Gardeners’ World

Slugs and snails are eating things they never ate before! The new slug pellets are wool based and don’t have much effect.

After the rain and now warm weather plants (and weeds) are growing quickly.

More rain, fluctuating temperatures, frost and strong winds, but plants keep on growing. It is a case of the survival of the fittest. I have lost a rhododendron in full bud to wind burn, but another in a sheltered position has survived.

Despite more weeks of rain, the spring flowers are looking very cheerful, and the daffodils have benefited from the wet weather.

It has been an extremely wet winter, almost impossible to get on the ground, but a good time to re-plan the garden and to experiment with contrasting shapes, textures and colours. Gardens never stand still and always need re-thinking. Snowdrops are finishing and this is the best time to split them ‘in the green’ when…

Dahlias were making a lovely show of colour until frost turned them black. A few in sheltered places survived and need to be left until they, too, turn black.

Dahlias and michaelmas daisies are in full flower and have stood up well to recent storms.

After the recent rain and warm weather annuals such as cosmos, asters and tagetes are flowering well, adding late colour to gardens. Deadhead where possible to keep them flowering and prevent them setting seed.

The rain at the end of July will have done much good, but it has spoilt the roses that are flowering now, so I give them a light prune, a feed of Fish, Blood and Bone and hopefully in a few weeks time they will have a second crop of flowers.

After a very dry month, at last a drop of rain, although we need more. Some plants have done well and the roses have been spectacular with more flowers than usual, although they haven’t lasted long in the heat.