Blog
June
Finally - some lovely weather. It almost feels like summer! Keep weeds under control this month and keep plants well watered - but remember that over watering can cause its own problems. Continue to plant summer bedding for vibrant colours, deadheading to encourage new blooms and pruning to promote flowering. Check online to see what to prune when, depending on wht you have in your garden.
July
What a scorcher!
The hot topic of the hot weather is always how and when to water the garden. Remember that anything in pots will dry out quicker than plants in the ground, and terracotta pots particularly so. Be mindful to water in the late evening (ideally rainwater from a water butt or dipping tank) so there is less chance of the water evaporating or of leaves becoming scorched. The more the ground is covered, the more moisture it will retain, so try to put down bark or underplanting to improve water retention. Combine this with deadheading of bedding plants and repeat-flowering perennials and you should have longer lasting, continuous displays of blooms. Prioritise what you water - don't bother watering a brown lawn, it will bounce back. Remember to pick those veggies before they 'go over'. And don't forget your houseplants too - they may need moving to a different part of the house if they are struggling in the heat or strong sunlight.
While you are enjoying your garden, think about what might enhance your use of it - for example, a shady area for more seating, or introducing some food crops to help minimise those ever increasing bills ... ideas you may be able to act on before this time next year ...
August
And still - what a scorcher!
Some of our gardens are struggling to survive, let alone thrive in this ongoing heat.
This month, keep deadheading flowers to encourage further blooms, continue cutting back faded perennials and pruning summer flowering shrubs such as lavender once they have finished flowering. Wisteria should also be pruned in August to keep its size and growth under control, and to allow better air circulation and more sunlight to reach young growth for better bud formation. There are simple guides to pruning wisteria available online - familiarise yourself with these steps and you should be rewarded with a display of flowers next year.
August is also a good time to sow salads, spinach and spring cabbage, take softwood cuttings of woody herbs and plant autumn flowering bulbs in pots and borders. There is so much to do in August. A throughout this heat try to notice what survives well in your garden in this weather as you may need to reconsider some of your pots and borders to take this into account next year.
Handy tip for watering: fill a plastic bottle with water, pierce the lid with as small a hole as possible, place a bit of sponge within the lid or the neck of the bottle, screw the lid back on and then push the neck of the upside down bottle into the soil around the base of your plant or in a plant pot. This should result in a very slow trickle of water for a thirsty plant!