The build up to any holiday always involves an urgency to do the jobs that have been on my list for a month or more...
The garden is very dry at the moment because of the lack of substantial rain over the past couple of months. To add to this I’ve just left for a week’s holiday. The obvious one this time was watering.
I had ordered 2 watering systems – one for the cut flower beds and one for the patio pots and greenhouse. It took a while to work out what were the best systems but I’ve gone for a 100m drip line irrigation system for the beds and a 20 pot drip irrigation system for around the house and greenhouse.
The important area was the beds and having only just had water provided to the field, they were very dry. The seeds and seedlings desperately needed the boost that water provides in their germination and growth.
Putting the system in required my husband’s logic and patience. I have to say that I did very little to help. The system involved a feeder pipe between beds and then laying the drip pipes in rows on the borders. The feeder pipe also needed to be dug into the ground to avoid being trimmed or mowed. Definitely a man’s job!
The pots and greenhouse, closer to the house were left until the day before the holiday. With some careful rearranging and a resignation that the system wasn’t going to be a permanent fixture (my pots are dotted all around the patio and sides of the house), I got going. I was fortunate that my Dad was at a loose end and he helped me start. Once I’d established the basics, I found it quite rewarding, finishing with a huge sense of satisfaction. Now all I have to do is hope that the timers work and that I have left the taps on!
Another catalyst for making me work hard in the garden is having people over. We are holding a 21st party for our eldest in September and I want the garden to look as good as possible. With this in mind, I spend a day cutting back spent flowers to encourage regrowth. This works very well for common garden plants such as: alchemilla mollis, catmint, roses and geraniums.
Midsummer is traditionally the time to cut any box balls and hedging. It is better not to do this in extreme heat as the leaves will scorch and similarly it is best not to do it in rain or with rain expected.
The bird nesting season is over so we started cutting the big hedges this week. My 17 year old was willing to make a start for a bit of money!
Finally, weeds – try to keep on top of the weeding to prevent them setting seed. I’m sure that my weed problems are a result of my past negligence…
JOBS FOR THIS MONTH
- Watering. Always water in the early morning or evening and direct the water towards the roots.
- Hedges can be cut now and will not need cutting again this year.
- Cut back herbaceous flowers that are looking spent to encourage late summer growth.
- Deadhead roses.
- Pick, pick, pick sweet peas and snip the tendrils to encourage longer stems.
- Snip the lead stems of leggy seedlings above a node to encourage stronger growth.
- Tomatoes. Once the fruits have formed you can start giving them a weekly feed of Tomorite or something equally high in potash. Also regularly check for the excess growth between the stem and leaf and remove it.
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