After the extremely dry summer last year and the very cold temperatures we experienced back in December many plants are looking a little (perhaps an understatement for some plants!) dead. Plants I have noticed that have suffered are Pittosporum, hebes, Penstamon,Salvias, Rosemary, Bay and Choisya.
The weather can be very changeable, it can be warm and sunny during the day, but the temperatures can still really drop over night.
Plant out second early potatoes in the first two weeks and main crops in last two weeks of April. Carry on sowing vegetables directly into prepared soil including carrots, turnip, peas, broadbeans, spinach and lettuce. Sow tender courgettes, cucumbers and pumpkins indoors. [Read more…] about April Gardening Tips by Wellie
March can be a busy time in the garden, as Spring begins you will notice the busy activity of bird in your garden building their nests. To help them out tie up bunches of tiny twigs, moss and stringy plant material around your garden.
Hedgehogs and frogs begin to come out of hibernation this month, make sure there is availability of water and food for them.
Lift and divide overgrown clumps of herbaceous perennials that were not split in the Autumn. [Read more…] about March Gardening Tips by Wellie
Wellie’s gardening tips are written a month in advance and the weather outside at the moment is extremely wet and windy, but also very mild. It will be interesting to see which plants, especially the more temperate plants that will survive after the minus temperatures we had in December. In the 20 odd years that I have been working as a gardener, 2022 was the first year that the leaves (especially some of the oaks) had not all fallen by Christmas. The suggestions below are just that – suggestions, and are all dependent on the weather.
Plant bare-root roses, shrubs, hedging and ornamental trees, as long as the ground isn’t frozen. Remove and bin hellebore foliage marked with black blotches, to limit the spread of leaf spot disease. Deadhead winter pansies and other bedding regularly, and remove any foliage affected by downy mildew. Check for rot on stored bulbs and tubers, and ensure dahlia and canna tubers haven’t totally dried out. Continue pruning climbing roses, while they are dormant.
Aerate your lawn now before winter sets in. Either use a lawn aerator or simply insert a garden fork at regular intervals and lean it back slightly to let air in. Continue to clear fallen leaves off the lawn to keep it healthy using a light rake. Set your lawn mower to a higher cut-height for winter. Prevent containers becoming waterlogged by raising them off the ground for the winter using bricks or ‘pot feet’. Encourage hungry birds into your garden by investing in bird baths and bird feeders. Our feathered friends will keep garden pest numbers down and bring joy on a bleak winter’s day.
Some Broad beans and pea varieties (such as Aquadulce Claudia and Pea ‘Douce Provence’) can be sown now for an earlier crop next year, along with spring cabbages and spinach (which might need to be covered from frosts).
Onions and garlic can also be planted now for harvesting next year. There is still time to sow some salad crops such as winter lettuce mixes and mizuna, and why not put in a row or two of radishes as they are quick to mature.
Watering is key this month, particularly container-grown plants and border plantings not yet established. Keep Camellias and Rhododendrons well-watered now to ensure good flower bud formation next spring. Top up ponds and bird baths regularly. Stake tall or top-heavy dahlias and lilies to prevent wind and rain damage.
Regular feeding and dead heading keeps the garden looking its best until autumn, dead-head lilies for a better flower display next year. Dead-head annual bedding plants and perennials to encourage them to flower into the autumn and stop them self-seeding, but it’s a good idea to leave some to form seedheads, providing a nutritious food source for birds. [Read more…] about August Gardening Tips by Wellie
Divide congested clumps of bearded iris after flowering. Dead head bedding plants, roses and herbaceous plants to encourage more flowers. Trim evergreen hedges, including conifers. Feed dahlias and cannas every two weeks with a high potassium fertilizer, such as tomato feed. Prune early-summer flowering shrubs, such as Philadelphus, once they have finished flowering. Cut back flowered growth to a strong lower shoot and thin out up to a fifth of old, woody stems.
20th June is the longest day this year bringing extra sunlight hours (and perhaps warmer weather).
Gardens will be full of flowers and the veg gardens producing lots to harvest, but the weeds will be having a merry time as well and need to be kept in check.
Plant out summer bedding once the risk of frost has passed. Keep an eye on the weather forecast, and protect with horticultural fleece if necessary.
Dahlia plants can be planted out at the end of the month. Stake any herbaceous plants that will flop over or be damaged by high winds. Evergreen hedges can be cut from this month, but check for nesting birds before getting the shears or hedgecutter out. [Read more…] about May Gardening Tips by Wellie
Hydrangea flowerheads left for winter protection can be cut off now. Remove old flowerheads of mophead and lace cap hydrangeas to just above a pair of buds, cut out any thin, weak stems around the base of the plant and remove one or two of the largest, oldest stems as low down as possible to the base to promote new shoots. Hydrangea serrata and quercifolia are lightly pruned, just removing old flower heads.
Hydrangea paniculate and aboresens, which flower on this year’s growth can be pruned back harder without losing this year’s flowers.
[Read more…] about April Gardening Tips by Wellie
Have you been to Sir Harold Hillier Gardens recently? We went for an afternoon walk this afternoon with Chippy and his wife Annie. They also did a 10k run in Eastleigh this morning. Wondering how many steps they have done today?
We have captured some photos to share with our readers today. [Read more…] about A Walk on a Beautiful Sunny Day – Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
The spring is sprung, the grass is riz
I wonder where the birdy is
The bird is on the wing
Don’t be absurd
Everyone knows the wing is on the bird
We’ve been in meteorological spring since the beginning of the month and today, 20th March, is pretty close to non-meteorological spring (which probably has a better name). And the weekend’s weather has also been spring-like too, for the first time this year.
What better time to visit Hillier Gardens at Ampfield and see the flowers starting to emerge from their winter’s sleep.
Here are a few photos from today’s wander. I’m not a botanist so some of my descriptions may be a little haphazard. Sorry, Wellie. [Read more…] about Spring is here, spring is here. Life is skittles and life is Beer
Dead head daffodils as they fade, but allow the foliage to die down naturally.
Plant in the garden any forced bulbs that you had growing indoors such as hyacinths and daffodils so that they can add more colour to your garden next year. Feed borders with a general purpose fertiliser, but feed acid loving shrubs such as azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias with an ericaceous fertiliser.
Bulbous and tuberous plants kept in containers over winter can get damp and rot. Pots of dahlias, agapanthus and lilies should be stacked on their sides, one on top of the other, in a cold greenhouse to stop moisture getting into the roots. When the weather improves in February or March, stand them the right way up, water well and start them growing again.
Cut back herbaceous perennials and deciduous grasses left for winter interest before new growth commences. Prune shrubs hard such as Cornus and Salix grown for winter coloured stems. Winter flowering jasmine can be pruned after it has finished flowering. Prune Wisteria and Campsis by cutting back side shoots to 2 or 3 buds. Prune late summer flowering shrubs such as Buddleja, Lavatera and Fuchsia hard. [Read more…] about February Gardening Tips by Wellie
If the weather is cold and wet, why not sit inside with a cup of tea and a slice of Christmas cake and plan what you would like to do in the garden for the rest of the year. Look at seed catalogues for ideas of what to sow. Apple and pear trees can still be pruned now, if there is no risk of frosts, by taking out any diseased, crossing or dead branches. Aim to end up with an open tree that allows light and air into it.
Prune outdoor grapevines by mid January, rising sap ‘bleeds’ from pruning cuts later in spring. Buy and start chitting early potatoes. Chitting will help to bring on a slightly earlierand heavier crop. [Read more…] about January Gardening Tips by Wellie
Group 1 – Spring
No pruning needed except to control the size or shape of these clematis.
If necessary, lightly prune, back to a pair of healthy buds, immediately after flowering
Tip: Early flowering clematis can become overgrown as they age. A hard pruning can rejuvenate the plant but the next seasons flowers will be lost. In early spring, cut stems back to a pair of healthy buds several inches above the ground to encourage new growth
I thought this month, instead of talking about what needs doing in the garden I would talk about petrol and using it in garden machinery.
On the 1st September unleaded fuel was changed from E5 (5 % ethanol) to E10 (10% ethanol). The reason for the change is to help tackle climate change and to reduce CO2 emissions.
Sweet peas can be sown now indoors for an early flowering next year.
Prune tall shrubs that will be hard pruned in the Spring, eg Lavatera and Buddleja, by half now to reduce wind rock. Cut down herbaceous
perennials that have finished flowering and are looking untidy.
