Summer is really here! Ornamental borders will soon be at their best when towards the end of the month scented roses begin to flower in earnest. There is plenty to do in the garden to keep you occupied, such as cutting back and mowing, but it’s a time of year to really sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labours. So above all take time to reward yourself.  Gardening should never become a chore.

After the very dry spring, if you have a new lawn or have planted new shrubs and flowers they will need watering as required. If time is limited, it’s no good going out every evening splashing a little water over everything. This causes more good than harm in the long run as it encourages roots to come to the surface of the soil making plants more vulnerable in dry conditions. Instead, concentrate your efforts on one area of the garden and give a good soaking in the evening. This gives plants time to absorb the water overnight and their roots will go deeper in search of water. The following evening concentrate on another area.  Plants in containers require watering most, at least once a day, but in very hot conditions twice, once in the morning and again in the evening.

 

 

Hoe or hand-pull annual weeds while they are still small. Choose a dry day and leave the leaves on the surface to wither. Perennial weeds (things like dandelions and ground elder) are trickier to deal with. They have to be dug out effectively removing completely; if any trace is left in the soil, be warned, they return!

 

 

If your garden has bare patches, one way to liven it up is to use containers with summer bedding to provide instant, if temporary, colour. Alternatively, make new flower beds and plant them up with colourful perennial plants to flower every year.