Watering is what is needed now to keep the spring growth happening after really strong winds and such a cold snap, so hard for little new born lambs.

This week I have stopped doing stuff at times to look around and enjoy the blossom and all the new growth and plants popping up, so satisfying to see and remember planting the groups of tulips, daffodils, bluebells and peony roses way back in the winter. I still get the same pleasure as I did when a child, thinking back then it was magic.

If putting in a new garden this is the time to choose prunus trees and the blossom type you love. If they are not available now make a note and order for next year. Blossom is only on the tree for a short time so it should not be the only reason for choice, height and spread should be thought about as some prunus grow very large and spread wide and low. Fortunately today we have choice thanks to the grafting done by growers we can purchase trees on a short, or a taller graft to suit a situation. A 1.8 mtr trunk before branching will allow clearance along a drive or walk way right from planting.
Large spreading trees have large spreading roots! keep this in mind when planting near concrete and the house.
Also the leaf and blossom drop should be taken into consideration, thick blossom on paved walking areas is a real problem, it sticks to feet and is tracked inside, plus it can become very slippery to walk on. The leaf drop near pathways and roof guttering is a pain as well, but a spreading tree over grass walk ways is lovely and everything dropped can be taken up with the lawn mower.
There are so many things to consider when planting trees close to the house, but if you are like me and like the house nestled into the garden t then you will need to ask the right people about the right trees because there is a tree for every spot, to create a of look of intrigue without the problems.

It really is the time for planting now to beat the weeds, I have been busy with the hoe moving the small weeds around before they get a really good hold, you will only have to blink from now on and weeds will be up around the ankles! pull or spray them now before they make seed.

sow seeds directly into the ground or into trays of seed mix, they will be up in no time if kept well watered. Pricking out is done at the second lot of leaf stage, then plant on into containers like punnets to form strong roots before planting out, and be sure to harden off newly bought bedding plants to out side conditions before planting them out, we had some good frosts this week here at Weston.

Lavenders are starting to make new growth right now, they like a dressing of lime and some liquid or slow release fertiliser to help them along. If they look a bit scruffy you can trim them now and they will soon grow back and bud up.
If a lavender is looking really woody and the new growth is on the yellow side and just at the very top of the bush, dig it out and plant another one, they do not go on for ever. I put some tip cuttings of my grey hedge lavender this week. The time to do this is when the new tip growth stems are firm enough to break, I then push them into river sand and firm around them. I have a heap of tip growth cuttings on the go now, like lavatera, budleia, coprosma, hebe, daisies and buxus (box hedge)

We are lucky enough to have a bougainvillea growing, It was hit really bad by frosts on it's outer growth this winter. I trimmed all that damage off a couple of weeks back because I noticed new growth but on went the frost cloth when the nights cooled down again . I will flood and feed it at the beginning of next month to simulate the rainy season of it's origins. Then leave it alone from then on. If you feed and water them through summer they will produce more leaf than flowers, a bourgainvillea needs to be stressed to put on a good display.

Don't be tempted to transplant hellebore seedlings just yet, I know there are heaps growing around existing plants but they will only flop if you dig them out now, wait until the new leaves harden up.

It's a good time to put in stakes for delphiniums, peony roses, asters and tall phlox now before they shoot up anymore, there will be no danger of breaking the new growth if support is put in before they need it.

I got the pond sorted last weekend, it needed a bit of maintenance, I filled it again, with tap water so will need to leave it for more than a week before the fish are put back in because of chlorination, however it has never worried my fish when I regularly top up the pond with tap water. I took out all the old oxygen weed which had become mixed with green slim and replaced it with fresh clean weed. Slime can get caught in fish gills causing them to become trapped. Water lilies are putting out new leaf growth and the water iris's are ready to bud now, both should be on offer in garden centers about now.


Vegetable garden:
If you have not pruned back black current bushes there is still time to do it as they are just coming into leaf.Some of my bushes are newish so I will take a few branches back hard and leave a few the length they are, then mulch with compost and a little pot ash.
Keep planting your veg before the end of September, they should then be ready for Christmas dinner.

There are lot's of different potatoes to choose from now and most have written on the bag what they are best used for, chipping, mashing or roasting. I grow Rockets & Red king for early then the good old Jersey Benny, Rua or Agria to follow.

Potato guide
Waxy: for boiling, salads, casseroles & soups.
: Draga
: Early new season
: Frisia
: Nandine

All purpose for most uses
: Desiree
: Rua
: Vivaldi

Flowery for mashing, wedging, roasting chips and baking.

: Agria
: Ilam hardy
: Red jackets
: Red rascal

The most important thing at this time of the year is to enjoy Spring and all it is offering.

Gardening by the moon
FIRST QUARTER
Sunday, 23 September 2012
Garden:
Keep planting salad greens every month

Foliar feed if plants are in their early growing stages, or setting fruit or seed.before full moon
Major time for bed preparation and taking care of seedlings and newly transpalnted seedlings
Continue transplanting out into beds all your seedlings
Quite a few of your perennials will be feeling the ground warming and will be sending up their first shoots and may need checking for slug and snail damage.
Orchard:
Watch for water stress and try to avoid it by careful watering, time watering will be time not spent dealing with pests and other associated problems


Cheers, Linda