Weekly Garden Checklist ...

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

1. Dead Heading - I know I may sound like a broken record but don't forget to keep up with the dead heading. Not just the with the Bedding plants either, Perennials such as Astrantia's and Phygelius as you can see below need it to. It will also encourage more flowering.

2. Roses -Keep an eye on Roses for signs of any Pests & Diseases, remove any affected leaves with Blackspot and if needed, spray the Roses with Rose Clear every 6 weeks. When spraying make sure you do it either early in the morning or late at night to limit the chances of it affecting any Bee's.

 Also don't forget to pick up any fallen leaves as that can help spread disease.

3. Lavender - Another plant to dead head is Lavender, as you can see here my French Lavender has finished flowering so it needs cutting back. When doing so make sure you cut back into growth where fresh growth is still visable, if you cut back into the woody growth there's no guarantee that it will grow back again.

4. Damp Down - If you are finding that your Greenhouse is reaching high temperatures during the day, damp it down by spraying the floor with a hose pipe. This will increase the humidity and help prevent pests such as red spider mite which thrive in those conditions.

5. Stake - Stake and help provide supports for plants such as Dahlia's and Lilies that can get a battering in the wind & rain, what looks good one minute can look like a bomb has hit it within a few minutes!

Finally I thought I'd leave you with a photograph that proves that a Reindeer isn't just for Christmas ...

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!
Apologies for being MIA the past few weeks, I didn't mean to abandon the blog! I had an increase in work hours which left me with barely any time to go outside and then I ended up with Migraines and Headaches, so all in all it has't been great over the past few weeks lol Anyhoo I am here now and here are a few bits that I will be getting on with in my garden this week that you can do too.

1.Sempervivum - If like me you have a couple of pots of these lovely plants you will have noticed that in recent weeks they have started producing offsets. To give yourself more plants and to stop the pots becoming too congested, simply tease each of these away from the main plant and pot on into individual pots of gritty compost. You will notice that each of these already has it's own root system making them a good plant to start with when learning how to propagate.

2. Tomatoes - I'm not sure about you, but my Tomato's have been rather slow to ripen this year, with the weather blowing hot and cold it seems to have held them back! However some of them are slowly starting to ripen on my 'Sungold' variety. Make sure you pick them as soon as they are ready to avoid the fruits splitting and don't forget to give them a weekly feed. 

Hopefully my other two varieties will start ripening soon!

3. Pond Weed- Even in a Half Barrel like mine, Pond Weed can soon appear! Make sure you keep on top of it by removing it as soon as you spot it. However don't forget to let it rest at the side for 24 hours to allow any little critters caught up in it to get back into the pond. 

4. Eyesore - If like me you have a part of the Garden that you enjoy looking at less than the rest, why not try make a feature of it? 

For example we lowered the top off the Raised Bed and placed the off-cut behind the Bins until we'd decided what to do with it. Weeks later it's still sat there (due to my indecisiveness, lack of space and the fact our home is a Rental so we can't really do much) and with Bins being an eyesore anyway I really didn't like looking over at the space.
 I placed some little pots of Alpines along the top of the ledge using it as a shelf to cheer it up a little bit! It's only a little change but it makes a big difference!

5. Weeds - Keep an eye out for Weeds popping up where you might not expect it. At first glance you might not see them but as the picture below shows they can grow right in the middle of your plants undetected, for example this one blended right in between my Cotoneaster and Astrantia!

6. Carrots - Finally you may remember a few weeks ago I sowed some Carrot Seeds in the Raised Bed. Well if you also did that at the same time then they should be about ready! I harvested my first Carrots yesterday morning.

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 again for my Weekly Garden Checklist, let's get started!

1.Poppies- Once Poppies have finished flowering, if you don't like how they look and would rather not have the seed spread around the garden, then you can cut them back to the ground. This will encourage fresh foliage so that you will still have ground cover. However I like to keep the seed heads intact as it's adds some interest to my garden.

2. Delphiniums - Along with Poppies you can also dead head Delphiniums and Foxgloves once they have finished flowering. For example with the white Delphinium below the middle spike will finish fist, so I will cut that out to allow the plant to focus it's energy on the two smaller spikes either side. Once these are over I will cut the who plant back down to the ground, this will encourage another flush of flowers later in the year.

3. Acid Loving Plants- Plants such as Rhodoendrons, Azaleas and Camelia's would benefit from a feed and a good soak right now, specially with all this warm weather we've been having. All I do is mix some Liquid Feed specially for these plants in a watering can with Rainwater, then give the plants a water. 

4. Apples- If you have Apple Trees, Pears or Plums and they are starting to set fruit then it's a good idea to decrease the number of fruit in each crop to two or three to increase the size and quality of the fruit. Unfortunately my Apple Trees did not flower & fruit this year but this can happen if they are only young plants. 

5. Baskets & Pots - Lastly don't forget to keep up with the Weekly feeds for Hanging Baskets and Pots. A solution of Liquid Seaweed or Tomato Feed encourages more blooms and tops up the soil with nutrients which can be lost when watering.

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 again for my Weekly Garden Checklist, let's get started!

1.Harvest- If like me you are growing Cucumber plants you will have noticed that they have started producing cucumbers. I was able to harvest my first one yesterday morning and I'd advise you also start doing the same before they get too big so that the plant can focus it's energy on the rest.

2. Salads - Keep up with sowing your seeds for Salads. It's a good idea to sow them every 2 - 3 weeks to make sure that you have a steady supply. I like to start my Lettuce's off in trays in the Greenhouse before planting out into my Raised Bed however Radishes are sown straight where they are grow.

3. Roses - Keep up with the deadheading, the blooms can fade quickly and just like I mentioned earlier the plant can focus all it's energy on the up coming blooms once they've been snipped off. Plus it also looks much nicer!

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 again for my Weekly Garden Checklist, I know it's been more than a week, apologies!
Okay, let's get started!

1.Feeding - Plants such as Strawberries & Roses would benefit from a liquid feed right now with something like Tomorite or Liquid Seaweed. Not only will it give the Strawberries a boost but also the Roses will appreciate it once they have started flowering.

Another plant you can start feeding now are Tomatoes, make sure you wait until they have started setting fruit and give them a weekly feed. Summer Hanging Baskets & Pots can also be fed weekly now too.

2. Deadhead - Cut down the faded flower stems on Euphorbia's that flower in the Spring. 

Do this with care as the milky sap can be an irritant on skin.

3. Pinching Out - Keep pinching out the growing tips from plants such as Dahlia's and Fuchsia's to promote bushier growth. Don't let the tips go to waste though as you can use them for Cuttings. With Fuchsia cuttings cut the stem to beneath a leaf node and remove the lower leaves. Place down the side of a pot holding watered compost and within a few weeks you should see some new growth which will prove that it's rooted.

4. Plug Plants -Plants that arrived as Plugs a few months ago are putting on good growth and so should yours. Hopefully you have done the same as me and planted them in 9cm Pots upon arrival, gradually working up a pot size as they grow. They should now be ready to be planted into their final pots, here you can see that I have done this with one of my Dianthus Plugs. 

Also just like I have mentioned in no.3 you could also take some Cuttings from the non - flowering shoots to give yourself even more plants! 

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 again for my Weekly Garden Checklist,
Okay, let's get started!

1.Plant Out Bedding - Fingers crossed all the risk of frost has passed and you have been hardening off your bedding plants in preparation to be planted out! Well now you can do so along with any other new additions. As you can see here I have planted out some Salvia's which were cuttings that I took last year, I have added the Copper Ring just to give them a little helping hand.

2. Lift Bulbs - If like me you need the space where Spring Bulbs have been you can lift them. Make sure you remove the soil from the roots and leave them somewhere dry where the foliage can continue to die back. Once it has give them a final clean and you should be able to store them in a paper bag until planting out once again. 

3. Trim Topiary - If you have some Box plants in your garden they will be needing a haircut. You might not think it at first seeing as the growth can creep up but as you can see from the following pictures it makes a difference! 

4. Deadhead - Over in the Greenhouse my Pelargoniums are producing some lovely blooms, however you do need to check daily for faded flowers and remove them. This will help the plant focus all it's energy on new blooms. Once these plants flower you can also start giving them a weekly liquid feed.

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

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX