It?s those bloomin gardening tips for May & a hippy view on the weather & our planet !!!! q

[Gardenman]

Hello again. It?s long overdue for your gardening tips , but I have been busy . All safely carried out & very enjoyable in this weather; which brings me to my hippy philosophy on what?s happening at this interesting time & to try & make some sense of it all: you can skip these meanderings & go straight to the tips if you like)))

It?s May & our gardens & parks are really blossoming . Have you noticed how everything is so lush with every colour of green mingling with copper, russets, ceonothus blues, & red Robin reds? After the heavy rains of winter & the global warming weather of spring our planet is doing its best to get noticed & giving us a plenty of time to do so. This is the time to see nature & it?s shear beauty. It?s also a time to hear it?s beauty through the beautiful birdsongs now available to us through the lack of constant airplane noise! I don?t know about you, but I never got used to the constant annoyance of planes flying from 3 to 4 am ( yes , despite limits, they still flew in planes at that time!! )

through to midnight & beyond.

Now us city dwellers have to get used to the quietness of the roads & the skies , the lack of the green grey fog hanging over the city where most of you work! We got used to this affront to our lives, but now we have a reminder it doesn?t have to be like this! We are, some of us learning we don?t have to commute to far off lands for business, we don?t have to go into the city on crowded buses & trains for work & meetings . We can do all these things on zoom & many other apps & devices I have no understanding of . We can be at home to tuck our children into bed or help them with their homework, we can teach them to ride their bikes, enjoy the park & my favourite of course spend time working, planting, & growing things in the garden. We didn?t have kids just to see them at the weekend did we?

I believe that every thing has a reason & that this is a time for reflection, to assess our lives & what we want them to be & to give back to nature, our planet what we get. Nature doesn?t ask for anything in return, but right now it needs us . We have taken more than we need!

Make sure our return to normal is anything but normal . Our children, our planet need us to change & change for a better planet, a better future. Take a look, change is difficult, but our current dilemma shows us it?s not impossible . What can you change?

Enough of my hippy wanderings , time for the best sleep remedy I know ))))

1. We had a lot of mild but very wet weather this winter& although we had a few days of rain the other week, we need to water our lawns, plants, fruit & veg every day & preferably in the evening so it doesn?t evaporate. You can set up a timer & watering system if that helps . They allow you to go on holiday or away for the weekend when we are allowed to

2. Your Roses should be in full bloom right now & once again due to the mild weather over winter there are plenty of aphids , greenfly & other pests around. Instead of a toxic spray just put a small amount of washing liquid in a clean spray bottle & give them a regular spray. They will dissapear quickly,

If you haven?t fed them yet, give them bonemeal or manure well dug in around the roots.

To keep them flowering ,cut back the dead back to the third bud below it

3. Should be mowing your lawn once a week by now & as said watering every day. Remember to cut it on the bias every other cut . If you haven?t fed it , buy some weed, feed & moss killer. Follow the instructions, I know us men aren?t good at that , but I don?t want you to burn your lawns !

If you are trying to patch your lawn , make up a mix of compost , weed & feed, grass seed & little sand for drainage & breaking up our south east London clay. Once sprinkled, tamp it down with your feet & water in. StY off the area for around 6 weeks & only mow when you can?t pull the roots out. The short cut is to buy rolls of turf for around ?4:50 a roll.

4. Weeds. Once again please stay away from weedkillers made by companies like Montsanto who are quite happy to kill

Our bees & other fertilising insects for their profits! The more you dig over the weeds or mow themif they are in your lawn, the more they will go away.

5. With the weather so warm it is the best time to plant our summer bedding to bring more colour & variety to your garden. Some suggestions: Cornflowers, Sweet peas, Rudbeckia,Zinnia, Petunia, Pelargoniums, Begonias, Bizzy Lizzie?s,

Antirrhim, Lobelia,Cosmos. Plant using good compost & start feeding straight away.

That?s it except to say. I am visiting my wonderful nursery tomorrow ( Tuesday) & if you would like to order any plants, please take a look at their website Provender nurseries & give me your list & I will collect & deliver for free. I will repeat this next week if you need more time

While we are all in lockdown, this is work we can all do & gives us that connection with nature that we could all do with & is so good for our physical & mental well-being.

If you are not inclined, I won?t tell anyone & there are plenty of well recommended gardeners on the EDF who know what they are doing including me & my team who know the difference between a nettle & an Oak tree!!!

We are available for projects , designs & landscaping. Currently we are laying a series of Astro turf lawns for shady gardens. I don?t like laying them, but there are few alternatives given certain conditions. Beware. They are expensive compared to ordinary lawns if laid properly. Do not lay an Astro turf lawn if you have no shade in your garden & young children. They can get very hot! Happy to lay genuine lawn & bore you silly with how to look after it.

Enjoy your gardening before you go back to work, reflect on what makes you happy & think of what you can do to help our planet & share it if you like .

Happy Gardening

Oh. I am changing my company name to The Big Calm Gardens to match my Retreat company. The Big Calm . Saves money on

artwork & Design.

Any questions. Quotes required, retreats wanted after this stressful time just give me a call

Nigel

07759862191

[Gardenman]

I have noticed the return of Japanese knot weed. Don?t panic! This plant is not as serious as it?s made out to be. It was like so many plants brought in by the Victorians & can be very decorative. It?s problem being that it is a strong plant & will find it?s way round or through almost anything. I have never been aware it damages foundations, but insurance companies & authorities have found a way to make money through premiums & certification to deal with it.

It can be dealt with by cutting back to around 18 inches & carefully putting a strong weed killer down the hole in the stem. Please wear gloves. It may take another treatment, but that is all there is to it .

Don?t be ripped off by ?Specialists?

[Gardenman]

Have you seen the Elder flowers around & about this year? They are plentiful & fabulous. Great for Elderflower champagne right now in flower for, or if you can wait, they turn into berries & you can knock up a fine little vintage of Elderberry wine for autumn 🍾🍾🍾

[Gardenman]

I cannot over emphasise how important it is to keep watering everyday during this very hot & sunny weather. The forecast for the weekend is sun sun & more sun . So please water every evening & don?t forget your front gardens & pots If you have trees, especially ones with diseases then leave the hosepipe running for an hour or so. It can flush out some of the problems they develop during heatwaves .

Just doing a front garden in Lordship Lane . Give us a wave if you see us. Love front gardens. You get to talk to some lovely people 😁😁😁