Top 10 gardening tips for April

What to focus on, as your gardening chores for April:

1. As the milder weather continues, take control of the weeds.

2. The lawn will need a Spring feed to control the weeds and to kill off the moss that has built up over the wet months. Once the moss has died, scarifying and then oversow the bare patches with the relevant grass seed.

3. Begin to tie in all the new growth on your climbers and rambling/climber roses to ensure they are secure for the season.

4. Your shrubs and trees may need the extra food boost, so feed them with a general purpose fertilizer such as Fish, Blood and Bone. Acid-loving plants will require an Ericaceous feed as well as sequestered iron to promote lush green growth and good flowering.

5. Mulching with bark, leafmould or compost after a wet spell, will ensure the soil is more moisture retentive and is also a good way of keeping the weeds at bay.

6. Choose your desired method, but try to keep the slugs and snails off the fleshy young growth.

7. Keep dead-heading your Daffodils and Tulips as well as feeding them with a liquid feed so they can store that food for the following year as the flowers begin to fade.

8. Plums and Cherry trees can be pruned now the risk of Silver leaf infection has gone.

9. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and protect tender plants, seedlings and blossom of fruit trees such as nectarines, apricots and peaches from those late frosts.

10. Sow your hardy annual and herb seeds and keep them under cover outside or in a greenhouse.

Happy Gardening!

Gardening chores for February

What to focus on, as your gardening chores for February:

1. Still ensure that all your tender plants are securely protected by fleece.

2. If not already done, its your last chance to prune the dormant shrubs and trees that require a good shaping up. Any Winter flowering shrubs must be pruned after they have finished flowering. Take care not to cut the Spring flowering shrubs back otherwise you may miss the show this year.

3. Any bareroot plants such as roses and trees can be planted, as long as the soil is not frozen or waterlogged. This gets them off to the best start in Spring.

4. Net your fruit and vegetables to keep the birds away.

5. Plant onion, shallots and garlic towards the end of this month.

6. Late flowering clematis can be cut back to the lowest and strongest buds followed by a good mulch and feed.

7. The ornamental grasses that have been left over Winter, can now be cut back, as you would have noticed the new shoots emerging.

8. Mowing may be necessary if the weather is mild, but do not mow if the conditions are very wet as you may damage the lawn.

9. A lighter form of lawn scarification can be done with a leaf rake to begin clearing the remaining moss for preparation of overseeding your bare patches.

10. Chit your potato tubers in preparation for planting.

Happy Gardening!

Top 10 gardening tips for May

What to focus on, as your gardening chores for the month of May:

1. Most importantly watch out for the late frosts and protect tender plants when necessary.

2. It’s an exciting month, as all Summer bedding can be planted out by the end of the month as the risk of frost decreases – don’t drop the guard,…still keep an eye on those night temperatures using 5 degrees or less, no wind and clear night skies as your indicator for a risk of frost.

3. Earth up potatoes in the ground and plant any remaining potatoes still to be planted.

4. Begin to mow lawns on a weekly basis to ensure the best quality – feed with a grass feed containing weed-killer and moss-killer to maintain strong growth for the grass.

5. Tie up climbers that have put on good growth.

6. Apply bulb fertiliser to the Spring bulbs so they can store the feed for the following season.

7. Keep on top of weeding – easy to say of course…  

8. Some perennials may even require the ‘Chelsea chop’ (a good cut back around the time of Chelsea Flower Show) to encourage a second flush of growth and flowering.

9. Recently planted trees and shrubs will need to be well watered until they establish.

10. Sowing seeds directly outside can now begin.

Lastly…go to your local Garden Centre… buy plants… and plant them. There is always space… When the weather is great, go out and enjoy your garden. After all, the garden is an extension of your home and can be seen as your outdoor living room. Decorate it.

Happy gardening!

Gardening chores for January

What to focus on, as your gardening chores for the coldest month of the year, January:

1. As this is effectively the coldest month of Winter, special care should be taken to protect the more tender plants from the severe cold weather. This can be done through heavy mulching for root protection and horticultural fleece for foliar protection.

2. The best lawn care that can be exercised is that of minimal wear and tear. The soil becomes saturated and with regular traffic, the grass gets damaged and will take longer to repair.

3. Continue to clear off any leaves and debris off the lawn to ensure it does not rot.

5. Prune soft fruit such as blackcurrants, redcurrants and gooseberries to encourage a productive network of branches.

6. Care for those resident birds by providing fresh water and keep the bird feeders topped up.

7. Remove older leaves on Hellebores to make the new flush of blooms more visible.

8. Continue removing faded flowers from Pansies and Violas to stop them from setting seed.

9. Use this time to clean your patio with a pressure washer or by brushing it off with a stiff broom.

10. Recycle and shred your Christmas tree (assuming its a real one) and add it to the compost heap.

We hope the year ahead is a fruitful year for you…

Happy Gardening!

Gardening chores for October

What to focus on, as your gardening chores for October:

1. As leaf fall increases, make sure you clear the leaves on a regular basis. Use the leaves to create your own leaf mould as a soil conditioner, as long as they are not diseased.

2. This month is ideal for moving or planting any plants as the soil temperature is cooler ensuring less stress to the plants. It also gives them enough time to settle in before the onset of the colder weather.

3. Start planting your Winter bedding as well as bare-root wallflowers for a fantastic colourful display in Spring.

4. Continue to divide clumps of perennials for re-planting or donating to friends and family.

5. Plant Spring flowering bulbs such as Daffodils, Tulips and Alliums.

6. Now is a good time to improve your soil by adding organic matter such as leaf mould or well rotted manure, before the soil becomes too wet or frozen.

7. Feed your lawn with an Autumn feed which is high in Potassium and low in Nitrogen. They also contain a moss killer which helps control moss build up during the wet Winter months.

8. Make sure you keep an eye on the weather for frosts and protect the half-hardy plants with a protective layer or two of fleece.

9. Net your ponds to ensure the water is kept free of leaves and debris.

10. Conserve water this Autumn/Winter by placing water butts at the base of your downpipes. Ericaceous plants such as Camellia, Azalea and Rhododendron benefit from being watered with rainwater.

Happy gardening!

Gardening chores for July

What to focus on, as your gardening chores for July:

1. Most importantly, ensure that all plants in containers are well-watered when the weather is warm or if it is windy.

2. Continue dead-heading all flowering plants to ensure continuous flowering. Apply a liquid feed to perennials, bedding and container plants.

3. Apply a Summer feed to the lawn to promote a lush green blade and mow as frequently as every week for the best quality.

4. While the weather is dry, apply a preserver to wooden items such as furniture, fences, decking and sheds.

5. Clear any algae, blanketweed and leaf/flower debris from ponds as well as topping them up regularly with fresh water.

6. Harvest vegetables such as courgettes before they reach the marrow stage. Now is the time to enjoy the benefits of all your hard work…harvest time begins.

7.  Some of your evergreens and hedges will need pruning or trimming to encourage more density.

8. Wisteria will need their Summer pruning towards the end of the month – cut back to five or six leaves.

9. Keep pinching off the side shoots of tomatoes; feed with Tomorite and ensure your watering is consistent to prevent any blossom end rot. Keep on the look out for signs of blight, as your first treatment for blight is traditionally done from mid to late July with Bordeaux mixture.

10. Now that the phenomenon of ‘June drop’ (where fruit trees tend to drop a portion of their crop) has occurred in fruit trees such as apples, the fruits left over can be further thinned out to ensure you get fewer bigger fruit.

Happy gardening!

Gardening chores for June

What to focus on, as your gardening chores for the month of June:

1. Keep on top of weeding by regularly hoeing the borders – be careful for flower bulb growth coming through.

2. With the risk of frost coming to an end, your tomato plants can be moved outside. Make sure they are tied in as they grow and pinch out any side shoots to encourage upright growth first.

3. Harvest early potatoes and other early planted crops, such as radishes and lettuces.

4. Mow lawns once a week to for the best quality.

5. Plant out any frost tender annuals such as the Summer bedding as well as the
younger and tender perennials.

6. Ensure that all taller perennials are supported.

7. Prune Spring flowering shrubs and perform the ‘Chelsea chop’ on the early flowering perennials to encourage a second flush of growth and flowers.

8. Treat any mildew infections by spraying with a systemic fungicide or by cutting the plants back to encourage new growth.

9. Cover strawberries and other soft fruit with netting to prevent birds from eating the ripening fruits.

10. Fertilise regularly during the active growing period to ensure optimum results.

Happy gardening!

Turf laying in Spring

With more time being spent in the garden in Spring, you begin to notice what effect a typical Winter may have on your lawn. Two main issues are that of constant dampness causing rotting of the grass and the rapid growth of moss taking advantage of the low light levels and dampness.
Depending on the scale of the damage, you may find it more cost effective to consider laying new turf. Out with the damaged and in with the new, fresh turf ready for a new season. Spring is a good time to lay the turf as it is not too hot yet and usually there is plenty of rain to help with the watering and settling in.

We were instructed by our client to remove her old lawn, which was mainly moss, and lay a new turf, which she could enjoy for the Spring and Summer. With the correct care and maintenance regime, it is possible to enjoy a good lawn for many years.

We began the process by removing the older grass. The idea is to skim the spade about an inch below the soil level making sure you get the majority of the existing root. This process is hard labour and can take the most amount of time. You know what they say,…’It’s all in the prep work’
After all the old grass has been removed, we spend a fair amount of time looking for uneven areas and skim some soil off the raised areas and use that to fill in the deeper areas. Something to consider is the drainage of excess water. Create a very slight decline towards a point in the garden where it would be beneficial to have more water.

Once you are happy with the levels, a fresh new layer of top soil needs to go down as a base for the new turf. As grass is shallow-rooted, it would be highly beneficial to lay approximately 2 inches of new top soil. This has to be factored in, when removing the old soil, as the level of the lawn will need to be at a required level, such as level with existing paving. Once the top soil has been put down, it will need to be slightly compacted to ensure that where the heavier traffic will be, it will not drop too much. We always use the back of the rake to level it off for one last time. The pre-turfing feed is then applied to encourage faster growth of the root system. Then the hose comes out and the area is given a good soaking to ensure the turf goes down on damp and enriched soil for the best results.

You are now ready to lay the turf…

Each roll gets laid down making sure that they meet each other with neat precision. As more rolls get laid, take care to ensure they are in a straight line and the edges meet. With each row of turf, alternate the sequence like a brick layer would when layering bricks for a wall. This means that there would be a degree of cutting required at either end of the row on certain occasions. Once the turf has been laid, it will require a thorough soaking of water .
Be generous, as this will encourage the grass to settle in quicker. As aftercare, the grass will need regular water, depending on the weather. As a rule, water more frequently in warmer weather and less frequently in colder, wetter weather. The speed of establishment is dependant on the regular watering. Stand back and watch your grass develop into a lush lawn that will be the envy of the neighbour.

Happy gardening this Spring…