Island Life Magazine Ltd June/July 2010 | Page 122
gardening
Island Life - June/July 2010
Tina trained as a professional gardener after leaving
school and spent a summer working in Tuscany as
an English Gardener. She has a National Diploma in
Horticulture.
Keeping up
appearances
Tina Hughes
If you have a question for Tina need some advice or even a
suggestion for an article then please email:
[email protected]
The luscious exuberance of early summer is
display of fresh leaves and, sometimes,
reaching its peak now. Trees are in full leaf,
flowers by September.
colourful annuals are bursting out of their
Regular feeding and watering is important
containers, and classic perennials such as
too. Baskets, pots, fruit and vegetables
delphiniums and roses are at their best.
naturally take priority. It is also worth
This is the time of year that fills gardening
keeping an eye on any trees or shrubs that
books and magazines on coffee tables
you planted in the autumn as they may start
around the world with quintessentially
to suffer in dry weather. A good soaking
British images of glorious herbaceous
once a week in the early morning or evening
borders, crisply clipped hedges and velvety
reduces evaporation and is much more
dew spangled lawns. But it’s important to
effective than a brief hosing every day. If
remember that gardens are not static and
you’ve laid or sown a lawn this year, it’s
plants have their own agenda.
important to keep it well watered too.
The hedges have doubled in size. Climbing
plants, intent on reaching for the sun ,
Delphiniums
are growing several centimetres each day.
Industrious bees are pollinating flowers.
Once plants begin to set seed they divert
all their energy into doing so, and stop
producing new flowers. To maintain good
displays, dead-head regularly, so plants are
encouraged to continue flowering. Many
early perennial plants begin to look tatty
after a few weeks and some respond well to
a good trim in late July, Nepetia (catmint),
hardy geraniums and Alchemilla molllis
(lady’s mantle) amongst others can be cut
back really hard. This produces a good new
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