it so much.
What do you guys think I should do? With my black thumb, if I tend to leave plants alone, they do better :P
ANOTHER QUESTION:
It has many burned/shriveled leaves on its branches, and a lot of healthy green ones. Should I pull the dead ones off or will they fall off on their own?
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Help Me Identify This Insect
I've been relatively busy in my garden and have a lot of things planted up both inside and outside, and am starting to see the first shoots of various plants.
( Description of problem + picture )
I would really like to know what this is, where it's come from (if possible as I suspect the bark might be the culprit), and how to get rid of them (ideally with as little harm to anything else, especially as my cat has taken to eating some of the plants we've got). Thanks for your help :)
Edit: I'm in SE England, just on the outskirts of London city.
Edit 2: They're thrips.
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Companion/Cooperative Plant Growing, Overwinter Crops & Seed Sharing
( Companion Growing Question )
( Overwintering Crops and Seed Sharing )
Cross-posted to
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Name that plant!
- it's early spring.
- the flowers start out midblue and fade over time to almost white
- it's probably a bulb or similar, since all my jonquils, snowdrops, daffodils and irises are coming out now too.


Speaking of irises, anyone able to pin down what one in particular I have? It is from a root that looks rather like ginger, not a bulb. The leaves are very flat, point straight up, and are shaped rather like knifeblades.


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Intro Post & Some Questions
Currently my garden (in a house with my parents and fiancé) is in a state of, well, not disrepair but it's being completely redone with some nice decking and a ton of plants that I've never seen before. I've been allocated a section (3m by 3.5m) of the garden for a vegetable patch, and some space on the decking for some patio plants. I'm planning on growing tomatoes, lettuce, beetroot, peppers, carrots and potatoes in the veg patch; raddishes and hopefully some mixed salad leaves in containers in the kitchen; and blueberries, strawberries and raspberries on the decking.
( I will say this about me: I'm interested in growing foods that not only taste nice, but look good and/or unusual )
( Although I do have a couple of questions )
Name that plant, part 2
Further to my previous post, I have another batch of plants that I hope someone will be able to help me identify.

[IMAGE: A plant (no flowers) in a pot with long green leaves. Some of the leaves towards the top are a pale reddish colour, while others are yellowed and dead at the ends. There is moss growing on the stones that have been used to cover the soil in the pot.]
Bonus questions! Should I worry about the reddish leaves? Should I take the yellowing ones off? Are the reddish ones in fact on their way to becoming yellow ones? Should I get rid of the moss, or will the plant happily coexist with it?
( More under the cut. )Does anyone recognise any of these? As previously mentioned, I live in London, UK, if that helps. I would really appreciate any advice!
Name that plant
I bought a house, and it came with a (well-maintained) garden attached. I don't know what any of the plants are, so I took some photos and am hoping people can help me identify them. (They're all ornamental. I have never grown anything non-edible before, except a geranium which has yet to produce more than one flower.)

[IMAGE: Plant in glazed green ceramic pot with long non-serrated leaves and flowers mostly withered. There's one flower left, white and fuchsia, hiding just under the rim of the pot.]
Does anyone recognise any of these? I live in London, UK, if that helps.
Growing Roses
Has anyone ever done this or have basic info about what sorts of soil conditions, temperature concerns, feeding/fertilizing issues and whatnot I'd need to know before jumping into planting one of these starters and calling myself a rose grower?
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EarthBoxes
My tomato seedlings failed (started them too early when we had a warm run back in February, followed by a dismal March and April), but I've got snap beans ready to go and might pick up some strawberries. I've seen rumors on the internets that pumpkins can be grown in EarthBoxes, but I've never grown them at all before so I don't know how they'd do (the ones I have are small, for cooking.)
ETA: Tag request for "container gardening" or "containers"?
A question about Strawberries
Anybody have any experience of this particular breed of strawb? Do they do what it says on the tin?
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Tomato blight ...
I have pulled them all off, and will be chopping and freezing them so I can make green tomato chutney later (no time right now!).
The plants will be bagged up and taken to the tip.
What should I do with the soil? Can I add it to my garden (they were in buckets) as long as it's not in the potato bed, or should I junk that too?
Advice please!