I don't need to tell you that it has been dry and hot over the past month. But unfortunately, many plants suffered during that spell and will probably not recover this season unless you have been watering them.

Of course, your lawn is the biggest' plant' to suffer. At the time of writing this, there has not been much in the way of rain in the forecasts. The lawns will undoubtedly need a boost, so plan to give a light feed if you know there is going to be a period of rain. Otherwise, get the sprinkler out (if we are still allowed) and give the lawn a really good soaking. After a few days, you should see the grass 'greening up'.

Several months back, I mentioned that we had re-done the garden's main pond, which has been very successful. Everything has grown back well and looks well established. It is easy to think that a pond does not need much maintenance, and in general, that is true. However, you do need to keep an eye on it, ensuring that the water is topped up regularly and that you are removing any build-up of pond weed etc. If you have fish, ensure that the water is aerated correctly, this can be done by using a pump or regularly topping up the water and allowing it to overflow. We purchased 24  fish to restock the pond. Alas, nasty Mr Heron found out and has taken more than 12 so far. They are magnificent birds, but despite scaring him every time we see him, he goes up on the roof of the house or the top of a tree and defiantly stares at us. He has more patience than me, I go indoors, and he returns. Any suggestions??.  We have decoys, but they do not deter him.

In all gardens, plants will come into flower and die off and if you want to be tidy and get some more blooms, keep 'deadheading'. This will encourage the plant to grow more flowers. For example, roses are doing exceptionally well this year and respond greatly to 'deadheading'. Likewise, the more often you pick Sweet peas, the more flowers you will get. Many others will benefit from this practice.

Bedding plants will be coming into their own now. Keep them well watered and fed, and they will keep going right up to the frosts. Antirrhinums, Sweet Williams, Marigolds, Asters and many more will go longer if 'deadheaded'.

Those who took my advice and planted some Lettuce or other vegs in the borders should now be able to start using them. Likewise, if you planted some early or second early tatties, you can begin lifting them and enjoy your harvest. Raspberries and other fruits like Blueberries and Gooseberries have enjoyed the sunshine and heat and cropped well, and a little feed will build them up for next year.

Lastly, if you have Lavender in the garden, now is the perfect time to harvest. If you want to have the rich lavender colour of the flower, harvest now, if you want the 'seed heads', leave them a little longer to ripen. Once clipped, you should enjoy a second flourish, although not as many flowers. If you want to keep the flowers on the stems, make some small bundles tied with string, hang them upside down, and allow them to dry; they will last for years. If you have opted for the seed heads, do the same, and once dry, strip off the seeds and use them in bowls or fill sachets.

Remember, too, that now is one of the best times to trim your hedges.

Enjoy August and the lovely days it brings.

Ewen

July

If you have not managed to get all your bedding plants in by now, there is still time during the first few weeks of July to get a good splash of colour for the remainder of the summer. If you have the time, deadhead your plants frequently to avoid the plants putting their energy into producing seeds (unless, of course, you want seeds). This will encourage more flowers and is especially true with Sweet Peas.

June was a very dry month, and your lawns and many plants will have suffered. Please give them a feed and water them regularly. If you have not already done so, now is the time to cut back the dead leaves left over from the spring bulbs and to lift any bulbs you want to move or dry for planting again in the Autumn. There is still time to plant Gladioli bulbs for a late burst of flowers and colour.

If you have a Wisteria, this is when you want to trim back some of this year’s growth, this will help promote flowering next year. Likewise, the shrubs that have just stopped flowering in the last few weeks should be trimmed back to allow new growth on which next year’s flowers will bloom. Leave them too late, and you risk having few, if any, flowers. You can also look to thinning some of the older stems out to encourage new growth, which will help prevent disease by allowing more light and air into the crown.

There have been frequent spells of high winds lately, which can and has caused a lot of ‘layering’, so you should check your beds for any plants that have been blown over and get them upright and supported. Otherwise, they will kill off or hamper the growth of other plants they have covered.

Most perennial geraniums can be cut down by at least half when the flowers pass, and you should get a second flourish. Likewise, perennial cornflowers can have the same treatment, and you will get a second batch of flowers. With most flowers, you will get more flowers if you keep ‘deadheading. Not all plants will. Remove dead leaves and generally try to keep the plants clean and tidy.

There is always so much to do at this time, but there is no point in panicking. Just do what you can and let nature do the rest.

Remember to take some time out to enjoy your hard work.

Ewen

Gosh, hasn’t the summer passed quickly? Of course, the days are shortening, but everything is still going strong.

I tend to leave most herbaceous plants to get on with it until they become a bit untidy. Many plants left that bit longer can and will develop some lovely autumnal colours on the foliage. Just keep deadheading, which will, in turn, in most instances, result in longer flowering.

October is about cutting back also, and even when some plants are still looking well, we have to cut back. For example, I always find that many summer bedding plants are looking their best in mid-October. Still, we have to lift them to replace them with bedding such as Pansies, Violas, Polyanthus, Sweet Williams, etc.

Now too, is the time to be thinking of Spring flowering Bulbs. There are so many to choose from, many varieties, many colour variations, and many with differing heights and flowering times.

If planned and planted correctly, you can have various bulbs flowering from late January well into June. These range through Snowdrops, Aconites and Crocuses in January/February, followed by dwarf Tulips, Daffodils, and Irises through February/into March (there are lots of others too). Then the Fritillarias come into play as well as Daffodils, Narcissi, early Tulips and Hyacinths.  Taking us into April through to May with a wide selection of fantastic Tulips lasting into June joining up with Alliums and Camissias, then finishing off with some Lilies taking into summer again. 

October is also the perfect time to plan any thinning and moving of plants and small shrubs. The best time to do the work is from November through to January. This is because most plants and shrubs will be dormant and will not suffer from the move. However, some plants and shrubs get too big and can choke and kill other plants. Check your borders and see if any plants are suffering from the bigger boys and plan to sort it out, as above.

As I look out into the garden just now, the range of colours is vast. The berries on the Honeysuckle are a brilliant scarlet red. The Arum Italicum rods are full of orange berries. One variety of the Pineapple Lilies (Eucomis) are pure white, whilst another variety are standing 2 ft tall with lots of beautiful light green seed pods. The berries on the Cotoneaster Cornubias are turning red and beginning to cover trees. There is also a robust yellow variety. Colchicum (autumn crocuses) are thriving form, and there is an excellent show of pink Nerines. We also have a small group of blue crocuses, which are the original saffron crocus Sativus, a wonderful colour at this time of year.

As I mentioned earlier, the summer bedding plants are just fantastic just now. The colours are amazing. Also, the wide range of Gladioli which we planted in May are now amazing. We will keep these going until the first frost, then alas, they have gone, and Summer is past.

Ah well, such is gardening; it’s like the Forth Rail Bridge; work goes on all year round.

Roll on, Spring!

Ewen

Now that April has arrived it’s time to start weeding and getting the beds ready for the summer.

By removing weeds thoroughly now, you will benefit greatly later on, as you will have fewer weeds to deal with during the summer months.

Those of you, who have visited our garden at Craigrothie, will have noticed that I like to have the beds fairly full. This type of planting reduces the number of weeds and means that less time is required to maintain the beds during the summer months and you get more time to enjoy the array of colour and interest.

Unfortunately, plants etc. can die off after the hard frosts and need replacing, so again, this is the time to check everything out. You should give consideration as to whether that plant was suited to your garden.  We should now be looking ahead to the latter part of the growing season and what will give colour and interest during September/October, so now is the time to do so. Gladioli and Dahlias are available now and can be planted safely from mid-April. You can safely deadhead any Hydrangeas and look at pruning any shrubs such as Cornus, taking out the old wood and also pruning Forsythias when they have finished flowering.

If you want your lawn to look good and you haven’t already applied Lawn fertiliser, now is the time to do so and start cutting regularly, which is better for the lawn.

Deadhead Daffodils and Tulips as they pass and lift and divide any snowdrops now and relocate.

Now is also the time to feed your roses and also spread fish blood and or bone meal around your plants and shrubs. You can buy bags of manure that can be spread and ‘worked in’ which should give good results.

Regarding summer bedding plants, do not be tempted to buy them just now, it’s too early. Summer bedding plants should not be planted out until at least the beginning of June as they are very susceptible to late frosts.

If you have heathers that have flowered over the winter months, now is a good time to give a light trim to remove the dead flower heads.

There is still time to give any ponds or water features a cleanout before fogs start to spawn.

Obviously, if you haven’t got the time nor inclination to do any of the above, then remember Tidy Gardens, ‘all your garden needs'.

Spring is upon us, at last, the cold wet weather has held some things back and now in March we will still be able to enjoy the Snowdrops ( Galanthus) and Winter aconites (Eranthis).

When the flowers of both these plants begin to pass is the best time to lift and divide (in the green) if you want to spread the bulbs around the garden and improve the display. You can also order these in ‘the green’ over the next few months.

Other bulbs that have been planted over the past few months are bursting through and we can soon enjoy some colourful cheer in the garden during March and April.

If you want your Lawn to look good all summer, then now is the time to start working on your lawn, (the largest plant in most gardens).

We normally start off with Coring the lawn, (taking ‘pinkie’ sized cores out of the lawn) this helps to aerate, relieve compaction and also helps with drainage. Some people brush sharp sand in, but I prefer to just let the holes grow back in, both have the same effect.

Once the coring is done, apply lawn sand or iron to help kill off the moss, after a few days you will see the lawn greening up a bit and the moss turning black. Leave for a couple of weeks, then scarify/rake out the moss and any thatch, this will let light and air to roots and encourage stronger growth.

Once this work has been done it’s time to apply a good lawn fertiliser and this should be done regularly throughout the growing season, roughly 6-8 weeks apart, up until an Autumn feed in October.

Regular cutting will also help improve the look and health of your lawn. Weekly is best, fortnightly at a push and remove all clippings.

The type of mower you use will determine the quality of the Lawn. I use a rotary mower with a roller, this helps to get a closer cut than a 4 wheel rotary (and you get the stripes) for a better finish, you need a Cylinder mower, but that means cutting at least twice a week.

Finally, if you want that crisp look, you must have neat edges, which means clipping them every time you cut the grass.

Once you have done all this, you will a lawn to be proud of.

Obviously, if you want it done properly and to give you the time to enjoy it, then call Tidy Gardens, all your garden needs.

Thank you for reading