August. Don't worry - Bee Happy !

Am I becoming the 'Mr Bean' of the allotments?

In the past few weeks I have had more pleasure out of my Bee 'meadow' ( a slight exaggeration of size) than, well, just about most other things.

Sad, but true. And all I did was buy a £3.95 pack of 'Bee-friendly wildflower mix' from my local 'Homehardware' store and three months later I am purring with delight at the results. Not only do I have a spectacularly colourful patch in my allotment but I have all the pleasure of watching nature do her bit in style. I might just also be responsible for saving the entire global food chain too of course. 

Blues, reds, yellows, different shades and textures - all because I knew I didn't have time to dig over that corner of my allotment this year and wanted an easy solution. There were a number of months from sowing in April where there was nothing showing so if you try it you need to be patient. Clearing the ground of aggressive weeds such as ground elder, bindweed and horsetail will help a great deal. Don't add fertiliser or compost as wildflowers flourish of 'poor' soil.

So when not gazing smugly on my 'meadow' there are plenty of other jobs to do...

Tasks for August include;

• Cut your conifers hedges now as you risk 'die-back' if you leave it later in the year. Conifers can be very unforgiving of bad haircuts so do not overdo it or you will permanently have a dark bald patch.
• Trim your lavender plants but again - be careful not to overdo it. Only take off 1" (2.5cm) of growth when you dead-head them as anything more can kill the plant - especially the more tender varieties such as French lavender.
• Ponds can become choked with oxygenating plants in warmer weather. Keep this in check by raking out excessive growth and look into organic ways of maintaining the right 'balance' of chemistry in your pond. Adding barley straw, more plants and better cleaning methods are all options.
• Iris will divide and take well now and are best broken into 4" (10cm) lengths.
• Our old friends the slugs and snails will still be doing their thing oblivious to the distress caused to the sensitive community of high minded gardeners. I was reminded that half-grapefruit skins placed cut side down work well as do small receptacles of beer buried at soil level. 

If the last item isn't humane pest control I don't know what is. 

What a way to go - but I would probably miss my bees.

July ; Holding your nerve - a gardener's Waterloo.

It's a tough, merciless world out there in the garden.

"Hold your nerve" came the deep voice from behind me. I thought I was in a battle of Waterloo scene from one of the many recent documentaries.

"Don't spray, don't interfere and don't fret". 

I couldn't argue with the seasoned gardener whose own veg patch was a testimony to years of virtuous gardening. "Let the ladybirds deal with the aphids and the frogs deal with the slugs..."

I also noticed rows of Calendula and Marigolds adorning beds where pesky pests might chomp their way through tasty produce to distract them from their dinner. Clever.

To my astonishment and delight I have begun seeing ladybirds in action all over the place though another friend tells me in disappointed tones that her frogs "don't like the slugs in her garden". Maybe they are the French ones. My friend is also going to build a pond to nurture different frog's spawn and some "insect houses" to provide shelter for overwintering insects. A sort of Holiday Inn for homeless bugs. 

But when not getting down to a bug's life there are other ways to spend your time in the garden this month;

• Trimming evergreen hedges (including conifers). Don't use hedge trimmers on broad leaf hedges such as Prunus Laurocerasus as you will end up cutting the leaves in half often leaving the remainder to die back in a rather ugly manner.
• To get the best out of your fruit trees and bushes try to water them regularly. If you can add mulch around the base ( straw or chippings or similar) and water outside sunshine hours the moisture will last a lot longer.
• Dead-head roses. This will encourage new blooms later in the season. Cut back to the next "node" or joint.
• Compost heaps benefit from being "turned". This increases the oxygen levels thereby encouraging bacterial activity. Some moisture helps too; I add a watering can or two in very dry weather.
• Use liquid fertilisers with a high potassium content on fruits and flowers to get the best out of them. Tomatoes, showy plants such as Dahlais and roses all respond surprisingly well to this.

And finally - if you have ever despaired of ladybirds taking a liking to your garden (and your aphids) you can always resort to using soapy water or old washing-up water. A squirt of washing -up liquid into your watering can is all you need. The soap and detergent clogs up the aphids "breathing" holes in their bodies so they suffocate. 

I told you it was a tough, merciless world out there. Better have un petit bier.

June; Smart plants and smart phones

There is a question I dread above all others...

"I have just been to the garden centre and spent a fortune! Look - what do you think?"

A split second of hesitation, deviation or repetition spells disaster. 

"Well, it's, it's, it's very...colourful". I can't win. "What do you mean? Are you saying you don't like it? What's wrong with it? I know you don't like it..it took me ages, I can't believe it!".

The wound has been inflicted and bang goes the glass of wine and next year's Christmas card.

The trouble is that all too often and in fits of enthusiasm merry gardeners speed off to smart garden centres. Buoyed up by fine weather and images of Monty Don fresh in their mind from last nights telly they proceed to spend the equivalent of the GDP of Norway on plants.

Further discussions with enthusiasts I have wounded ( who are probably still in therapy because I now remind them of their cruel Sunday school teacher ) will reveal that I am not against garden centres or enthusiasm. It's just that an understanding of a plant is vital to their success. So..... 

• find out where the plant actually comes from (not just B&Q). If it is from semi-shaded woodland (foxglove) or open chalk downland (Viburnum opulus) or the wet, acidic hills of China ( Camellia ) or the stony slopes of Crete ( Euphorbia c. wulfenii) you will have all the clues you need. Smart phones are brilliant for this.
• check the label as to how big the plant will grow, but more importantly how QUICKLY the plant will grow. My little Pieris has hardly done anything for years but the giant Bay is now a prime candidate for the chop.
• Think about your neighbors - not just the ones over the fence who may have their precious evening sunlight blocked out in a few years time by your monster shrub but also the plants in your garden surrounding your new purchase. Will they compliment, smother, clash or contrast them? It is not so different from cooking when choosing ingredients.

So - having rained on your parade for your plans for the w-end, please do go for it but it will never be "instant". It never is in gardening.

General gardening tasks for June;

• Prune spring flowering shrubs such as Deutzia, Philadelphus, Kolkwitzia and Weigelia. This will allow for plenty of new growth in the coming year.
• Trim Box, Yew and evergreens such as Viburnum tinus to get the shape you want. ( Yew is one of the few evergreens that can take a very hard prune).
• Now the frosts should be over you can cut back the more tender plants like Penstemon and Caryopteris.
• If the weeds are getting you down then buy a Dutch hoe (mine has a super-long handle) as you can get through a lot of work very quickly without bending down.
• It is still time to sow some annuals directly into the ground to fill out those gaps (Calendula). You can also crunch up and scatter seed heads that have ripened such as Aqualegia and any others you can spot.
• Mow your lawns but you risk doing more harm than good if you set the blades too low; it will suffer in dry spells
• Some plants, including trees may producing growth that no longer has that variegation that you paid so much for. Just prune out those sections out.

And of course the most important task in June is to pick your first home-grown or pick-your-own strawberries, sit back and taste the difference - because they really ARE different. 

As some of  God's little creatures who got there first will testify.

May: Licensed to Kill (weeds)

Most of us would like our gardens to be paradise.

If you are anything like me you would prefer to achieve it without getting a bad back or using chemical weed killers.

I applaud those who can boast of chemical-free gardens and veg patches. I applaud and marvel. It is what I aspire to in my watery-eyed Eden where weed-killers should be cast out to the darkness along with petrol strimmers, plastic bags and certain newspapers. I do not however always have the luxury of time.

So this month's blog will cover the basics of using the main products on the market. I would also like to look at ways of keeping unwanted plants at bay. Weeds are, after all just plants in the places we don't want them.

Some chemical-free methods of keeping weeds away are to;

• Concrete your garden...but even then dandelions have a habit of returning
• Use a fork and trowel - sort it out by hand the good old fashioned way
• Dense planting. This technique has been widely used on the continent in public spaces and was used extensively in days of old when a gardening team would pack out wide borders with herbaceous plants. The thinking behind this method is that if you cover the soil with enough foliage and densely-packed plants the weeds will not get light or be able to compete for space. This is fine until you get bindweed, ground elder or couch grass appearing! You are best starting with a beautifully weed-free zone. 
• Lay a weed-suppressing mat over the soil. This can be disguised with bark chippings of gravel after you have made slits to put in your chosen plants. Again - for best results you need to start with a weed-free area.
• Stop fighting nature and tell your neighbours you are creating a natural wildlife habitat. Which would be entirely true.

If you are going to use chemicals then do make sure you use the right ones in the right conditions or you will be wasting your time, your money and possibly large parts of your garden.The key thing to find out is the ACTIVE INGREDIENT (AI). This, by law has to be displayed on the packaging.

So here are the main options for;

• General grass-like weeds appearing in paths, walls and driveways but also for bindweed, couch grass and ground-elder. Any product with the AI of Glyphosate  will do the job - most commonly it is marketed as "Round-up". The effects are not instant as the plant takes the AI into it's system through it's green material or white roots; it can take up to 3 weeks to kill a weed and is only effective in the growing season.

Glyphosate is probably the safest and least damaging Active Ingredient available. It is only effective on green material and is commonly used in school grounds. Within 3 hours the plant will have "ingested" it and then it becomes inactive when exposed to the elements. I was told in college that you could sip a bit and you would be ok...not that anyone tried it and please don't! 

• Nettles, brambles, docks and other course-leaved "thugs". These will need a tougher concoction. The most common AI for treating these weeds is Triclophyr as found in the product "SBK". It sounds nasty and it smells nasty - which is precisely what Health & Safety want. 

Follow the instructions carefully as nettles, for instance need a different dosage to brambles. The good news is that it is highly effective. Other types are;

• Selective Weedkillers that are designed to take out weeds like dock, dandelions and clover in lawns. The AI's are usually MCPA or Mecoprop-P and these are found in products that both feed the lawn as well as selectively weed-killing it.
• Residual weedkillers leave a film of chemicals that disable emerging seedlings on your path or driveway - unless you use them a lot and disturb the surface with cars, bicycles or pedestrian use. The AI is usually Difluflenican.

General guidelines;

NEVER use in windy weather - the spray will "drift"

NEVER use when children or pets are nearby that day - leave a space of half a day

NEVER use in very hot weather - the spray will evaporate and again, drift elsewhere

ALWAYS dispose of any waste sensibly - onto waste area/drive but not down your drain!

ALWAYS wash out your equipment

ALWAYS wash your hands and face after use

Well, that is an awful lot of technical stuff but given what CAN go wrong it really is worth taking the time to get it right. So on that note I would like to lighten the mood by leaving you with a picture of two "green" role models of our time; Derek & Eric  - the garden Gnomes and await their words of wisdom on the matter.

April; what to look for in Spring

No - this book isn't my technical handbook. For those who appreciate it - a piece of terrific nostalgia!

So - what do we look for in the garden?

• A chance to mow the lawn on a dry day - but look out for mowing to hard (aim for approx 45-50mm for the first cut).
• Pulling out the strimmer and trying to make it work! - but look out for going too close to trees and shrubs or you will damage the bark ( it is just behind there that the sap goes up the plant to make the branches and leaves grow).
• Applying lawn weedkiller and fertiliser - but be careful on quantities or you will have no lawn left ( as a former client will testify!)
• Sowing grass seed in slightly warmer weather-  usually the second half of April
• Getting into a routine for watering new trees and shrubs that will see you through the growing season - but look out for over-watering (2 or 3 times a week for 20 minutes is plenty especially on heavy soil).
• Tree ties that are beginning to squeeze the stems  - don't tie them too tight because some movement in the stem is actually good for a tree ( it is the root that needs to be stable).
• Weeds that are beginning to make an appearance, especially in tarmac or brickwork - but don't use a spray in windy or very hot weather ( the weedkiller will "drift" and take out your beloved plants or lawn too!).
• A good spot to sprinkle your annuals onto bare soil - but watch out for the neighbours cat ( a few pieces of well-placed prickly Berberis usually do the trick!).
• Hard pruning evergreen shrubs such as Photinia, Griselinia, Prunus lusitanica and cut back to a chosen node to renovate Fatsia, Hebe, Cistus, Mahonia - but don't do it if a frost is due.
• Getting the best out of your Cotinus by pruning it back one fifth to encourage large colourful leaves

What else to look out for in Spring? Where does one begin? Birdsong, colour, fresh shoots, insect life, the cricket season, a nice spot to read the paper......take your pick.

Oh - and watch that back as well will you?!

March; must get out there !

Maybe I am simple but I am always taken aback when Spring arrives - again! It always seems a thing of pure amazement to see life and colour pushing out defiantly against all the odds.

It is also a time of rushing to get the Winter jobs finished and a time when folk go down with heavy colds (hence the late blog - apologies!).

March is when the season for planting bare-root trees and shrubs is drawing to a close. The plants are slowly becoming less dormant and less immune to being hauled and shaken about.

Dogwoods and willows may have given you a great show ( ever seen these on a bright, sunny day? - unmissable). To get the best out of them next year you will need to cut them down close to their "stumps" to get another display next Winter.

It is also the ideal time to get bare-root roses in the ground and to plant summer flowering bulbs.

There may also be herbaceous borders and grasses to tidy up; bear in mind that the slugs will start appearing soon and weeds will begin to make claims your time. If you are thinking of re-organizing your summer-flowering herbaceous plants then now is perfect for dividing them and thinking through an improved design.

Try not to re-plant them in too organised a fashion; as a rule I try to imitate nature as far as I can - never planting in even numbers and trying to plant in "drifts".

To summarise;

• Do the last of the bare-root planting
• Divide choked summer flowering perennials such as Hosta, Astrantia and Hemerocallis
• Sweet peas can be sown outside
• Lawns can be mowed on mild days and repairs can be made with new turf or seed
• Heavy prune your dogwoods and willow but also Buddlejas, Hydrangeas and Leycesterias
• Put down compost or mulch as a weed-suppressant and maybe some nature-friendly slug protection. ( You could always do more to attract hedgehogs!)

And don't forget something very simple that took years for the penny to drop for me; FEED your plants - especially the struggling ones. Natural food from organic matter is best but by now you will need a food that can release nutrients in the next few months i.e. Blood, fish and bone or Growmore or similar.

Lots of feeding - its something you should do when you have a man-flu isn't it?

February: frosts and fertilisers

There has been something deeply comforting about treading on firm soil when parts of the world appear to be gripped by fear and religious madness. Getting the spade out and stamping on it to create a slit for a tiny Hawthorn tree seems a wonderfully optimistic act.  

Centuries of co-operation between diverse farming communities in many troubled areas give a different perspective too; somehow the tangible nature of plants and livestock can bring people to their senses. Maybe we then realise we are not independent, but co-dependent.

So onto more local matters...

There has also been something very magical about going out to the allotment in the sharp, crisp frosty mornings and looking at the ice-patterns. These cold spells are very useful for the garden and veg patch too.

Soils can be "broken down" by frost; the moisture in them will expand and push apart the particles. So heavy soils becomes better aerated, better drained, more penetrable by worms and easier to work.

And there is some truth in the saying that the frost "kills the bugs". Whilst there are microbes that break down vegetation in the compost heaps there are also plenty of "bugs" that would eat crops, flowers, stems and roots.

Fruit trees can be vulnerable to aphids and other pests. An application of an oil-based plant winter wash will kill overwintering eggs.

There is still time, if you feel so inspired to get bare-root trees, shrubs and fruit trees planted. The advantage of bare-root stock is that it is cheaper than the pot-grown equivalents and dormant at this time of year. Always handle plants carefully and never let the wind dry the roots.

And yes, as always - add plenty of well-rotted organic matter / compost around the roots but also use this as a mulch. If you are planting on a tricky slope as I have done recently you can always dig in a cut-off piece of drainpipe and fix it straight to the base of the roots from the surface. This is a great way of irrigating the roots in the growing season. Just leave the hose trickling into the pipe - but be careful not to drown the poor tree by over-watering everyday!

In summary:

• Try to get any bare-root trees, shrubs and hedging ordered and planted by the end of the month.
• Add food-enriched compost, manure or general fertiliser to your veg patch - anything that releases the nutrients "slowly" over the coming months.
• Climbers such as Honeysuckle and Clemetis do surprisingly well when planted in February.
• Avoid tramping over the lawns in frost - it damages and marks the grass.
• For the Bee-lovers you should try planting early-flowering Heathers ( Ericas ).
• Bird-feeders are great entertainment and give valuable sources of nutrition.

And don't forget to take your hat, your gloves, your balaclava and your waterproof...and possibly leave behind the mobile for a few hours with the latest news feed too? My senior allotment neighbour had a cure for the recent ills of the world -  

" Put all them compooters in a bucket of water...that's the best place for them".

Ahem! Do you mind..............