Now is a great time to enjoy whatever you have planted which should be bursting with colour and producing fantastic home grown fruit and vegetables. Everything seemed a little late, due to the early weather conditions this year, but catch up it will! Keep plants looking good by regularly dead-heading and remove rose suckers - you'll enjoy a longer display of blooms.
Hoe, Hoe, Hoe - No, we're not talking about Christmas just yet! It's time to get on top of your borders and get ahead with hoeing off weeds. Choose a nice dry day, so that any weeds that you miss collecting wither away in the sun. It's worth taking a hoe out with you every time you go in the garden, so no weeds stand a chance of bullying out your annuals and perennials.
"A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows!"
Many lawns look browner than they do green during the summer. This could be due to setting the cutting height too low on the mower. Doing this creates shallow rooting, making the lawn more susceptible to drought and building up of moss. From the first cut of the year, start high and gradually work down to your desired height (ideally around 1 inch cutting height) and work back up to the highest as we move into early autumn. If your grass does turn brown from the heat, don't be tempted to water, it's good at dealing with a lack of water and will bounce back - if you are tempted just give it a good soak once a week.
Keep new plants well-watered and ensure newly planted trees and shrubs do not dry out - they often need much more water than you imagine. Don't forget to water your potted shrubs like Acers and Olives and give them a feed too.
It's really nice to see the no-mow areas around Frenchay are still thriving. No mow May is over but the pollinators still need support! It's also worth noting in hot weather try limiting the amount you dig, to minimise the loss of moisture in the soil. That's a cue for rest and relaxation if ever I heard one! We should look for the positives in our lives and gardening does have a great impact on both our mental and physical health! It's amazing how many worries are lost when gardening.
Alan Caswell
Hoe, Hoe, Hoe - No, we're not talking about Christmas just yet! It's time to get on top of your borders and get ahead with hoeing off weeds. Choose a nice dry day, so that any weeds that you miss collecting wither away in the sun. It's worth taking a hoe out with you every time you go in the garden, so no weeds stand a chance of bullying out your annuals and perennials.
"A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows!"
Many lawns look browner than they do green during the summer. This could be due to setting the cutting height too low on the mower. Doing this creates shallow rooting, making the lawn more susceptible to drought and building up of moss. From the first cut of the year, start high and gradually work down to your desired height (ideally around 1 inch cutting height) and work back up to the highest as we move into early autumn. If your grass does turn brown from the heat, don't be tempted to water, it's good at dealing with a lack of water and will bounce back - if you are tempted just give it a good soak once a week.
Keep new plants well-watered and ensure newly planted trees and shrubs do not dry out - they often need much more water than you imagine. Don't forget to water your potted shrubs like Acers and Olives and give them a feed too.
It's really nice to see the no-mow areas around Frenchay are still thriving. No mow May is over but the pollinators still need support! It's also worth noting in hot weather try limiting the amount you dig, to minimise the loss of moisture in the soil. That's a cue for rest and relaxation if ever I heard one! We should look for the positives in our lives and gardening does have a great impact on both our mental and physical health! It's amazing how many worries are lost when gardening.
Alan Caswell
RSS Feed
