- Monday 19 June 2017
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IN THE GARDEN
•Now is the time to prune your wisteria if it has filled it’s intended space. Prune back the whippy shoots to 20cm (8in) of the main branch. Don’t forget to prune again in January.
•Prune Group 1 clematis e.g. C. montana and C. armandii, mostly early flowering varieties. Prune after they have finished flowering if they have become too big for the space they are growing in.
•If you have been less than attentive when it comes to watering your pots, the compost may have shrunk away slightly from the sides of the pot. Fill this gap with new compost if you can. This will help prevent water run-off and rejuvenate your plants. Add some slow-release pelleted fertiliser if not already mixed in.
•Feed and deadhead roses after the first flush of flowers. This will encourage more. Use a rose food, or well-rotted farmyard manure. Mix roses with other plants like nepetas and salvias to help reduce the spread of disease. Remove leaves in the centre of the plant to increase air movement and water well to help prevent mildew.
•Keep feeding and deadheading all summer bedding to prolong flowering and get the very best out of your plants.
IN THE FRUIT AND VEG GARDEN
•Sow Kale like 'Nero di Toscana' now. Sow lettuce at the same time for intercropping, to make use of the ground before the kales mature. Carrots and beetroot make good intercroppers too.
•Keep pinching out side shoots of cordon varieties of tomato and make sure the tops are pinched. They should all be fruiting well now, so they’ll need a feed once a week, and in the hot weather, water every morning so that they stay consistently moist.
•Lift and divide rhubarb plants. Throw out old clump centres and replant divided outer growth
•Use runners (long whippy shoots) growing from strawberry plants to propagate new plants.
•Prune plum trees now in midsummer, to avoid the risk of silver leaf disease and canker. Keep pinching out unwanted shoots during the growing season
•Thin fruit trees. Trees bearing heavy crops need to have their fruit thinned to get a good, healthy crop. This spacing allows the fruit to swell, prevents overlap (and hence rot) and lightens the load on the branches
