Gardening tips for July

[Gardeners world]

My humble apologies for having gone missing for the last couple of months, but a combination of being really busy during that awful Winter & Spring led to being ill & having to take time off at my own holistic base The Big Calm in beautiful Kefalonia. But I'm back, restored to full health & full of ideas for your summer garden.

Probably best to start off with the weather! As I know only too well, we are probably suffering climate change & at the moment that means extremes of weather. As we experienced in Winter & Spring it was wet & cold, the consequence of which was our plants & shrubs were all late in developing. So continued feeding & nurturing will be needed this summer. Also everything has become very lush requiring more maintenance than usual. So, as always, use your favourite gardeners from the forum to keep on top of things.

1. Lawns. The key to a good lawn is frequent mowing. Make sure the blades are sharp & for those of you with medium to large lawns a mower with a roller is best. If you have one of these, cut first in straight lines, then lower the height by one notch & cut at 45% to ensure strong roots & a healthy lawn. Apply weed & feed regularly, but as always, not too much or you will burn the lawn & then have to call me to lay a new one!! Make sure the lawn is watered before applying weed & feed & if it doesn't rain ( which it probably will)water within 24 hours. After around a week, rake out any thatch or dead weeds & mow.

2. Weeds. They are prolific this year, & need spraying with a gypsophate based product. The predominant weeds are bindweed, ground elder, mare's tail & bramble. They are pernicious, which means if you try to dig them up, any little pieces you leave, will produce a new weed! So choose a weed killer that goes to the roots, but does not affect new planting.

3. Slugs & Snails. Please don't use non organic pellets. The dead slugs & snails are eaten by the birds & other creatures, which kills them! If you can bear to part with a saucer of beer, that will work, as will salt. Alternatively get the kids to search for them & give them to a passing Frenchman! Or take them on your next trip to the countryside. The slugs & snails, not the Frenchman!!

4. Dead heading. This is one of those tasks that needs doing to encourage more flowering or the plants think they have done their job! It's a pottering type of job that gets you out enjoying your garden & the sights & sounds of nature.

With Roses, I've found, cutting the dead bloom back to the third leaf below it, can result in a second flowering. An additional feeding of manure will encourage them too. Continue to feed all your Summer flowering plants, they need all the help they can get just now.

5. Watering. Despite that Winter & Spring, we are having something that looks like summer just now, so watering is essential.Water in the evenings, so the water doesn't evaporate in the heat of the day. If going on holiday, Kefalonia highly recommended! an automatic watering meter can be fitted to your tap. These are around ?40 & will need a hose or pipes to your borders or pots & when set will ensure you don't come back to a dead or dying garden. They even do in line sprinklers for your lawn & borders.

Ask your gardener to supply & fit if you need to

Sorry. A lot to get through at this time of year!!

6. Plants. Good time to plant up some insect friendly plants like Lavender,Buddliah & Nepeta. Also a lovely time to plant up a Trachelospermum Jasminoides against a warm sunny wall, preferably near your seating area or by you front door to welcome you home with a waft of Jasmine. They have a shiny waxy evergreen leaf that provides some colour in winter.

That's it, except to say, after a winter like that, try to find time to potter or just sit in your garden. It's our best & closest opportunity to engage in nature in the middle of a very fast,busy & hard city. Our jobs are not necessarily the most important thing in the world, our families, friends & the care we give to them & our Selves are. Other philosophies are available!

As suggested, if you don't have time for these tasks,ask any of the recommended gardeners on this wonderful forum to help you out. I'm up to my neck in designing, building & maintaining gardens this year, but still have a bit of space if you would like a quote or advice. But get in quick, I'm off to Kefalonia again at the end of the month to help some of my customers find things to help them relax & enjoy life.

Happy Gardening

Nigel

[red devil]

Gardeners world Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> 3. Slugs & Snails. Please don't use non organic

> pellets. The dead slugs & snails are eaten by the

> birds & other creatures, which kills them!

I use these Organic slug/snail pellets, does the trick, available from B&Q...

http://gardenshop.telegraph.co.uk/product/_/product/pest-control/fertilisers-and-pest-control/slugs-and-snails/organic-slug-killer/classid.2000008701/

[Gardeners world]

Thank you Red Devil, much appreciated

[Sue]

red devil Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Gardeners world Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

>

> > 3. Slugs & Snails. Please don't use non organic

> > pellets. The dead slugs & snails are eaten by

> the

> > birds & other creatures, which kills them!

>

> I use these Organic slug/snail pellets, does the

> trick, available from B&Q...

>

> http://gardenshop.telegraph.co.uk/product/_/produc

> t/pest-control/fertilisers-and-pest-control/slugs-

> and-snails/organic-slug-killer/classid.2000008701/

xxxxxxx

Does this actually work, in your experience??

[red devil]

I believe so Sue. The snails/slugs eat the pellets then crawl off and die, so there's no 'evidence' in the immediate vacinity. Although I do find plenty of empty shells around the garden. I use the pellats as a last resort on specific plants that are under attack, as I prefer to go around at dusk and pick them up by hand (with gloves!) and put them in the Council's garden recycling bins....let Southwark get the bad Karma ;-)

[Gardeners world]

Additional advice in view of current weather.

Please please water your gardens every evening. The water won't evaporate & your lawns & plants will really benefit from this. Get in quick before the hosepipe ban comes in!!

[wilson]

What a great post.

[Gardeners world]

Thank you Wilson, very kind of you to say so.

I'm off to the Hampton Court flower show today to research for a design I will be submitting for next years show. It's a really lovely day out, & has so much more space than Chelsea. A good idea is to take a boat ride to Hampton court to avoid the traffic & about ?20 for parking!

Let me know what you think of the show