Summer Planting

Grow-your-own is going well! A late start but salads are cropping and beans and early peas picking now. The key now is to keep things going. Regular cropping is essential otherwise plants believe they have done all they need to do. At the same time, keep them fed especially the tomatoes. The other good move is to sow fresh crops – a little but often works well. A short row of salad leaves every couple of weeks will give a continuous supply of tasty fresh green goodness. There’s still time to sow dwarf beans, spring onions, radishes, Swiss chard, spinach, late carrots, spring cabbages and cauliflowers to overwinter.

In the fruit garden, bush fruit need picking, and tree fruits may need thinning or at least some summer pruning to make sure the crop gates a good chance to develop to a good size. Young trees will benefit from watering.

Weeds grow all year round but never more so than when you are away on holiday! Hoeing is the safest and most environmentally friendly way of controlling them but has to be done frequently and in dry conditions. Good gardeners usually have a hoe close to hand to fill in the odd spare moments.

Clematis, especially newly planted ones, can collapse overnight. The cause is often a fungal infection that blocks the vessels in the plant stem causing it to collapse, to wilt. The fungus itself is commonly found in the soil, but finds its way into the plant through rain-splash when the stem is damaged either by careless planting or perhaps by slug attack. There is not a lot you can do except cut the plant back, give it a liquid feed and perhaps treat with a systemic fungicide. Usually the Clematis makes fresh growth and eventually overcomes the problem.

Greenhouses and conservatories get very hot and most plants should be outside. If not then the glass should be shaded with white shading paint or green netting. Many houseplants enjoy a summer holiday outside and especially like a shower of rain which can really freshen them up. Make sure they also get a feed to support new growth.

Tubs and baskets need regular care to be at their best. Dead-heading, watering and feeding are all vital. Repeat flowering herbaceous perennials also benefit from dead-heading and a feed.

Warm sunny weather encourages blanket weed and algae on ponds. You will need to remove the muck from the pond and keep it topped up.

Lawns are best not cut too close in dry weather, and if you do remove the clippings then be sure to give a quick acting summer feed, especially if a spring treatment was not given.

Evergreens can be trimmed, especially topiaried plants such as box. Keep wall shrubs and climbers tied in and prune off the growth that is obviously heading in the wrong direction.

Check out our Special Offers for this Summer!

Summer Bedding

9cm Tub & basket (black plastic pot) – £1.69 each or 5 for £8.00 ( inc Surfinias Petunias)
These lines will be available until approx end June but numbers will be limited as each week passes.

Basket plants 6pack (one variety) – £6.99 each (popular varieties)
These lines will be available until approx end June but numbers will be limited as each week passes.

6/12pack  Summer Bedding – £3.49 each or 3 for £10.00
All our summer bedding packs are UK grown and are one price. The majority of packs contain 6 plants but some cell packs have 9 or 12 cells. These lines will be available until approx end June but numbers will be limited as each week passes.

Begonia trailing (10cm Pot) – £1.99 each or 3 for £5.00 (6 colours)
These lines will be available until approx end June but numbers will be limited as each week passes.

Geranium upright (10cm Pot) – £2.49 each or 5 for £11.00 Mid July (locally grown)

Geranium trailing Ivy lvd10cmpot – £2.29 each or 5 for £10.00 (locally grown)
These lines will be available until approx end June but numbers will be limited as each week passes.

Fuchsia upright & trailing (10.5cm Pot) – £2.29 each or 5 for £10.00 (locally grown)
These lines will be available until approx end June but numbers will be limited as each week passes.

Argyranthemum (13cm Pot) – £3.99 each or 3 for £11.00 End June (Crazy Daisy or Marguerite)
All our 13cm pot grown bedding is locally grown

Geranium upright (13cm Pot) – £3.49 each or 3 for £10.00 End July
All our 13cm pot grown bedding is locally grown

Impatien New Guinea (13cm Pot) – £3.49 each or 3 for £10.00 End July (New Guinea Busy Lizzie)

Osteospermum (13cm Pot) – £3.99 each or 3 for £10.00

Bedding Value 24 Cell Pack – £6.99 each (5 varieties)
These lines will be available until approx end June but numbers will be limited as each week passes.

Herbaceous cottage 1L (Black Square Pot) – £2.99 each or 3 for £8.00 End August
These are a budget range of popular garden perennials in a chunky 1L pot

Fuchsia Hardy (10.5cm Pot) – £2.99 each Mid June (Limited numbers)

Lavandula (10.5 cm Pot) – £2.99 each or 3 for £8.00 Mid June (Limited numbers)

Shrubs – budget 1L – £3.99 each or 3 for £10.00 End September
These are a budget range of popular garden perennials in a chunky 1L pot

Herb (9cm) – £1.69 or 5 for £8.00 All season

Alpines (9cm Square Pot) – £1.79 each or 5 for £8.00 All season (Superb choice)

Vegetable plants in strips – £2.29 or 3 for £6.00 Mid June then summer varieties+