What an amazing summer we’ve had so far this year – who needs to go away on holiday when you can staycation at home?
Enjoy all the delights of your garden and get further inspiration at our garden centres which are full of wonderful plants (and everything else besides!) to give colour and interest for the rest of the summer.
Watering wisely is the most important job right now. The hot, windy conditions mean plants are losing water faster than they can take it up – and in the heatwave it’s imperative to conserve water and follow the guidelines on our blog. Don’t forget to leave a source of water for wildlife whilst the weather is hot: a glazed terracotta saucer or birdbath, and keep it topped up daily
Canna lilies: tropical -looking tender perennials which look fabulous in containers with their banana-like leaves and exotic flowers: need some winter protection if left in the ground (or lift in autumn and store in a frost-free cool greenhouse or shed over winter)
We have plenty of hanging baskets and containers filled with summer bedding plants to give instant colour on your patio – perfect for the rest of the summer season: Extraordinarily good value 6.5 litre terracotta colour pots for £7.99 including sunflower, fuchsia, New Guinea impatiens, cosmos, gazania, dahlia and nemesia
Deadhead (remove finished flowers, cutting to the next leaf below, where you will often see tiny new buds appearing) and feed flowering plants (from hanging baskets and container bedding plants to roses and perennials) regularly to encourage more blooms - we have numerous liquid fertilisers which are all suitable: from Levington’s Tomorite, to Miracle-Gro and Gro-Sure.
Herbs love sunny, well-drained positions in the garden or pots, and many are perennial so will continue to grow all year. There’s nothing like adding fresh herbs to your cooking (or drinks!) for the taste of summer.
Houseplant holiday care: we have gadgets and gizmos to keep houseplants hydrated whilst you’re away. It makes sense give plants a good water before you go away, or ideally ask friends or neighbours to pop in once or twice a week to keep an eye on them. Take care not to over-water cacti and succulents as they hate it and may die! Moving plants away from sunny windows will make sure they don’t dry out as quickly as usual. A tray with capillary matting will help keep plants moist. We also sell individual watering cones which are useful to keep a regular supply of water to larger plants.
Lovely English lavender is loving this weather and will keep flowering all summer – here’s a recap of our blog earlier in the year: Lavender grows best and produces lots of scented flowers in a sunny site with well-drained soil. English lavender is the hardiest (Lavandula angustifolia and cultivars). It can also be grown in containers in a multipurpose compost or loam-based John Innes No 3 with coarse grit added to ensure it drains well. Adding controlled-release fertiliser granules such as Miracle-Gro or Gro Sure will feed the plants through the season. Pruning is best carried out after flowering in late summer (around August) although it can be done in spring. Snip off flower stalks and about an inch of this year’s foliage, to keep plants tidy.
Perennial plants: good border fillers which will flower now and come up again next year. From penstemon to platycodon (balloon flower), leucanthemum to lupin.
Alpine plants are ideal fillers for sunny borders and containers: why not plant a shallow bowl with houseleeks Plenty of colourful alpines are in stock.
Ornamental grasses give movement and colour in the garden from now until autumn. Calamagrostis , miscanthus, carex and pennisetum come into their own at this time of year.
Specimen plants for instant impact: bamboos to palms, laurels to red robin. Come and have a look as our stock changes regularly.
Potted chilli plants are great for the barbecue season – many varieties available depending on how hot you like them!
