Summer Garden Jobs!
Summer is finally here! Time to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather, and get plenty of tasks ticked off...
To keep your garden looking its best, be sure to keep on top of these top garden jobs this summer:
1. Look After Your Lawn
Caring for your lawn is a job that never expires, especially during the much dryer seasons when there's that little bit extra required. Be sure to water the grass well when the weather goes through patches of very dry days.
We recommend watering heavily and less often, rather than lightly and more often - this way the roots are encourages to dig deeper and develop, which will further help prevent drought.
In terms of trimming the grass, be sure to raise the cutting height a little so you're left with plenty of lovely green blade of grass!
2. Prune/Feed Rose Plants
If you have lots of rose plants and bushes arranged throughout your garden, they will require regular care and attention throughout summer - this includes feeding and deadheading. By cutting the spent flowers off, just above the leaf, your rose bush will be much more compact. If you choose to snap off the flowerhead instead, it does mean the flowers will come back much quicker, but you'll miss the extra bushiness.
In terms of feeding the rose plants, this generally applies to those in pots. We recommend using a liquid tomato fertiliser every time you water; this way you will encourage lots of blooms!
For those that are plants in beds and borders, sprinkle a granular rose fertiliser at the base of the plants around the middle of summer. This way you will keep the roses looking much healthier.
3. Keep A Look Out For Disease
It's very important to keep a strong eye out for any diseased leaves and pick them off, before the disease has a chance to spread. If your plant, by any chance, has reached the stage of high infection, it's best to treat the plant immediately with a suitable chemical treatment (or natural solution, if possible!). Sometimes, the plants will need to be removed completely - if you're unsure, seek advice and check with a professional, first.
4. Prune Your Late Spring-Flowering Shrubs (Deciduous Only)
In order to promote further growth and plenty more flowers the following year, we recommend pruning your late spring-flowering shrubs as soon as they've finished flowering. This includes shrubs such as Jasmine and Pieris.
5. Water Your Pot Grown Plants Regularly
As wonderful as container grown plants can be, in adding unique structure, colour, and style to your garden, they do require a little extra maintenance during the summer.
Particularly throughout Spring and Summer, watering frequently is essential in order to encourage continually healthy plants. Smaller pots will dry out even quicker, so be sure to check these regularly and water very well.
A key trick to ensuring your pot grown plants are getting enough water, is by running water through the containers until it begins to run from the pots' drainage holes. This way you know the plants' roots have absorbed plenty of water!
As important as this all is for small pots, it's just as important for those in larger pots - especially if they have big leaves that can often shelter the rain from getting into the soil.
