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March 2007 >>>
Warmer weather and longer days mean it's time to get the garden, patio and lawn in trim ready for another year of family pleasure. Few of us have enough time to devote to our garden and most need to use a quick fix instead of back-breaking effort. Modern gardening tools and products can help you have a beautiful garden with the least amount of effort.
DECORATIVE BEDS AND BORDERS
While spring bulbs will be showing foliage and flower buds, weeds too will be germinating and covering garden soil. Because showers are frequent, it is little use hoeing these weeds away as they just re-root wherever they are pushed and effective hand weeding is hard work and takes a long time.
But weeding can be a quick and easy job if you have the right box or bottle of product to hand. The concentrated sachets of Weedol 2 or the ready-to-use Weedol Gun! can both be used throughout the year to give fast acting control of all weed growth. The new concentrate formula of Weedol 2 now carries for the first time a recommendation that weeds can be sprayed with a pressure sprayer. This is great news for all gardeners as applying weedkillers with a watering can be a hit or miss affair if you don't also have a very fine rose or a dribble bar that delivers tiny droplets. Only with these sorts of attachments can you get good coverage of the weed leaves and therefore a good weed kill. Much better is to apply this concentrate through a pressure sprayer. It can be directed more accurately, goes much further and the very tiny droplets from the sprayer wet the weed leaves much more thoroughly. For those people without a sprayer then the ready mixed Weedol Gun! does exactly the same job killing weeds between shrubs, roses, perennials and other flowers without affecting the soil. Use Weedol 2 on weedy soil just before sowing seeds or planting seedlings or shrubs. Just ten minutes on the leaf is sufficient time to give a reasonable kill of annual weeds and later light rain showers after that time won't reduce its effectiveness.
When weeds start to pop up, then trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials are starting into growth too. That's when they need a dose of plant food to encourage new strong growth and plenty of flower buds. People who want to feed their garden throughout the season choose modern fertilizers such as Osmocote or Miracle-Gro Slow Release Plant Food that feed steadily every warm day for up to six months. This little and often release of vital nutrients is determined by soil temperature so that the amount of food matches the needs of the plant and nothing is wasted. For once a year feeding sprinkle the clean, easy-to-use granules around the root area of the plants and gently work into the top few inches of soil. It's quick, simple and very effective.
Clematis are attractive climbers but they can soon overgrow the fence or climbing frame they are given and produce flowers only at the end of their intertwined stems. Pruning will encourage new stems from lower down that will carry flowers, but it is important to get your timing right. Clematis that flower early in spring on last year's wood such as Clematis Montana and C. macropetala should be left to flower and pruned as necessary in summer after all the flowers have faded. On the other hand those clematis that flower in late summer on new shoots such as Clematis Jackmanii and the large flowered summer flowering ones such as Nelly Moser and Etoile Violette should be cut back now to ensure some new growth from lower down. Leave a few of the stems long but cut back the remainder so they are about 90-120cm (3-4ft) in length. Regular pruning like this will provide a much longer flower display as the new shoots will tend to bloom a little later than the mature stems.
Protect the new growth of delphiniums and other succulent plants with a slug killer. The easiest way is to sprinkle SlugClear Advanced Pellets around the plants. If you prefer not to use visible pellets in your garden you can get the same protection by using SlugClear, an invisible liquid slug killer that can be watered over the plants. Simply dilute in a watering can and wet the foliage and surrounding soil thoroughly. This way you will also control the slugs that are hiding underground and the snails that have already crept into the growing stems.
Once the new delphinium shoots are about 8cm (3in) tall you can cut off one or two at ground level with a sharp knife and root them in a rough textured compost such as the new Miracle-Gro Ecosense Peat-free Compost to make totally new plants. For quickest disease-free rooting, remove the lower leaves and dip the base of the cutting into some hormone rooting powder. Cover the pot and cutting with a clear plastic bag and place in a light warm place until it is rooted.
TIMELY TIPS
Cut back last year's stems of the butterfly bushes (Buddleia) to within 30cm of ground level. This will encourage new stems that will carry this year's flower display. Feed well with a slow release plant food for rich flower colour and healthy foliage.
ROSES
Finish pruning your roses as soon as possible and clear away all trimmings and fallen foliage from the soil beneath the bushes. If the foliage shows signs of black or brown spots then do not put the material on your domestic compost heap but dispose of through your municipal site.
When the new red leaves start to open it is extremely beneficial to spray the bush thoroughly with a systemic fungicide to give early protection from blackspot disease. If rose blackspot disease was a particular problem in your garden last year a spraying programme with either RoseClear 3 or FungusClear applied every couple of weeks from late March really is the only way to ensure you have clean bushes that will not shed their foliage early in the year.
LAWN
Heavy winter rains this year have encouraged the spread of moss throughout many lawns. You will notice any moss when you start to mow the grass, whether it's in small patches or spread all over the lawn. Areas that are shaded will be affected most badly and those low-lying spots where water hangs around. Before you try the lawn treatment route to moss control it's well worth trying to reduce the effects of the causes.
In shaded areas try to get rid of the offending plant, fence or obstacle. If that's not possible, then turn that area into more flower beds where you can more easily grow shade-loving plants rather than grass. In low-lying areas try to improve drainage by spiking the surface with a garden fork. Making holes that are at least 10cm (4in) deep will help, especially if they are filled with sharp sand to allow air to the roots.
When you've done everything to beat the causes of moss, then it's time to put on a spring dressing to green the grass and control existing moss.
TIMELY TIPS
Cut the grass every 10 days or so gradually reducing the height of cut at each successive mowing. Trim the edges to provide a sharp contrast with surrounding border soil or paths.
FLOWERS FROM SEEDS, CUTTINGS, CORMS AND TUBERS
Continue to sow seeds of tender bedding plants such as busy lizzies, petunia and other subjects so that you have plenty of young plants for use in flower borders, pots and hanging baskets. Follow the instructions on the packet and use a fresh bag of Levington Seed & Cutting Compost for maximum results.
Garden centres will have on sale small rooted cuttings of fuchsias ready for you to grow on to flowering size. Check the labels for the growth habit of all varieties and their hardiness. Only hardy varieties can be planted directly into garden soil of beds and borders - the rest are tender and will be killed by frosts. Take them home and pot up individually in a size larger pot of fresh Levington Container & Hanging Basket Compost or Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Compost. These nutrient-rich composts and warm indoor temperatures will encourage these plants to grow away quickly and you should pinch out the growing tips occasionally to produce a well branched shape.
Push begonia tubers slightly into the surface of trays of moist Levington Multi-Purpose compost to start them rooting. It's not always easy to be sure which is the right way up, but hopefully they will have a slight indentation in the top so that the tuber is slightly saucer-shaped. Roots should appear from the smooth rounded bottom and the new shoots should develop from the indentation at the top. When they have started to produce fresh green shoots, pot up in individual pots of Levington Container & Hanging Basket Compost ready to be planted out in the garden when frosts have finished. Water the compost from below to avoid wetting the tubers to prevent rots and other plant diseases.
TOPICAL TIPS
Plant out gladioli corms at the end of March or beginning of April. To protect the corms from rotting, place a layer of sharp sand in the bottom of planting holes that should be about 15cm deep.
FRUIT
Feed all fruit early in spring so that roots can draw on valuable nutrients whenever they come into active growth. While most gardeners treat fruits such as gooseberries, strawberries and raspberries to a yearly feed, few seem to give apples and pear trees any extra feeding at all. Perhaps that's why domestic apple trees fruit poorly or in alternate years. To encourage apples, pears and plums back into growth dress the soil with Osmocote or Miracle-Gro Controlled Release Food. Use a couple of handfuls for every metre height of the tree and spread this evenly under the spread of the branches.
Where fruit trees are growing in the lawn cut back the grass to reveal bare soil below the branches. You will then be able to feed the soil, work over the surface to dig in the fertilizer and then mulch the surface with a decorative bark such as Levington Water Saving Decorative Bark to retain moisture and help prevent weed seedlings.
TIMELY TIPS
Pot up strawberry plants in decorative containers full of Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Compost. Placed on the patio these plants should be well away from slug and snail problems.
VEGETABLES
When the soil is warm enough to be growing weeds then it's time to sow all manner of vegetables outside. Vegetables that will be transplanted to their final growing positions such as summer cabbage, sprouts and leeks should be sown thinly in fine soil that has been improved with the compost from last year's hanging baskets or patio pots. If the soil in this seedbed is particularly wet then covering the area with cloches will help the surface to warm up, dry out and encourage good germination.
For plants that will be growing from seed to harvest in the same spot such as parsnips, beetroot, shallots, spring onions, carrots, lettuce and hardy peas then the soil needs to be enriched with plant food to lift the nutrient reserves to an adequate level. Dress the soil with Miracle-Gro Controlled Release Plant Food before sowing the seed.
Tread over the area that is to grow onions this year to compact the surface. Snip off the brown ends from the onion sets before placing them in shallow drills 1 cm deep. As birds delight in pulling out onion sets from the soil, cover them with netting at least for a couple of weeks until they have rooted into the soil and have a firm grip.
TIMELY TIPS
Sow tomato seeds now so that you have strong seedlings to plant out in a cold greenhouse in April or on the patio in May.
PATIO
Patio pots should be ablaze with the colours of daffodils, hyacinths and crocus. If yours are not then you can buy plenty of spring bulbs in bud to brighten up any container.
Potted camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons will be showing fat flower buds that are ready to burst open. To keep the glossy foliage a healthy dark green start feeding the compost now with Miracle-Gro Ericaceous Plant Food and add this to your watering can of rain water every couple of weeks. If you live in a hard water area don't water pots of lime hating plants with tap water or the leaves will soon turn yellow and fall. If you are lucky enough to have rhododendrons and azaleas thriving in your garden soil see that they receive their annual dose of Sequestrene to provide all the iron they need for a year's growth. Mix a sachet of the deep red powder in a watering can of rain water and apply around the roots of all your ericaceous plants.
Growing plants in pots rather than beds and borders has other advantages. In small gardens otherwise rampant trees and shrubs can easily be kept to a manageable size when grown in a container. It's a similar principle to growing bonsai - restrict and reduce root growth and the top stays in proportion. The other advantage of pot grown plants is that displays can be infinitely variable. Just move into prominent position the plants that look most attractive at the time and you can have a patio that is always a picture. If you want to try some more unusual pot grown subjects try the pineapple broom (Cytisus battandiera), blue spiraea (Caryopteris 'Heavenly Blue') or abelia.
TIMELY TIPS
Weedy paths and patios are unsightly. But you can water away these weeds - not just kill existing ones but also stop new annual weed seedlings from growing for up to three months. For large areas of gravel paths or drives simply dissolve Pathclear Season Long granules in water in a watering can and apply to the whole area. For smaller areas use the ready-to-use Pathclear Gun! Season Long. It's so easy and quick to apply. If your patio is wooden decking with bare soil underneath, then spray Pathclear Gun! Season Long on the weeds and soil surface to keep the area under the decking clear of weeds and new seedlings.
ALWAYS READ THE LABEL: USE PESTICIDES SAFELY
Information supplied by the Scotts Miracle Gro Company UK Ltd
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