What do we know about 2019 so far?

That we just don’t know what the weather is going to do! From record breaking high temperatures in February to a deluge of rain in June, who knows what the rest of the year has in store. What does that mean for us gardeners? When you have the chance to be in the garden in July – take it!

Maintenance

Keep on top of maintenance – support climbers and tall plants just in case the wind and rain try their best to wreak havoc. Deadhead – deadhead – deadhead… don’t forget your hanging baskets, a bit of cutting back and attention will help to stimulate more growth and bloom. And adjust your watering regime to suit the needs of your planting and the weather.

Planning

Take some photos of your garden – you can really analyse the overall look, identify areas you want to change or spot gaps in your planting. The pictures will help you to plan for future planting or restructuring.

July bounty

If you want courgettes, not marrows, July is the time to harvest. Apricots, nectarines and peaches should also be ready to pick. Salad potatoes and some potato varieties that are marketed as ‘early’ should be ready to eat, once they’ve flowered. Keep picking (and eating!) your peas and beans to encourage more flowering and seeding.

Projects: colour

We are often asked about injecting colour into a garden, and there are many ways you can add colour – aside from the flowers you plant, of course! It all depends on the space you have, and your budget, so here’s some ideas for you.

• Use a coloured wood stain on fences, sheds, furniture, or flower boxes. Not necessarily all of them, maybe just the back ‘wall’ of fencing, which can elongate your garden, or the table and chairs on the patio. There’s a stunning range of colours available, save to use and preserve the wood as well as adding colour.
• If a garage wall borders your garden, consider planting climbers like Roses to break up the expanse of brick.
• Weave some flowers into vegetable patches, like marigolds, petunias and cosmos. Veg patches are often quite uniform green, so adding flowers can brighten up the area no end – and as an added will attract pollinators to your growing veg!
• Paint or buy pots in different colours, or decorate with mosaic tiles to add colour and attract the eye.
• Change the patio slabs or adding a decorative edge, path or stepping stones in a contrasting colour or material.
• Add some coloured fairy solar lights to the lowest branches of trees, run along the top of fences or around water features.
• Don’t just think about flowers to add colour, consider vibrant foliage like Mountain Grass, Photinia, Caladiums and Coleus – there are plenty of options available.

Have some fun with colour in the garden, and come in and talk to us – we have loads of ideas to share!

Spotlight on… grasses and hydrangeas

There is a huge variety of ornamental grasses available, bringing wonderful colours and textures to your borders. Grasses have come on a long way since the once ubiquitous pampas grass, which having waned in popularity for a good while is making a comeback in gardens. The bonus is that they’re generally pretty easy to grow and maintain! Shorter and less imposing grasses are perfect for edging pathways, in pots, around taller shrubs and bushes to cover the ground and fill gaps.

Combining grasses with hydrangeas is a popular theme at the moment – and there are some amazing varieties of hydrangeas to choose from. Hydrangea ‘Vanilla Fraise’ (heads blending from white to pink), Hydrangea aspera ‘Hot Chocolate’ (pink and blue flowers with chocolate foliage), Hydrangea ‘Double Dutch Edam’ (double flowered densely packed blooms) and Hydrangea Serrata ‘Bluebird’ (dark blue centres with paler blue florets) to name just a few. We’ve got some lovely varieties of ornamental grasses and hydrangeas in stock – come in and we can help you identify some beautiful pairings. And just as you’d have your pets cared for, don’t forget to recruit a garden sitter if you’re off on holiday! Whether it be a neighbour, friend or relative, get them round so you can walk them around and explain what’s required of them whilst you’re away.

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