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Garden Help

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Garden HelpArticles by: gardhelp_ed_admin
19 Sep 2016
0 Comments By gardhelp_ed_admin Gardening

September

The weather can be temperamental this month, but there is still plenty to do when we can get outdoors. You may also notice that your garden may be reaping all the hard work you put in earlier on in the year. September can be a month of warm showers, so unfortunately still plenty of weeding to be done, so keep the garden tools out for a little longer!
If you’re a fan of growing fruit you should have plenty of raspberries this month to put on your cereal in the mornings or on ice cream! Unfortunately other crops including beans, tomatoes and cucumbers may begin to slow down and will require clearing soon.
Unfortunately as the summer comes to an end there is obviously shorter days, but the month of September often involves plenty of work that would be done throughout the summer, notably weeding, and grass cutting. It’s important that this task is continued well into the month in order to keep your garden looking great well into later autumn.

25 Aug 2016
0 Comments By gardhelp_ed_admin Uncategorized

August

Keeping the garden to a high standard over the summer moths can be a hard process. At this time of year heading into August, it is important to regularly water and liquid feed your plants. Pests can also be busy munching through your hard work, and slug damage in wet warm weather is a regular occurrence so ensure there is adequate pellets applied regularly. If you don’t want to apply slug pellets saw dust of builder’s sand is a cheaper and more environmentally friendly method.
Make sure to deadhead species of flowers especially roses to encourage continuous flowering well into the autumn. Species pf plant which are easy to grow and flower well into the season include cornflower and poppies.
At this time of year you may find a healthy stockpile of green waste building up in your garden, ensure this does not go to waste, instead build a homemade compost heap by using some left over wooden boards and nail together creating a box shape, this is a great way of storing vital nutrients to apply to your garden later on in the year.

05 Jul 2016
0 Comments By gardhelp_ed_admin Gardening

Importance of proper watering

Now July is upon us it is important to water thoroughly once or twice a week, especially in warm dry weather. Watering is best carried out early in the morning or later in the evening away from the sun’s direct glare as so not to risk burning the foliage. If you have plat containers remember that these are more likely to require additional watering as they are more likely to dry out faster.

If you have recently planted some shrub species in the spring as mid-summer takes hold watering is essential to ensure good root and growth development, in some cases especially with species of Azalea and Hydrangea’s leave a hose pipe at the base of the plant for an hour or so to give it a good soaking.In addition to watering the inclusion of mulch around plants is a great benefit to retaining moisture this is readily available in bags from your local garden centre.

A word of caution many plants such as camellias and rhododendron the acid loving shrub species you may have planted do not like lime, which is often abundant in tap water. Instead use rain water collected in water butts or any odd container you may have and left out in the garden. This is good for your plants and the environment!

Most of your planting this season will have been done, it’s not advisable to plant in very dry weather but nonetheless if you follow these tips you are more likely to be successful and also have health plants

  • Water new plants in well
  • When planting new plants first fill the hole with some water and allow to soak away
  • Soak the root ball in water
  • Fill the hole with soil and tap gently, applying some water around the edges with a watering can

These watering tips will help to ensure you get the best out of your plants in dry weather this summer.

10 May 2016
0 Comments By gardhelp_ed_admin Landscaping

Summer Roses

Now that summer is around the corner one of the sights and smells of the summer garden are garden roses. Taking care of roses is relatively easy with a few simple tips. Firstly make sure to use plenty of mulch.

Mulch is fairly easy to come by and if you have a compost bin or plenty of autumn leaves and grass clippings you can make your own! Mulch will ensure the soil around your roses stays cool and moist and also works as an effective weed barrier. The number one benefit of mulch is that the rotting organic matter provides important nutrients ensuring your roses are more likely to stay vibrant and healthy throughout the season.

Many people dread the thought of pruning roses, after all they can be awfully prickly to handle, although this may take some practice its benefits for the plants are second to none and take into consideration that even if you get it wrong at first unlike many other species it’s awfully hard to kill a rose. The benefits of pruning include improving air circulation, removing dead wood from the plant, and encouraging new growth. So give it a go!

04 May 2016
0 Comments By gardhelp_ed_admin Gardening

Dealing with Pests

The most effective way of dealing with pests in the garden is to make sure the garden is clean of debris and hiding places for pests and disease. In reality it’s much harder than this but some inexpensive tips can really help. For example make sure your soil that you plant in is enriched with good quality compost to naturally fertilize your soil, this will make your soil that much more healthy and able to compete against many fungal diseases.

Also as previously mentioned remove all garden waste including weeds, including leaves and branches from and around your garden, slugs snails and other creepy crawlies will love nothing better to make a home here, and they usually also like to feast on your plants and vegetables. If you plan on growing under glass this summer ensure your cold frame or glass house is clean at all times.

People are often amazed at how clean my glass house is and it’s simply because the cleaner the area is the less chance of disease spreading. When watering your glass house limit this to either early morning or late at night away from direct sunlight to prevent both disease and the burning of foliage from the sun. Many of these tips are simple to implement and natural by avoiding chemical sprays.

Some insects such as ladybugs are excellent protectors of the garden as their favourite snack is Aphids, make sure to plant some daisies in your garden, where you find daisies you will also find ladybugs. Finally make sure not to throw out your soapy water from the wash basin, instead throw this over your vegetable plants, if there are any insects which can cause harm to your vegetables they will fall straight off.

Happy Gardening!

04 May 2016
0 Comments By gardhelp_ed_admin Gardening

Early summer

We have had a mixed spring with plenty of rain, and perhaps cooler than usual conditions. This dampish weather can cause blackspot to occur on roses. This problem can be controlled by using ‘rose spray’ after a period of rain purchase from your local garden centre. Some shrubs are already losing their flowers, shrubs such as flowering currants and forsythia for example will benefit from a good prune now, especially if they are becoming misshapen.
If you are a keen gardener you may have grown from seed this winter, and are now seeing the fruits of your labour, carefully prick out these seedlings to grow on in larger pots or grow out in the final flowering position.

When pricking out seedlings make sure to hold the leaves and never the stem to avoid causing damage. A thought to remember though when you are doing this make sure that you consider that although the days are getting warmer the nights are still quite chilly and frost can cause havoc on new plants, consider purchasing a roll of horticultural fleece from your local garden centre or even covering with some old newspaper will do.