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Daily Mirror
08-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Gardeners urged to 'spare a few minutes' for key job this month
As we settle into early July, gardens across the country are reaching their vibrant summer peak. The longer days and warmer temperatures have flowers and bedding plants bursting with colour As we enter early July, gardens nationwide are reaching their vibrant summer peak. The longer days and warmer temperatures have flowers and bedding plants bursting with colour, but they need extra care to stay healthy. One crucial task gardeners shouldn't overlook this month is deadheading - removing spent blooms. According to The Sunday Gardeners, an independent gardening advice and tips website, even the busiest gardeners can benefit from setting aside a few minutes for this task. They wrote: "If you have little for any gardening task, if you can spare a few minutes, it is worthwhile deadheading. "To keep summer plants and bedding at its best and to prolong flowering, it is essential to spent flowers." July is a critical stage in the growing season when many plants tire after their initial burst of flowers. Once a flower fades and starts producing seeds, the plant's energy shifts from blooming to reproduction. This natural process often causes the plant to slow or stop producing new flowers altogether, reports the Express. Removing spent flowers signals to the plant to continue focusing on growth and bloom production rather than seed development. By cutting off old flower heads promptly, gardeners can encourage a fresh cycle of flowering, extending the plant's display well into late summer and sometimes even beyond. Certain summer bloomers require regular attention. For instance, the Ice Plant (Mesembryanthemum) needs constant deadheading to maintain its colourful carpet of flowers. Clematis, a popular climbing plant, will also reward regular deadheading with a longer flowering season. For some plants, deadheading can be so frequent that trimming back with shears is easier and more effective. Hardy geraniums, Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla mollis), chives, and Nepeta (catmint) often respond well to this approach, producing fresh growth and sometimes a second wave of flowers. Argyranthemums, Cherry Pie, roses, pansies, polyanthus, and petunias also respond well to light deadheading, which can be done in just a few minutes and does not require any tools. Even just a few minutes spent deadheading during this week can boost your garden's health and appearance. This quick task will help your plants stay vibrant, save energy, and provide colour throughout the rest of the season so if you're juggling a busy schedule, try to prioritise this key gardening job and your flowers will thank you.
Daily Mirror
07-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Simple July task gives gardeners a 'second flush of flowers' this summer
A timely trim can rejuvenate early-flowering perennials, giving a garden a new lease of life in the height of summer, horticultural experts say Garden enthusiasts are being urged to reach for their pruning shears this month and provide early- flowering perennials with a well-timed cut, promising revitalised foliage and potentially even a second wave of blooms later this summer. Come early July, numerous early-blooming perennials including Oriental poppies, Alchemilla mollis, hardy Geraniums, and Nepeta start to appear tired. Their previously abundant leaves begin to turn brown and deteriorate, making flower beds appear scruffy. However, horticultural specialists suggest that a tactical pruning session now can restore vitality to these beloved garden plants. "If you cut these perennials back close to the ground and give them a feed, many will respond with fresh green growth and, in some cases, another round of flowering," The Sunday Gardener said. Begin by clearing away the faded foliage and stems to within a few inches of the earth, adding a balanced fertiliser or organic compost, watering thoroughly, and then being patient. Within a fortnight, gardeners should anticipate seeing a tidy cluster of fresh leaves, and possibly some additional flowers, reports the Express. Whilst the technique may initially render beds appearing sparse, the eventual benefits justify the brief bareness. For those worried about appearance, a shrewd suggestion is to coordinate the pruning with a summer getaway. "If you do it just before you go away, you'll return to a refreshed, revitalised garden," suggests the guide. Alchemilla mollis, also known as Lady's Mantle, may appear too lush for a severe cutback, yet gardening gurus confirm it thrives after such treatment. What might look like an extreme trim will, in just a few weeks, lead to a rejuvenated burst of new leaves. The "Chelsea Chop" technique is a nifty trick for gardeners to employ in July, breathing new life into plants that might have otherwise finished their display for the year. To capitalise on this mid-summer gardening strategy, begin by pruning early-blooming perennials like Oriental poppies, Alchemilla mollis, hardy Geraniums, and Nepeta from early to mid-July. Arm yourself with sharp shears and cut the plants down to just above the soil surface, then pamper them with a hearty feed and a good soak. Although your flowerbeds may initially seem barren, hold off on feeling disheartened; within a fortnight or so, you'll witness a resurgence of verdant growth, and often, a bonus round of flowering. With some dedication and tender loving care, your garden can flaunt a refreshed appearance deep into the season.
Telegraph
14-02-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Ask the head gardener: What's eating the young plants in my borders, and how can I stop it?
Dear Tom, My herbaceous border is a great joy, but last year many of my young plants simply disappeared. I thought it might be slugs, rabbits or mice (we live in the country), and surrounded some of the plants with copper netting. I sprinkled anti-rabbit and pigeon stuff all round the border, put bird-friendly slug pellets near affected plants, and watered with ginger and chilli tea. My campanula was constantly nibbled to the ground, and new sprouting tops of hostas were nibbled and never recovered. Can you suggest what might be eating my young plants, so I can protect them this year? The garden is well protected against deer and we don't have any pets. –Mary Dear Mary, Last summer must have been one of the worst that I can recall for slug damage, and I can sympathise with the frustration that you feel. Furthermore, at this time of year, mice can eat their way through several seedlings, when young plants are especially vulnerable. Not only are plants expensive, but all the protective paraphernalia that goes with trying to protect them can be even more damaging to the bank balance. When a plant is damaged or eaten, as gardeners we can help to counteract that loss of foliage by regularly feeding the plants to help them regrow – but the underlying problem needs to be solved. Whenever there is a discussion about wildlife in the garden, particularly when that wildlife damages our plants, our responses can be wide-ranging. Your outlook might be to have a live-and-let-live ethos, or, let's just say, at the other end of the scale. My response would be to focus on physical barriers where appropriate, and ultimately to accept that it's difficult to exclude rabbits, mice and slugs entirely, so informed plant choices may be a solution that you consider. I fell into the trap recently of ordering a few sonic devices to try to deter deer and rabbits, with little success. The best results that I achieved to enable those young plants to grow to a size that made them less vulnerable, and the attacks less devastating, was to install a chicken-wire fence around the perimeter of the bed. If the wire is kept tight when attached to the posts, it isn't as obtrusive as you may think; however, the aesthetics do need to be considered in a domestic situation. Young woody plants can be protected with individual cages when they are young, or trees can be made safe by using a spiral rabbit guard around the base to prevent the bark being compromised. Here are my top 10 choices for plants that rabbits are less likely to eat in your garden, which may offer a more practical solution than a physical barrier: Buddleja Choisya Agapanthus Daphne Hydrangea Weigela Nepeta (catmint) Wet summers will exacerbate a slug problem in a garden, but when plants freshly emerge they are extremely vulnerable. Slugs will start to breed in the early spring, and one of the best ways to control numbers is to start that prevention early, around the middle of February, to prevent successive generations causing a problem. Trapping slugs with upturned grapefruit skins and beer traps will help to reduce the breeding population. Even the more wildlife-friendly slug pellets can be detrimental to the ecosystem within a garden, so I would advise against using these. Biological control is an option with your slugs, and if you apply nematodes in April, that will help to reduce numbers (they're available to buy online). Here are some suggestions for some plants that are less appealing to slugs and snails which may be worth considering: Anemone Astrantia Digitalis Geraniums Salvias Seedlings and young plants in greenhouses are especially vulnerable to mice, so it is worth reducing the population before you start sowing seeds. Snap or live traps are an option, but when relocating mice, make sure that you do it a good distance away from your house, around two miles away, to ensure that they don't return.
