Is your garden summer ready?
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Summer has to be around the corner somewhere, doesn’t it? It can’t keep on raining for much longer, surely. I can’t believe that with the longest day next week we are still in a position where the big light has to go on before teatime and when I think I can get away with it the heating is going on.
That hasn’t stopped me, however, dreaming that lazy days in the garden are on the horizon and the opportunity for a small gin and tonic on the patio are within sniffing distance. So with that in mind we have been sorting out the garden in readiness for for a better July.
Hedge Trimming
We have a hedge at the front of our house, and along one boundary at the back. Neither of which we have really paid too much attention to if we are honest. This year though they seemed to have grown faster than in any other year (probably all that June rain) and now the hedge at the front seems to be growing so far out into the road that we can no longer see beyond it. This makes pulling off the drive a bit of a death trap so we have decided to cut it back before it gets any worse. We have also decided to cut the one in the back garden as it was growing so far into the garden it made cutting the grass impossible to cut along that edge.
We were asked if we would like to try out the Von Haus hedge trimmer recently and it couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Simple to use, with a battery that charges in just an hour, you can then spend up to 50 minutes chopping your hedge to your heart’s content. Mr B was in element. Even in the rain. It made easy work of the job and whilst “cuts through butter like a hot knife” sounds like a bit of a cliche that was exactly the phrase that sprang to mind as we set to work on the hedge in the garden. Because it is equipped with 45cm dual action laser cut blades, it has been designed to offer fast, efficient cutting, and can take on branches up to 15mm thick.
It is perfect for tackling overgrown and hard to reach hedges, like the top of ours, meaning it extends your reach while you remain safe and grounded. Much to my relief when Mr B was in charge.
I was slightly worried about Mr B brandishing a large power tool but he assured me that since there were kill switches and a shoulder strap it was all very safe and secure and nobody could come to any harm. Not even Bob who seemed to take an instant interest when she thought her daytime hideaway was under threat.
Flowering beds
If you have roses in your garden, now is the time to be deadheading them. To be pinching out fuschias so they continue to flower, and to keep on top of the weeding. Weeding seems to be a thankless task but keeping on top of it stops it becoming unmanageable. I weed the patio and gravel outside our back door every morning as the kettle boils. It’s a job I don’t enjoy but by doing it for five minutes every morning it means I don’t get cross about splashes of green amongst the stones.
Vegetable and fruit patches
If you are growing tomatoes, pinch out any side shoots and pot those up. If you are planting early potatoes, now is the time to do that too, then they will be ready in about three months. It is also the best time to prune plum and cherry trees if you have them. We were given two cherry trees as wedding presents so we do try and make sure we do those every year (though we have yet to find a cherry). Did you know that if you have blueberry plants you should only water them with rain water (collected from a water butt). You shouldn’t use tap water as it reduces the acidity of the soil. Top tip there 🙂
The lawn
Feed your lawn with a fertiliser as it will be, to use a phrase from my mum, “growing like stink”. Also a good time to re-cut in those edges to the lawn to make for sharper lines (if that is your thing). And if you are not adverse to using weed killer, then one specifically for lawns would be good around now.
And don’t forget to sit back and enjoy it all! Gardening is hard work but it is also lovely to see an instant result and to toast your hard work!