Issue 11 - July 2002
ALWAYS SUMMER THING TO DO!
AUGUST is a magical month - many plants flower with a new found vibrancy and even a newly created garden displays maturity at this time of year.
Ornamental grasses are at their best, double Begonias begin to glow as the evenings dampen and shadows stretch a little longer.
Nevertheless it is still mid-summer and many of your cottage garden plants, containers and baskets are awash with colour and there is also a sense of a second Spring as Michaelmas Daisies and Autumn Sedums prepare themselves for their early ‘Fall’ show.
Later in the month is a time to think even further about Christmas, as prepared Hyacinth bulbs can be planted in pots of bulb fibre compost and kept as cool as possible - in the fridge if you have room!
There is so much to enjoy in the garden this month and when you are sitting outside on a warm evening, maybe after a barbecue - it really does feel like the Summer is never going to end.
Make the most of it!
(Paul Tovey)
SHAPE UP FOR NEXT YEAR!
ERICACEOUS (acid loving) plants, such as Rhododendrons, need dead heading, feeding and even pruning.
Don’t be afraid to prune Rhododendrons and Azaleas that have become unshapely.
If yellowing of the leaves occurs, the plants may be short of iron and can be watered with Sequestrine.
Winter and Spring flowering Heathers can be sheared over lightly and given a liquid Ericaceous feed.
All of the above advice should result in at least a three fold display in the late Spring of next year.
NOT ENOUGH MONTHS FOR THE PLANTS
JULY’S choice for plant of the month was particularly difficult with so many wonderful blooms around at this time of year. So, I have chosen my top five favourites....
1. Lavender - for its soft blue flowers and irresistable scent.
2. Hollyhock - for its spikes of double flowers.
3. Eringeum (Sea Holly) - spiky silvery blue bracts.
4. Honeysuckle - for its heady dizzy scent.
5. Fuchsia - a timeless favourite with its heart melting bells.
THE AMBER NECTAR
COURGETTES produce both male and female flowers. The latter have fruit below the amber coloured blooms. Don’t rely on the bees - pick off a male bloom and tickle the female stamens to help the fruit set. Enjoy!
HOT SUNNY DAYS JULY ELECTED
THIS MONTH will begin with cool and windy conditions - bringing showers and some sun.
From the second week, expect it to remain changeable but often with warm humid spells.
The final week looks set to be more like Summer with some hot sunny days.
Tovey's Tips:
CONIFER-IDE IN ME
NOW is the time to trim conifer hedges. These will then produce enough growth before Autumn to soften their overall effect for the Winter and Spring. Get the watering can out!
FRUITY BIRDS ARE NOT HARD TO COME BY
IT IS NOT just us who feel like eating fruit in July. Menacing Blackbirds and Starlings will feast on your blackcurrants, gooseberries and raspberries unless you cover with fine netting. Take the trouble to get your ladder out and wrap cherry trees in netting too.
A TIME FOR FUN AND FENNEL
SOFT Fennel with large leaved Hostas will add drama to your borders.
See you next month!
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