Here’s a copy of our July news.
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Your garden should be looking lovely by now, but if you still need a bit of colour in your planters, we still have a good selection of annuals left to fill the gaps.
The Ladybird population has built up at last. They are busy on the nursery, happily munching their way through the eggs and small caterpillars of the Cabbage White butterflies on the brassicas. We thought they only eat aphids, so they are even more beneficial than we realised.
Hosepipe bans are being introduced in some parts of the country, but in our region, Wessex Water has no immediate plans to do so. Use water wisely and recycle grey water where you can – but do not let established plants die – that is not eco-friendly either.
Our thanks goes to Nerys who has taken these lovely images of our July colour.
Alstromeria, Commelina, Crocosmia, Echinacea, Erigeron, Hanging Baskets, Hollyhock nigra, Hydrangea pink annabelle, last of the summer bedding, liatris, lobelia starship, Monarda, phlox David and crocosmia, scabious, sidalcea, verbena .
Planters – time to give them some TLC
Established planters will now need some feed to keep them going; anything is better than nothing, but if you have a choice, rose food is best. Plenty of potash for flower colour and strong disease-resistant leaves, and a nice balance of nitrogen and phosphate to keep things growing well, but not too leggy. A dilute feed regularly is safer than a weekly strong dose; because if the plants dry out, the roots will scorch – all too easy with the hot weather