Issue 122 - the Pembury Village Website

JAN’S GARDEN VIEWSOUR MOST favourite season of the yearmust surely be SUMMER. Of course, theweather is unpredictable, but we hope for longwarm sunny days and balmy evenings to sitout and enjoy our gardens. June is one of thebest months when all plants should beshowing signs of renewed vigour, a time ofexpectancy for glorious blooms to come. Wehave enjoyed the first flush of May flowers asour spring bounty died away, and some ofthese can be encouraged to bloom a secondtime, such as the early hardy Geraniums. Cutthem back to the base and water well, they willsoon bounce back with fresh new growth andmore flowers. The same can be done withseveral other perennials over the course of theseason. Alchemilla mollis will produce freshlime-green flowers with their delightfulspangled foliage. Lupins, Delphiniums andearly Heleniums will all give you extra bloomsand do better still with a sprinkle of fish, bloodand bone to boost their performance.We really ought to wait till now to plant tenderperennials such as Penstemons, Coreopsis andhalf-hardy Fuchsias, especially from cuttingsyou have taken last year. The young plants willhave needed to harden off before planting intosoil that has been improved with eithercompost or well-rotted manure/leaf-mould.Annuals are very useful for filling spacesbesides early flowering perennials that areover. They carry on until the first frosts andbring a blaze of colour where it is neededmost. Don’t forget to deadhead regularly for acontinuous show of blooms. Do watch out forthose beastly slugs and snails, they will destroyyour efforts over night. Catch them with overturnedempty halves of orange and grapefruitpeel or our old favourite, small containers ofbeer – they can’t resist it!Staking and tying is necessary for your tallerplants that need support, and prolongs thedisplay. Any twiggy branches pushed into theground will help and soon become disguisedwith foliage. Garden centres have supports forplants to grow through which are a good idea.Some, like Hollyhocks and Delphiniums, arebest tied individuallyto tall canes. Pass thetie loosely round theplant first, thentightly to the cane.Water is a veryprecious commodityand needs to be usedsparingly. In times ofdrought there are ways to prevent drying out.Plenty of organic matter worked into theground and a thick mulch laid will help a lot.Always water in the evening, as in the daytimeit evaporates fast. Water plants that benefitwell from regular watering, such as Roses.Water butts retain rainwater placedstrategically by guttering that gives acontinuous flow. There are drip systems madefrom porous piping which enables water toooze evenly into the soil when placed aroundthe plants. These are environmentally friendly,virtually invisible and can be taken up andstored during winter.Wind as well as heat induces water loss, somove containers to a shady sheltered spot ifplanning a holiday. A garden left unattendedfor a week or two will survive, with a bit ofplanning and extra gardening. Shrubs willneed to be cut back that have finishedflowering. Remove all flower heads and weeds.Mow lawns as the last job before you leave.Some essential summer jobs:● Tulips that need lifting must be dried andstored when their foliage has yellowed andshrivelled.● Feed your perennials every two weeks with apotash rich plant food.● Roses need their second fertilizer feedduring June or early July.● Pests and diseases need to be dealt withpromptly.Enjoy your summer garden.Happy gardening!Jan Davies28