Keeping up with watering, picking and deadheading in the heatwave
We have had the second official heatwave of the year this week and it has again been a challenge to get much gardening done, apart from keeping up with watering, picking and deadheading.
If, like me, you have taken all of your indoor plants outside to a shady spot for a summer holiday, you should see that they are really enjoying it.
Mine definitely need less water outside and they seem to flourish in their little summer community, rubbing leaves with plants they don't see all winter, putting on new growth in the dappled sunlight and clearly enjoying the drop of liquid seaweed they get when I am feeding the other pots each week.
Laura Strand Sam Stark-Kemp Hampton Court 2025 (Image: Norfolk School of Gardening) I have some clivia which were originally my great-grandfather's and must be nearly 100 years old.
They have been passed down three generations already, divided and shared out between great-grandchildren.
They have been much neglected and, in some cases, have not flowered for years, but the recent summer holiday regime clearly suits them and they now flower every summer under the shade of the wisteria and vine canopy.
I was at RHS Hampton Court Flower Festival at the beginning of the week for the wonderfully exciting moment when two of our Diploma in Garden Design students, Laura Strand and Sam Stark-Kemp, were awarded a Gold Medal and Best City Pocket Planting for their Teucer Wilson: Green the Gap Garden.
Certificate in Practical Horticulture revising pruning (Image: Norfolk School of Gardening) They have worked incredibly hard over the past days, weeks, months, putting together this design, sourcing plants and hard landscaping, as well as Teucer Wilson's beautiful sculptures at the same time as producing outstanding work for their diploma.
The awards were well deserved, and we fully expect they will go on to be very successful designers in this part of the world and beyond.
Laura and Joe Carey from Holt, outstanding designers and tutors on our diploma, scored their second Gold Medal of the season with the Alan Partridge Sound Bath Garden, after their success at Chelsea.
Their beautiful planting and touches of Norfolk in the locally sourced larch fencing and the metalwork created by local craftsmen was interspersed with sculptural speakers and Alan's voice was to be heard throughout the garden.
100 year old Clivia on summer holiday (Image: Norfolk School of Gardening) The unusual combination of horticulture and humour was a really welcome innovation at an RHS flower show!
Meanwhile, the Certificate in Practical Horticulture students were busy revising for their assessment and by the time you read this they will have completed their assessment, on, we hope, a slightly cooler day.
And we had our last Advanced Practical Gardening session before the break.
It is a really popular monthly course for experienced gardeners: get in touch if you would like more information.
These are some of the first courses next term which have spaces available.
Let us know if you'd like to join us:
· Introduction to Garden Design – 11th September
· Certificate in Practical Horticulture – 12th September
· Advanced Practical Gardening – 17th September
· Plants for Free – 24th September
· Border Renovation – 1st October
Digitalis ferruginea (Image: Norfolk School of Gardening) Plant of the Week
Digitalis ferruginea is our second unusual foxglove and a favourite of ours.
Pointed spires of slender, honey-coloured, tubular flowers, which Claire Austin says look like choir boys in full song!
They are lined up on slim, closely packed spikes above a rosette of deep green, slender, evergreen leaves.
This is a short-lived perennial foxglove, unlike most of its biennial relations and it has a striking, even exotic appearance, standing very erect right now in the borders.
Digitalis ferruginea is easy to grow from seed and is one to impress and interest your neighbours and visitors.
Contact us via www.norfolkschoolofgardening.co.uk or follow us on Instagram or Facebook.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Former watercress farm to become glamping site
Plans to turn a former watercress farm in West Sussex into a glamping site have been approved. The application for Spring Gardens, in Newells Lane, West Ashling, was given the nod by planning officers at a meeting of Chichester District Council. Until 2023, the site was home to Hairspring Watercress and the landowner Edward Scales aims to restore the site and turn it into six glamping pods. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the design statement stated the plans would "improve the rural economy" by supporting tourism demand for "provision of high-quality accommodation in the local area". IRUK Waste Planning & Consultancy, representing the developer, described the site as '"no longer agriculturally viable" in the application. A report from planning officers stated: "The proposal would result in appropriate low-key tourism use and would make a small contribution towards the economic objectives of the district by increasing overnight tourism accommodation. "The proposal would not result in any adverse impacts upon the character of the countryside, neighbour amenity, highways safety or flood risk and would result in a biodiversity enhancement." Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Hopes for tourism boost from hotel chain plan Chichester District Council Local Democracy Reporting Service Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
This homemade 45p bathroom cleaning hack blew my mind (the experts were right)
What's the weirdest thing you have cleaned your bathroom with? Maybe it was a bizarre TikTok shop product, or you decided to polish your taps with baby oil. But have you tried making your bathroom sink, bath and tiles sparkle like new, using a piece of fruit? I have, and it blew my mind. I'm the first to admit that I get sucked into these ridiculous trends on social media when it comes to household hacks – the cheaper (and weirder), the better, in my honest opinion. Because let's be honest, cleaning your house with the same old anti-bacterial spray, such as Flash or Zoflora, can get pretty boring, and that's coming from someone who cleans for a hobby. So, when I came across a cleaning expert who recommended giving your bathroom suite a rub-down with a grapefruit and some salt, I quite literally jumped (up from the sofa) at the chance. My first thoughts were, is my bathroom going to turn into a giant bucket of Pimms-like sticky syrup, and will it attract every flying insect (I'm looking at you, wasps nest across the road) surrounding my house? I just had to find out, because there was no way a humongous 45p grapefruit from Tesco could replace my trusty method army – I was adamant this was even too weird for me. But do you know what, Nigel Bearman at Daily Poppins was right, it does clean your bathroom surfaces and it does one hell of a job without any harsh chemicals in sight. I actually ate the other half of grapefruit which wasn't used to clean my bathroom - don't judge (Image: Molly Court/Newsquest) What stood out to me the most was how much it made the likes of my bathroom taps shine like they were straight out of a Wickes showroom. It even managed to get rid of a small build-up of limescale. Plus, I can't tell you how refreshing it was to have a natural, zesty scent take over my bathroom, a difference from the usual pungent anti-bacterial sprays. Although it looked a bit of a mess at first (I found it quite satisfying squeezing the inner grapefruit flesh over my sink and bath), it all washed away within seconds of pouring warm water on top. Best of all, after letting the grapefruit juice and salt soak, there wasn't a speckle of sticky residue, which was my ultimate fear. All that was left was a gleaming sink, taps and bath without any dust, grime or stains, and it only took 10 minutes to achieve. What do you usually clean your bathroom with? (Image: Molly Court/Newsquest) When cleaning my bathroom with grapefruit and salt, this is the method I followed, thanks to Nigel's instructions: Cut the grapefruit in half and sprinkle it with coarse salt (like Epsom or sea salt) - I used normal cooking salt and it worked just fine Take one half of the grapefruit and lightly scrub it over the surface of your bath and shower Let it sit for a few minutes to help the citric acid work even harder on the stains (optional) Rinse the area with warm water and wipe clean if necessary So, what's the science behind grapefruit and salt being an excellent bathroom cleaner? Nigel explained: 'Grapefruit contains citric acid which helps to quickly break down soap scum and grime found in baths and showers. It acts as a natural cleaning agent and dissolves through tough stains while eliminating germs and bacteria. An unbelievable transformation if I do say so myself (Image: Molly Court/Newsquest) 'The salt works as an abrasive to help scrub the grime away while you use it, while the grapefruit uses its natural acids and antibacterial properties to break down the buildup and leave your bathroom sparkling clean. It's a simple, eco-friendly solution that gives you a fresh, citrus-scented finish.' Recommended reading: Method's new cleaning spray transformed my home into a Jo Malone-scented paradise I banished the world's worst washing machine smell with 30p hack (and toothpaste) How to remove tough yellow toilet seat stains - 65p hack leaves them 'spotless' Additionally, you can also make an all-purpose grapefruit spray – just squeeze the juice from the grapefruit into a spray bottle, add 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar, top it up with warm water, and give it a good shake. You can also use the leftover grapefruit peel to deodorise your bathroom bin or pop it in a pot of boiling water to naturally scent the whole room. If you fancy giving your bathroom a clean using this cheap grapefruit hack, let us know how you get on in the comments below. What a zest-tastic idea from Nigel, I owe you one.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trees planted to mark project's fifth anniversary
More than 1.6m trees in almost 1,000 locations have been planted as part of the Forest for Cornwall, marking its fifth anniversary. A new map listing the projects has been produced showing the variety of places that have benefitted from increased tree cover. Residents, farmers, landholders and community groups have planted tree saplings. Cornwall Council launched the initiative in 2019 to help the region respond to climate change. Councillor Loic Rich, cabinet member for environment and climate change, said: "We're celebrating an incredible five years of Forest for Cornwall and we want to say a huge thank you to all of you who have got involved so far and to all those to come. "Not only has this scheme brought benefits for nature recovery, absorbed carbon emissions and improved flooding resilience in many locations across Cornwall, it has also had a tangible effect on improving the environment where people live with many trees being planted near homes and in amenity spaces. "We have many more trees in the pipeline for this winter and lots of tips and advice on planting and looking after trees whether you're a farmer or organisation or individual." More news stories for Cornwall Listen to the latest news for Cornwall Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ Cornwall residents urged to collect a free tree Cornwall Council
