Stay on top of chores to enjoy your garden

Mike Burks is the managing director of The Gardens Group, with garden centres in Sherborne, Yeovil and Poundbury. Mike is a former chairman of the Garden Centre Association and is a passionate advocate of eco-friendly gardening practices.

At the height of the summer one could be forgiven for thinking that all the work in the garden is done and that a spot of relaxation should be an entitlement! However, while there should be time for a snooze every now and then there are also chores to be done to keep plants in good shape.

Baskets and tubs need to be watered every day. On a rainy day in the garden centre, it can often amuse customers seeing the plant team in waterproofs still watering the plant displays. This is because so much of the rain will be blocked from getting to the soil in pots by the foliage of the plant. The use of water retentive gel in the compost can help but its effects are marginal and are no substitute for daily watering.

It’s also worth looking at how water is applied. Gaily wafting the fine spray from the end of a hosepipe is probably the least efficient method whereas seep hoses and the use of micro irrigation systems which apply water very precisely will be much more effective. Watering is best carried out early in the morning before it gets too warm.

Covering the soil with a Bloomin’ Amazing or Composted Bark mulch will keep moisture in and will protect the soil from being damaged by the monsoon like rain we seem to get these days. As the mulch breaks down, the soil will be improved, making it more able to hold onto moisture and become more fertile too.

Regular feeding especially of tubs and baskets will keep the garden looking good. It’s worth thinking about what the food is for. For example, if more flowers are required, as they would be in a hanging basket, then a high potash fertilizer such as Big Tom would be good. In leafy crops such as the vegetable garden a feed higher in Nitrogen such as Boost might be more appropriate. Deadheading too should be carried out on flowering displays. On many plants should a flower be allowed to go to seed the plant will think its job is done. However, with the removal of the old flowers the plant is kidded into thinking that it needs to produce more flowers and so the display will be prolonged. And, once all of this is done there should still be time to step back and admire the display.

Mike Burks thegardensgroup.co.uk

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