Gardening the Willowfield Way !

The long hot dry spell is now a distant memory but will always be remembered in future summers no doubt. It was dry and it was hot, the summer bedding plants performed very well as long as they were frequently watered but the lawns certainly did suffer for several weeks as they gradually turned shades of yellow and brown as the grass began to shrivel up. But with the recent rains, growth has been restored and all is green again.

1. Grass growth has been very uneven this year due to the dry weather but the weeds still managed to keep going as the grass began to shrivel. Now the rains have come, mowing can resume to tidy up any uneven growth and remove the dried up moss. An Autumn fertilizer can be spread from now on to encourage a quicker response to growth after the dry spell and get the lawn in good shape heading into winter.
2. Flowers in the hanging baskets and window boxes have suffered from the hot conditions and several gaps may have appeared in your patio containers where plants have died. You can fill in these gaps now with autumn heathers and Pansy to regain some colour in your arrangements. Keep a close eye on watering your containers; just because the summer has cooled down a bit and we have had some rain it is never heavy enough to water containers… they will still need regular watering right into September. Apply fertilizer in a liquid feed when you can to act as a pick-me-up for the plants that are feeling sad and off colour. This will help them flower away well into the autumn.
3. Replanting patio containers for the autumn can start from now on, especially if the summer plants are too straggly to recover. Large containers can be replanted by a mixture of shrubs or just a large sized ‘Garden Mum’ ( Chrysanthenum) will do the job on its own and will stay in flower until first frosts. Large Bizzy Lizzy can also be used as an instant fix to provide colour for the rest of the summer season. Autumn heathers are now available that will provide colour into early winter. Pansy and Viola will also be available soon that can be used for adding colour to existing containers or for new arrangements. From next month it will be time to start planting up a range of spring flowering bulbs that you can plant at the same time as planting up autumn/winter containers.
4. Shrubs in the garden have been enjoying the sunshine this summer and have grown happily ! If any have grown too much, now is a good time to carry out a trim as they still have time to shoot again and make a small amount of growth before the year is out. Don’t prune any of the spring flowering shrubs as they will lose their flower buds that have developed on the branches during the summer. Evergreen hedges like Laurel and Griselinia should also be trimmed by the end of the month . Again, this year, one of the most popular flowering shrubs for this time of the year are the Hydrangea. As well as the regular ‘Mop Heads’ and ‘Lace Caps’, the Paniculata type are just coming into full flower and will keep on putting on a display until late autumn. Varieties like, ‘Limelight’, ‘Pinky Winky’, ‘Phantom’ and ‘Candlelight’ are easy to grow and are striking when in full flower.
5. Summer heathers are beginning to put on a god show at the moment and will stay in flower right into October. As well as planting in the ground , they can also be used in window boxes or any type of patio container. The only limiting factors about these summer heathers is that they are varieties of Calluna which can only be grown in acid ( peaty ) soil, so for a container you can use a special type of compost called Ericaceous Compost in which they can be planted. In tubs and window boxes they can be planted with a dwarf conifer and trailing ivy to make an attractive arrangement.
6. Trim back straggly growth and old flower heads of alpine plants to encourage strong short growth for next spring’s flowers to ‘spring’ from.
7. Herbaceous perennials at this time of year are in full glory but getting very tall and will need supporting so their heavy flower heads wont collapse in wet and windy weather. Support them individually with bamboo canes or in groups with net supports. Keep an eye out for slug attacks during the last few weeks of summer and apply some slug pellets if you see holes appearing in the leaves. By keeping the slug population under control now it will help keep the numbers under control next spring. Try to use ‘environmentally friendly’ ways to control the slug population. It is better for the birds and hedgehogs who help in controlling the slugs in your garden.
8. In the vege garden keep on top of harvesting crops which have reached maturity and remove plant debris from the growing beds to prevent safe houses for bugs and slugs. Tidy up runners of strawberries so they don’t end up growing everywhere.
9. To add an extra splash of colour to your garden going into the dull autumn and winter months consider painting your garden furniture or garden shed with one of the coloured Ronseal, Sadolin or Fence Life wood preservatives. Timber furniture and fences have dried out well this year and will definitely benefit from a preservative/treatment now and by choosing a different tint it can certainly brighten up a corner of your garden.
10. TIME OUT ! …. sit back and enjoy the last few weeks of summer if the sun ever comes out again ! or drop into Willowfield to see what new plants we have had coming in recently,, and there is always a few surprises !

See you there !

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