Labour weekend upon us and the time I have always felt for safe planting of summer annuals both floral and veg with the needed warmth and moisture in the ground supports new fresh growth.
Roses are budding up, keep the deep root watering up to them, foliar feeding on fresh new leaves works well now along with slow release fertilisers to keep roses healthy. Aphid is looking for new rose growth, if time allows removal with finger and thumb while on top growth will reduce numbers moving down into the bush and laying eggs.
Cut back Erica's and callunas that have finished flowering, this stops them from going woody, removing all the spent flowers will encourage fresh new green growth for summer. If you don't cut the old flowering growth off they will make their new growth out from the old growth which means they become woody at the base.
Cut back aubretia rockery plants and you will get another flowering, also cut spent flowers from hellebore to stop seeds ripening and spreading, if you want to build up hellebore numbers leave a few to drop seed.
If you are concerned about a hot dry Summer having a disastrous effect on your garden? Plenty of Mulch breaking down on your soil will help retain moisture as well as improve soil structure and suppress weed growth. Mulch can be straw, grass clippings or weed free compost.
So many spring perennials, iris and other pretty garden fillers well up now to notice as Gardeners walk their gardens.
Lawns: keep feeding lawns when rain is about, to wash fertilisers in. A new spring lawn sowing will compete with strong growing weeds so a thick sowing of grass seed is required to choke out annual weeds. Annual grass weeds will be removed when mowing begins. Flat perennial weeds in established lawns will need to be removed or spayed before they spread seed.
Vegetables: PLANT, PLANT, PLANT plants and seeds, I have planted pumpkin and squash plants grown from seed with a lot of compost and old stable manure dug in, they need a large prepared area for them to ramble. Peas and radish are perfect for encouraging Children into the garden, If you have a glass house or tunnel house you will have success with growing tomatoes, (strings attached from the roof to stakes for support as they grow up), cucumber, peppers and basil need the warmth of a glass house as well.
Fruit: Berry cane's and strawberries both flower and fruit really quickly as long as they get all day sun. Gooseberries can cope with shade and actually do better without harsh afternoon sun. Blueberries are best planted in spring or autumn, if you have had trouble growing blueberries they need to be planted and grown in conditions suited to them, acid, clay free, good draining soil. If in doubt plant in a good size pot drainage stones on the bottom in acid mix and water with rain water if possible because it is thought tap water has a negative effect. Keep manure enriched compost up to rhubarb, if the soil gets hard and dry around rhubarb it will grow stringy dry uneatable steams. Mound up earlier planted potatoes, critical that you either mulch or mound up well to obtain heavy crops and avoid potato worms. A foliar spray with raw milk is a great way to kill blight spores, add to a foliar spray of high quality compost tea, this is a great way to strengthen the microbe populations on the potato and tomato leaves to help avoid blight.
Cheers, Linda.
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