Garden
Green Fingers At Caves Folly Nursery in Colwall, Bridget’s busy with a strategy to keep weeds and pests at bay.
www.cavesfolly.com 01684 540631 Well spring is officially here and after all that soggy grey weather its wonderful to see everything bursting into life. Fortunately we have not suffered too badly from the constant rain on the nursery. Our polytunnels kept plants dry and are now, with the recent warm spell, encouraging fast and lush growth. Our early Alpines and bulbs have been beautiful and all the young vegetable plants are growing well. With orders flying out and the season kicking off to an early start it is difficult to find time to check plants regularly. It is important after such a mild winter to keep Aphids in check, especially in the greenhouse and polytunnels. Use a pyrethrum or soap based spray and avoid spraying in direct sunlight, the evening is best as the spray can dry off before the bees become active again in the morning. We also have a very useful wren who spends the night in the greenhouse and breakfasts on aphids. When replanting containers take out the old soil and look out for vine weevil grubs; they are white with a brown head. Use fresh soil if they are present. If you have an infestation in permanent planters, treat with nematodes as soon as possible. Weeds are also starting to grow fast, so tackle them quickly and dig out any perennial weeds so that you can keep borders hoed regularly. I am always being asked about low-maintenance weed control, so here are a few tips. - Spun Materials (usually plastic fibres bonded together) are lightweight and porous, allowing
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water to penetrate easily.They are easy to cut and do not fray along the edges. These materials can be used for planting vegetables or shrub borders. Cover the material with bark chip or gravel if you are using it as a permanent border. - Mulch mats can be used around individual trees or shrubs and are often made from biodegradeable materials such as wool or flax. - Biodegradeable sheeting (usually corn starch or paper) such as Planters Paper Mulch are excellent for season-long weed control in vegetable beds. Some are enriched with nutrients and at the end of the season they can be dug into the soil! - Fill in spaces in the borders by sowing drifts of Annuals such as Cornflowers and Cosmos. These will be better to look at than Dandelions and a reasonably cheap option. Now is the time to sow all those veg plants outside. Remember not to put too many in the drill, what you save can grow you another crop. Tidy up Strawberry plants and use a mulch around the base to keep the fruits off the ground. White plastic is good as it reflects the light upwards and they ripen quicker. However, straw is much nicer to look at! Lastly, we have an exciting new addition to the nursery this year, an ‘Artist in Residence’. MarieTherese King is working from her new art studio at the nursery and is having an open day on April 25th & 26th (10am - 5pm), so why not come along and be inspired! There will be workshops, etched glass and batik prints on sale.
Bridget