Gardening between the rain showers
The last couple of weeks in the garden have been a bit of a washout so I haven’t had as much time out there as I would like. However, I have still tried to squeeze in as much as I can in between the showers. Here are some great jobs to do for those times when its wet.
Turn your compost.
Don’t forget to regularly turn your compost.
Once I’ve turned it over, I add some Garotta to it. Garotta is a powder made from natural materials that is designed to help improve the structure of home-produced garden compost, maintain a neutral pH and speed up the process of decomposition, hopefully meaning you can get it added to your flower beds a little faster. Compost is a great addition to your beds as it helps support plants with additional nutrients, as well as helping to keep the moisture in.
Keep a very close eye on your roses
Keep an eye out for pest infestation on your roses. Now is the time where you will start to see increased ‘pest activity’ so it’s good to act on it fast. There are a few things I do to help combat it.
Companion planting – If you start to see some mild infestation, then add some plants that will help naturally keep those pests at bay. Salvias, attract huge amounts of insects so are great plants to pop in with roses to keep things such as black fly at bay. Alliums are also another great flower to pop in, as being part of the garlic family, it’s thought that the smell helps keep pests at bay.
Salvias are one of my favourites and they come in a variety of different colours – all fabulous. If you are local to me, then why not pop to Follies, to see their stock.
A great excuse to go shopping!
Watering – Watering in the morning is a great way of keeping your roses healthy as it provides adequate time to both give them a drink and then dry out. They do not like be kept too wet and it’s believed that if too wet, they are more susceptible to pests.
Treating – If pest infestation is getting severe, remove any diseased leaves and spray regularly with garlic water. The smell helps deter pests, plus its organic, but don’t do it before a garden party!
Deadheading – Remember, the more you deadhead, the more blooms you will get. It also gives your garden an instant tidy up, so a great job to do if you only have ten or so minutes. Also remember that your climbing roses will be growing very fast now, so keep regularly tying them in.
Lawn, Seed and dahlia watch
A couple of weeks ago I planted my Cosmos from seed, so I’ve spent the last few weeks keeping a very close eye on their progress. No watering has been required as I’ve had enough natural rain fall, but if you haven’t, do make sure you are water yours regularly.
Your planted dahlias should also be well on their way so make sure you regularly visit them and tie them in. Hopefully, you should start to see some bloom too.
One of the quickest ways of making your garden look tidy is by mowing the lawn. This is always my absolute first job I do after a wet spell. Plus, there’s nothing like the smell of freshly cut grass to get you back out in the garden.
Feed, feed and feed
With everything growing rapidly, do make sure you regularly feed your plants. I feed mine once a week with tomato feed to make sure they have all the nutrients they need. If, however, you are finding that some of your plants are struggling then add an additional layer of mulch or compost around them. This will help give them a nutrient boost and keep the moisture in.
And finally, if like me you have had a lot of rain, then now has come to do the most vital thing – a sun dance!
With love and stay safe, Flowers and Lifestyle by Margot –
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