The Summer Garden is the time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labours throughout the year. There is, however, still plenty to do to keep it looking at its best. The changeable climate has created havoc with flowers and vegetables and we will have to come to terms with the effects of this type of weather pattern – excessive rain and drought may become the norm. Plants do adapt to this but there will always be some casualties.
One of the main problems this year has been the abundance of slugs and snails determined to feast on our tender plants. Nothing is more disappointing than leafless stalks of a plant you have grown from seed. They are perceived as the gardener’s enemy, but they do play a role in the garden ecosystem, breaking down rotting material and recycling nutrients into the soil. Once plants become established they will survive, but to protect your young plants there are several safe options that do not harm wildlife such as watering in nematodes. Simply going on a nighttime slug hunt and removing them is effective, placing broken eggshells or gravel around the base of plants or one of the many safe over-the-counter alternatives are all options.
Roses are in full bloom in June/July but make sure you cut away any suckers. These grow beneath the graft which is the knobbly bit at the bottom. If you have planted out sweet peas keep feeding them and dead-heading to promote longer flowering period – this applies to all garden flowering plants.
Cut back any early perennials such as Poppies, Lupins and Delphiniums and they will potentially produce some more flowers this year. If you have a Magnolia tree in your garden, now is the best time to prune it back.
To encourage plants to send down strong roots, try and water less regularly with more water when you do. Surface sprinkling just encourages to roots to grow upwards to find water. Obviously plants in containers dry out more quickly and will need more water.
We have held some successful plant sales at our busy Trading Centre and have also been involved in Seed Swaps at the Repair Café. These are very popular and it is obvious that whilst gardening can be a solitary pastime, spending time chatting with fellow gardeners and swapping plants and ideas is all part of the enjoyment. Another option is volunteering to help with our Community Projects, at one of the local schools or helping out at our Trading Centre. Everyone involved always finds the experience very rewarding. If you are interested, please do get in touch or just pop along for a chat. We hold regular talks, trips, workshops and social events such as our popular Quiz Night and Fish and Chip Supper planned for Friday 8th November.