SUMMER The fruits of your labour will soon start to bloom and you can really enjoy your garden. Heady scents, visiting wildlife, explosions of colour, warm summer sun, evenings sat out around an open fire, barbecues with family and friends, harvesting fruit and vegetables, open gardens, this has to be the most enjoyable part of the season. It's a great time of year to enjoy the sensory delights on offer, children
pieces will create impact and be a great talking point but can often be a bit pricey. You also have the option of having furniture
Seating RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2010 (KM)
is essential that during the summer months they are kept well fed and watered. When they are newly planted and it is not that hot you will only need to water every 2-3 days. Use the finger test, if you place your finger into the compost and it is moist then all is okay but if the compost feels dusty then you need to water. As it becomes hotter you may need to water daily and give the plants a liquid feed every 1-2 weeks.
Seating, McArthur Landscapes portfolio
designed and made specifically for your site. If you like to entertain but only have a small space, a floating seat that wraps around a raised bed can be a great option, throw a towel on it and you also have a place to sunbathe. For larger gardens you may wish to invest in a summer house, bar, built-in outdoor kitchen or pool.
(KM images)
thrive outdoors and their creativity explodes as they explore their natural surroundings, build dens, role play and chase butterflies around parks and gardens. Not only will memories be in the making but scent is a real powerful memory trigger sending us down memory lane.
Garden furniture is always a good investment. One off
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General garden tasks Window boxes, planters and hanging baskets can be planted with flowers and shrubs, salad, hanging tomatoes or strawberries. It
Strawberries A few weeks after your plants have finished fruiting, you need to tidy up the plants. Cut the parent plants down to 5cm from the ground. Get rid of all the waste and then give the plants a feed using a handful of rose or tomato fertiliser and
give them a good water. If the plants have small runners you can place a small pot of compost below the baby plant and use a hair pin to secure it into place so it can root. Remember not to cut it away from the parent plant before it has rooted. Strawberry plants normally become prone to disease after 3 years so it is good to keep some of the runners each year to replace older plants.
Irrigated salad tower
Lawns By early summer you should be mowing the lawn regularly, as it will be growing fast and furious. Mow at least once a week, but if there is a prolonged dry spell raise the blades on your mower up a couple of notches so you don't cut so close to the ground, it will keep the grass greener. If the grass is suffering from drought, don't risk using any kind of feed as it won't help and may even scorch the grass. In dry spells give a
new lawn a good long soak once a week, this will be more beneficial than a quick damping down every night, don't waste water on established lawns as they should be able to take care of themselves. The grass will stop growing when it's short of water, so it won’t need mowing so much but still cut it every couple of weeks to prevent the grass and weeds from seeding and running riot.
To keep your garden looking its best you could invest in an irrigation system. Andrew Hamon of Le Lay Engineers lists the benefits of an Automated Irrigation System.
Your garden reflects the pride that you take in your home and your neighbourhood. An automatic irrigation system is the easiest way to keep the garden beautiful and provide you with three great benefits.
Simplicity Save time and effort. Once an irrigation system is installed you’ll never have to drag a hose all over the yard, never have to try and figure out if you’ve applied enough (or too much) water, and you’ll never have to worry about watering the lawn while you’re away.
Efficiency Because the system is automatic, you don’t need to be there to physically apply the water. You’ll have more free time to enjoy more of your favourite activities.
Value Attractive landscaping requires substantial investment and careful maintenance. An automatic irrigation system will protect that investment by assuring healthier, longer living plants and turf. Plus, installing a
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