Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
It's been a little while since I've been able to post but here's a few things that you can be getting on with this weekend in the garden ...

1. Tomatoes  - If you are growing Cordon Varieties of Tomatoes this year then right about now they will be needing a little help. Cordon varieties need to have something to climb up which is where Bamboo canes usually come into use! Simply place them into your Tomatoes final growing pot (making sure not to damage the roots) then tie the plant to the cane using string. It is also recommended that you tie a cane across the top of the canes to provide support for the canes which will be needed once the plants get growing!  

TIP - Make sure you remove any side shoots produced by the plant as soon as they are visible and don't worry if your plants develop curly tops, this is a perfectly normal things for a healthy plant to do!

2. Climbers - On the subject of support, climbing plants will be putting on a lot of fresh growth right now (e.g. Sweet Peas & Clematis) and the young shoots will need tying in. This is also one of the easiest times to do this as the new growth will be fairly flexible.

3. Faded Foliage - Foliage might be looking a little tired on plants such as Pulmonaria and Hellebores, cut back any of the foliage affected which will promote new growth and reduce the risk of disease.

4. Stronger Growth - Encourage stronger bushier growth on bedding plants by pinching out the growing tips. This will delay flowering for a couple of weeks but will prolong the flowering period for the year and the plant will be much bushier!

5. Biennials - In the Greenhouse now is the time to start sowing Biennials, these are plants which will develop vegetative growth in the current year then flower the next. 

These include plants such as Foxgloves & Wallflowers.

6. Hedging - Finally if you are planning on trimming or pruning any hedges this weekend make sure that you check them for any nesting birds first to ensure that you don't disturb them.

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget you can find all the previous Checklists on the page tab above.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!
It's time for my Weekly Garden Checklist ...

1.Seeds - There's still just a bit of time to get those Hardy Annuals and Biennials sown for next year. Here you can see I've sown some of the 'Apricot' Foxglove seeds along with some Black Pansies for Spring Bedding. There's also still time to sow some veggies!

2. Winter Bedding - Along with seed sowing now is the time to start thinking of Winter Bedding! I know we're only in July but if your buying online it's a good idea to get it sorted early before all the best ones are sold out! Here you can see I've decided to get some White Primroses and some vibrant 'Amber Kiss' Viola's as a contrast and last but not least some 'Thalia' Narcissus bulbs.

3. Hedges - Now is a good time to keep hedges looking presentable and to give them a light trim to tidy them up.

4. Quick Plants - If you go to a Garden Centre and decide to treat yourself why not try this quick and easy way of giving yourself even more! If the plant is well established in a decent size pot, tease the plant apart into sections and pot on into individual pots. In an instant you've doubled what you bought! You can see that I have done this with the 'Trifolium' I bought recently.

I also couldn't resist buying myself this Oxalis at the same time ....

... or this Hosta.

5. Dead Heading- Keep up with deadheading, not only does it help promote more flowers but it keeps the plant looking tidy and reduces the risk of grey mould.

You can also remove the old leaves from Water Lilies that are past their best.

5. Cuttings- Continue taking cuttings of the plants you would like spares of incase anything happens over winter, or if you simply want more! Plants such as Pelargoniums, Dianthus, Surfinia's and Penstemons are good to take now along with soft wood cuttings from shrubs. 

Don't forget to check any cuttings taken a few week's ago for signs of root growth and if needed, potting them on. 

As you can see below I managed to create extra plants from my Sempervivums and Echeveria's as I suggested last week.

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget you can find all the previous Checklists on the page tab above.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

It's Monday so it is time for another Weekly Garden Checklist. 

Incase this is the first time you have seen this particular themed post, it's a quick list of jobs you can be doing in the garden this week.

Let's get started!

1. Collect Leaves - Leaf mould is great for adding to composts and mulching, to make your own simply collect any fallen leaves and store in a bin bag (with holes created with a pencil / pen). You can keep it somewhere such as down the side of a shed and within a year or two you will have your own fantastic leaf mould, for free!

2. Begonia Tubers  -Along with storing Dahlia tubers it is also time to store Begonia tubers. They can be pretty much treated the same way or you can pot them up into small pots once cutting the foliage back.

3. Over - Wintering - Make sure that you have moved all the plants you want to over winter under protection within the next few days. With November only just around the corner lower temps & frosts are on their way!

4. Plant Fruit Trees & Hedging - Autumn is a great time to plant these as it will help them become established quickly.

5. Soil - Now is also a good time to give your soil a boost by digging in some well rotted manure or by adding a mulch of compost as you saw I did last week.

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Weekly Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

It's Monday so it is time for another Weekly Garden Checklist. 

Incase this is the first time you have seen this particular themed post, it's a quick list of jobs you can be doing in the garden this week.

Let's get started!

1. Trim Conifer & Evergreen Hedges - Now is a good time to trim your hedges, especially conifers.

You can also trim the top of the hedges to neaten them up.

2. Order Bulbs - Now is a good time to buy and plant your Autumn bulbs. Now is also a great time to get orders in for Spring bulbs such as Tulips as most companies are releasing their new range and it's always good to place an order before they sell out! For next year I am getting some 'Black Parrot' Tulips.

3. Take Cuttings - If you haven't done so already now is a good time to take cuttings from Perennials and bedding plants ready for next year. Not only does this give you more plants but cuttings are a lot easier to over-winter than large plants if you only have a small GH.

4. Replace Bedding - Bedding that is looking tired, such as in Hanging Baskets, can do with a new look. For example a handful of my Baskets were looking rather tired and bedraggled so I simply replaced them with some Fuschia's I had in pots for an instant freshen up! 

Bedding is also rather cheap in GC's at this time of year so you don't need to worry about spending a fortune if you haven't got anything by hand.

You could also replace tired bedding in borders with your Winter Bedding (e.g. Wallflowers) which if you've sown yourself should be ready to be planted out. I however don't have the space just yet! lol

5. Help Tomatoes - Help Tomatoes ripen by taking off the lower leaf stems on the plant and any that don't look too healthy, this will allow more light to the fruits.

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX

Something A Little Different ...

Good Morning!

I decided to make something a little different on Sunday with some hedging plants I'd had since last Autumn. First off it was time to seperate the smaller pieces into their own pots.

I had two larger pieces that I wanted to do something a little different with and here is the result! 

Over in the GH there was yet more pricking out to do and this time it was the turn of my Comsos seedlings and Sunflower Vanilla Ice seedlings.

The Cucumber - Gherkin I sowed a couple of weeks ago has also made an appearance over the past few days along with some other seeds I'd sown.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX