The month of June is when all the hard work you put in earlier in the year starts to pay dividends. Shrubs and perennial beds are full of lush new growth – their colour looking more vibrant in the bright sunshine. As the weather gets warmer and drier, grass growth will slow down, but the…
May is the start of the summer and with it comes longer evenings and warmer weather. It seems every time you look at the garden, something new is in flower. Buds are bursting open to soak up the sun’s energy. Prune spring-flowering shrubs such as ribes and forsythia now that they have finished flowering. Both…
Green Fingers April is full of those perfect early spring days when the sun is shining, the air is clear and you just want to get out into the garden and enjoy it. Clip over winter-flowering heather with shears now that they have finished flowering. This will dead head and tidy them up in one…
It’s generally in mid to late March that the sun and wind start to dry up the ground and spring really begins in the garden. Soon soil temperatures will begin to rise and growth will start. Now is the time to tidy your beds and borders. This will get them back in shape, ready for…
Some people find February a slow month in the garden, but it shouldn’t be. Spring will arrive before you know and everything will need doing at once. So make the most of February as it is your last chance to finish winter-work and get a head start on Spring. Clear your beds and borders of…
After the hustle and bustle of Christmas, it can be very therapeutic and uplifting to get out into the garden in January. The garden itself is a skeleton of its usual, colourful, vibrant self. This makes it easy to see and reach the bits that need attention. Give wisteria its winter pruning now. It's pruned…
It’s not long till December, which in the garden is never a busy month – rather, it is a time to reflect and plan. Reflect on the successes of the last year and plan for the coming year. If something in your garden is not working, now is the time to change it. This is…
“Rest is not idleness and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water or watching the clouds float across the sky is by no means a waste of time.” (J. Lubbock) Take time to enjoy your garden, but keep up the maintenance work. Keep…
“Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.” (Al Bernstein)
A wet and windy May fills the barns with corn and hay. Now that May has almost arrived, let’s hope we have seen the last of the night frosts. The possibility of late frosts occurring, however, must always be expected and planned for. No matter how warm the weather is in early May, don’t be…