JANUARY - BEST PRACTICES and TIPS for the FLOWERING GARDEN (and LAWNS)
TIME TO HARVEST...
Make the most of the abundance of flowers for picking. When picking roses look for an outward-facing group of 5 leaves and cut 15mm above that. Cutting lower encourages stronger re-growth. Dahlias last well when picked & if you don’t pick them make sure you deadhead the spent flowers.
TIME TO PLANT...
Fill any gaps with Summer colour - petunias, lobelia, alyssum, marigolds, impatiens etc
Replace Summer annuals that are finished or too stretched with more annuals (we have 3 months of warm weather ahead so there’s plenty of time for another flowering).
Zinnias, dahlias, marigolds, salvias, and petunias will all flower on for some time yet.
Zinnias are great for providing summer colour. They also attract butterflies, bees, and birds to your garden.
Plant gazanias and arctotis in drier, sunny spots of the garden for masses of bright colour during the hotter months.
TIME TO SOW...
Looking ahead to Winter colour it’s time to sow seeds for pansies, violas, calendulas, primulas, polyanthus etc
Ageratum, alyssum, cineraria, cyclamen, forget-me-not, gypsophila, hollyhock, pansy, Iceland poppy, primula, stock, verbena, viola and wallflower.
TIME TO FEED...
Roses – if you’re on the 2 monthly feeding schedule roses are due for a feed this month – there are several options but I use blue Nitrophoska, Oceanfert, & Growth Booster pellets (sheep manure + southern humates) in equal parts all mixed in a bucket. Perennials & annuals will have been flowering strongly for some time and will need a boost – that same mix of fertilisers will work well for any flowering plants because of the high potash levels.
With Summer being in full swing, your garden will be extra thirsty. Water early morning or early evening to reduce evaporation.
The strong growth recently depletes plants’ reserves so feed anything that’s looking a bit tired.
Give your flowering plants a 'pick me up' with a Daltons Liquid Seaweed feed once a week to promote and extend production, along with helping them keep pest and diseases at bay.
Give lawns a feed with a specifically-formulated lawn food.
Feed roses regularly with a specifically-formulated rose food.
TIME TO PROTECT...
Any new plantings, particularly petunias & new delphinium growth, from slugs & snails. Protect roses from insect pests (aphids, mites) and fungal problems (black spot, mildew, rust); several options, incl Mavrik, Fungus Fighter, Shield, Super Sulphur, Copper. Ask the staff for advice on sprays & we suggest alternating between remedies to avoid building up resistance. Protect Portuguese Laurels and Viburnums against thrips – systemic Groventive is highly recommended.
TIME TO CONTROL...
Excessive growth on wisterias; they flower on the old wood so the long new shoots need to come off. We’ve had 5 months of growth since Spring started so check vigorous perennials to ensure they’re not smothering their neighbours.
Finish off the 'taming' phase with a torpedo or swan neck hoe to slice throught he roots of weeds and leave them on the soil surface to shrivel up.
Just returned from holiday and need to tidy the garden?
Start with mowing the lawns but avoid mowing too low at this time of year, and if the lawn is very long, take it down in stages.
Thrips Yes, this is when the damage is being done so check out the foliage on Viburnums, Rhodos, Portuguese Laurels etc for any damage and get onto it before the Thrips really take hold – Groventive for serious infestations, Mavrik for the early stages of infestation.
TIME TO PRUNE...
Summer Annuals and Perennials
Keep dead heading flowering plants - this will encourage more flowers to develop.
Trim any spent stems off Perennials and generally tidy them up.
Feeding roses now will encourage more flowers and growth to harden before the first frosts.
When picking roses cut a reasonably long stem, making your cut just above an outward facing bud.
