麻豆约拍

Looking around gardens this year its been a mixed bag with some of you reporting poor crops and sad looking plants after this very unusual spate of weather our gardens have had to tolerate for some months now.

Once in to August I spend a lot of time just tidying up especially as many of the border perennials like Foxgloves, Delphiniums and Aquilegias as well as many more are now past their best and much of the early summer colour has disappeared. Cutting back excessive growth and removing the old flower heads will tidy up the borders and make them neat again. Getting bright colour at this time is more difficult as the bulbs of early spring are well over and the perennials and summer flowering shrubs are coming to an end.

This is where the use of evergreen shrubs comes in handy so when new borders are planned or you find yourself at the garden centre being tempted by some new plants, don't forget that evergreens in many forms can make a real impact during the latter part of summer Delphiniums Spotted ,Laurels and Mahonias stand out as focal points once many of the earlier plant colour has gone so give shrubs a chance whether they flower or just give leaf colour you may find they are just what's needed to keep the garden looking beautiful even when the best of the summer flowers have disappeared.

PLANT OF THE WEEK:
AQUILEGIA Clementine varieties (Columbine) are one of the easiest border perennials as they will grow in most situations. they will grow up to 40 cm high and have been bred to carry their blooms in an upwards facing direction so that the full glory of these lovely plants can be appreciated from all angles. Aquilegia varieties are many and varied and to my mind the best colours are White, Dark Purple Salmon and Blue.

TOPICAL TIPS:

Feed Strawberries with a feed high in potassium and remove all dead material from the crowns to keep them healthy. During dry periods through late summer the plants should be kept well watered to ensure healthy crowns are produced for next years fruits.

Rhododendrons can be dead headed by simply snapping off the old flower blooms. Be careful though, as the little green shoot just below the old flower head has to be saved as this is the growing tip which will become next years blooms.

Aerate the lawn by making small holes with either a garden fork or a specially made tool which can either be purchased or hired. The little holes in the lawn will help it to drain in wet weather and will also allow fresh air to penetrate around the root system.

Happy Gardening

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