Rhododendrons, azalea's, and peony roses are still putting on their show along with lilac and iris's and something new happening every day in the garden.
My roses are full of fat buds waiting to burst open, the odd one has been found by green fly so has had a strong hose drowning as I do not fancy getting the spray out just yet. Roses will have used up most food in reserve to have reached this lush stage so will need feeding often to keep them in this peek condition, there are many rose foods for sale and Folia feeding with fish emulsion will help keep green fly away while being absorbed through leaves.
Trim spent flowers from perennials and daisy bushes as they finish the first flush of flowering to keep them bushy and continuously in flower, if you let flower heads go to seed the bush or plants will become woody.
Box hedge: I will make a start on my buxus hedges as soon as stalks and leaves are firmer, while soft they are still putting out growth. On other hedges if you can snap a stem clean off then they are ready for a spring trim.
Lawns: There should have been excellent results from grass seed sown, striking quickly with the warmth and moisture we have had which encourages me to rake out every bare patches, add sifted soil and plant grass seed while the going is good.
Veg: A good no fuss way to grow veg is in a no dig garden.
Making a no dig garden:
Find a sunny spot on bare ground,( not concrete) surround with sleepers, logs, Oamaru stone or boards high enough to hold layers of manure, soil, compost and straw. Flood the dirt before you start to get dampness deep down but If you plan to create a no dig garden on top of grass or space that has been growing then you will need to cover the the ground with layers of saturated news paper or cardboard, overlapping once ground has been soaked along with the newspaper covering to stop strong weeds pushing through.
First layer manure, (soak) this will bring the worms up, then spread a thick layer of compost, old leaf mulch and dried grass clippings, (soak.) Next add a layer of soil, (clay soil is fine in this layer), water well after each layer leaving no dry spots. Next add a layer of straw, (soak) then add more layers of compost and old leaf mulch and dried grass clippings, (soak) and top that with more soil, (soak). River sand, a little lime and an all purpose fertiliser can be added as you build the layers. Lastly add a top layer of straw to suppresses weeds, also a great deterrent to slugs. When you think the garden is high enough start planting and you should be eating your own produce with in six weeks at this time of the year.
Fruit: With the warmth experienced this spring and bee's doing their job berry fruits are romping along. Water is important while fruit is forming especially after the wind, a good soak from time to time if rain is scarce will ensure full juicy fruit. I have been thinning the apple clusters because there were too many to grow and ripen in each cluster, doing this will ensure good size ripened fruit.
I have come across another method of dealing with coddling moth which is said to have worked well for some. Use a plastic milk container, and place in it 1 banana peel, 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup sugar. Fill the container almost full of water, replace the cap and shake it well to mix and dissolve the contents. Remove the cap and firmly secure one container into each apple tree. The moths are attracted to the scent of the concoction, becoming trapped and drowned when they investigate. Refill with water as needed throughout the summer.
Cheers, Linda.
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