Pennells Garden Centres

Summer time is the best time to enjoy the lawn but it can also have the biggest toll on your grass. It doesn't take a lot of effort to keep your lawn looking good throughout the summer season and with the right tools and treatments at your fingertips you simply can't go wrong. Persistent hot and dry weather can quickly affect the appearance and overall health of the grass plants.

Mowing

You will now probably need to increase the regularity with which you mow your lawn, if the conditions are ideal for growth you may need to cut twice a week to keep it looking good. However in very hot weather the grass may stop growing so reduce the number of times you mow it accordingly.  Don't mow the lawn too short when it is very hot as this can cause damage to occur. Use an edging iron to keep lawn edges neat and tidy.

If you are going away on holiday, cut the lawn before you go. Don't be tempted to cut it very short, as this will cause it stress. Weak grass cannot compete well with invading weeds and moss and will suffer. Cut it as normal as near to your leaving date as possible.

Feeding

Apply a feed to keep you lawn looking green and healthy. Aftercut Lawn Feed and Conditioner can be applied directly after mowing and can be used every 3 to 4 weeks until October. If the ground is compacted then aerate it with a hollow tine aerator or use a garden fork. Make regular holes all over the grass surface and then brush Lawn & Turf Dressing into the holes. This will help to create a thicker, healthier lawn and also improve drainage.

Weeds

Small patches of weeds can be treated effectively using a selective weed killer such as Resolva Lawn WeedKiller. For larger areas of weeds or if moss is also present, apply Feed, Weed & Moss Killer. Lawns treated in the spring may need a second application if the moss or weeds are persistent.

Pests

Keep a watch out for chewed lawn roots and patchy lawns that may indicate a problem with leather jackets and chafer grubs. These are underground larvae that feed on grass roots and can be controlled using naturally occurring nematodes.

New Lawns

Keep newly sown lawns and freshly turfed areas well watered in dry spells. Ensure you water thoroughly, light watering can cause further damage by encouraging roots to the surface. Water at dusk and really soak the area so that the water filters through to the soil around the roots.

Enjoy the Lawn!

Don't forget to enjoy the lawn during the summer months, it is the perfect place to host garden parties or garden games while the weather is warm and the rest of the garden is looking good.

Gardening  Tips For July

With the hot weather we have been having recently you will need to be watering your hanging baskets and containers, as well as any new plants that you have planted this spring. Don't be tempted to water your plants in the heat of the day as you will find most of the water soon evaporates. The ideal time is in the evening just as its getting dusk. 

In order to keep your tubs and baskets growing well its necessary to keep feeding them as the initial nutrients in the compost will soon get used up at this time of year.  Use Miracle Gro or All Purpose Soluble Plant Food.

Another beneficial action is to spread a mulch layer of organic matter such as decorative bark chips or soil conditioner over the soil surface. For best results use Westland Decorative Mini Bark. These long-lasting chips will help soil to retain moisture six times longer than ordinary garden soil.

Sweet peas will be producing new flowers every day and will need to be cut regularly to fill your home with delicious scents of summer. If you leave plants for a few days to set seed then they usually stop producing new buds and flowers. So keep those scissors handy and feed these plants over the foliage and around the roots with Miracle-Gro Liquafeed.

Watch for pests attacking new plant growth and treat them as soon as the first culprits are noticed. Red lily beetle adults and their grubs will be a summer nuisance. As soon as you see the first adult spray with BugClear Ultra Gun! - just one treatment will protect your lilies for up to three weeks. You can use the same spray on all your decorative flowers including roses, philadelphus, lupins and other plants that are susceptible to aphid (greenfly and blackfly) attack.

Roses may be showing the first signs of powdery mildew on new buds and leaves. If that's the case spray them with a systemic fungicide such as FungusClear Ultra or FungusClear 2 Gun!

If you allow weeds to take over the gaps between flowers, shrubs and annual bedding you will be encouraging competition that will rob these wanted plants of soil moisture, soil nutrients, space and light. To see off the weeds without back-breaking hard work spray them with Weedol Max Gun! or Weedol Rootkill Plus. Weedol Rootkill Plus is best for weeds that have deep or wandering roots such as bindweed, couch grass, dandelions and nettles. But if you've only got small annual weeds such as chickweed, groundsel and meadow grass then Weedol Max Gun! will give a fast-acting kill. In fact on a warm day you will see the weeds begin to wilt and die in just one hour.

The Wisteria is one of the most spectacular flowering climbing plants. They will cover walls in a cascade of flower in dark purples, blues or even white which will cause the casual passer by to stop in their tracks to admire its glory!

However sometimes they can disappoint with lots of growth and not many flowers. So here are a few tips on getting that avalanche of flower!

Ensure that you choose a grafted plant. Seedling wisteria can take up to 20 years to start to flower.

• Choose a free flowering variety. Here are a few suggestions.
• Wisteria floribunda ‘Macrobotrys' - Scented violet flowers in very long racemes
• Wisteria sinensis ‘Prolific' - Lots of scented blue flowers in racemes up to 2ft long
• Wisteria ‘Black Dragon' - Dark blue scented flowers
• Plant in a sunny position
• Water well especially in the first few years.
• Wisteria will need some support to become established. The simplest method is to use strong wires between vine eyes or a heavy trellis to create a frame for the plant to climb up.

One of the keys to ensuring lots of flower is correct pruning. Wisterias are pruned twice a year, at this time of year and again in January and February.  

When a wisteria has finished flowering it produces lots of long whippy branches. In the early years tie these stems to the trellis or wires to create the framework for the plant. As the plant grows it becomes necessary to prune in the July or August to control the size of the wisteria and prevent it spreading onto roofs and gutters.  The pruning also encourages the plant to form the flower buds for the following year. Use a pair of secateurs to cut each of the unwanted long stems back so that they have five or six sets of leaves and tie them back to the support.

The winter pruning is carried out in January and February when the plant isn't in leaf with the aim of tidying the plant and ensuring that the flower isn't obscured with leaves. Any long stems that grew after the summer pruning should be cut back to five or six buds from the main stem. The stems that were pruned back in the summer should be pruned back to two or three buds.

June has the longest days and the chance of frosts at night have now passed so now you can plant outside your tender bedding plants and your vegetable plants such as tomatoes, sweet corn and runner beans. Plant up containers using West+ Multi-Purpose Compost. Mix in Water Saving Gel and Feed All Slow Release Tablets for the best results

However don't forget that as the weather gets hotter and drier you need to be watering and feeding your containers, hanging baskets, vegetables. Miracle Gro liquid feed is ideal to bring out the best in your plants.

For great results with tomatoes find a sunny spot against a wall to place one or two Tomorite Giant Planters. Plant three tomatoes per bag, leaving a well around each stem so that subsequent watering is easier. You should still be able to find seedling tomato plants of reliable varieties such as Alicante, Gardener's Delight and Golden Sunrise in your local garden centre. If you want to grow trailing forms of tomato such as Tumbler or Garden Pearl in patio pots or hanging baskets use West+ Container and basket Compost to get your salad fruits off to a flying start. Start feeding tomatoes with Tomorite as soon as the first truss has set fruit.

Your first crops will now be ready, but don't forget to keep sowing lettuces and other crops to ensure you have more to come.

Keep mowing and feeding the lawn to make sure it's looking its best. However if you do have problems with weeds such as dandelions in your lawn then you can still treat them with a selective weedkiller such as Verdone extra. Apply the chemical in between mowings for best effect.

Inevitably the weeds and bugs come out in force at this time of year. If your fruit and vegetables are being attacked with green or black fly, use Bugclear for fruit and veg at the first sign of the pest appearing, then repeat again in two weeks.

Westland Resolva 24H gives fast and effective control of both annual and deep-rooted perennial weeds.  Resolva 24H kills most weeds with a single application, but some tough weeds may require a second treatment.  If your drive or paths have weeds in them, then use Pathclear Season Long Weed killer  - one application kills and prevents weeds for up to three months.  Ideal for gravel paths, gravel drives and waste ground. 

Of course don't forget to enjoy your garden! To do this just sit down, relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour!

Take care to protect your bedding plants from frosts. Even when the days can seem warm night time temperatures can drop below freezing – so if you have planted out soft bedding remember to cover them with fleece at night.

Don’t forget to protect soft fruit such currants and gooseberries from bird damage. Cover the plants with Gardman Garden Netting.

Watch out for aphids (greenfly and blackfly) on roses, delphiniums, lupins, foxgloves and pansies. They can multiply with phenomenal speed, so a weekly check throughout the garden  is a good idea.  For decorative flowers use the BugClear Ultra Gun! – it’s systemic, so gets inside the plant’s sap stream to make it almost insect proof for several weeks. For edibles including herbs, vegetables and fruit use BugClear Gun! for Fruit & Veg.

Plant up hanging baskets, patio pots with tender flowers such as fuchsias, geraniums, pelargoniums, busy lizzies, petunias and all manner of trailing plants such as begonia, lobelia, erigeron, helichrysum and verbena. For magnificent results plant in Britain’s best container compost-Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Compost. This unique Aquacoir formula stores and releases water when the plants need it.

In May the grass is growing at its maximum rate, it will soon use up any energy reserves in the soil. The problem if this happens is that the grass will lose its vigour and turn pale and unloved in the process. If you have sorted out the moss and weeds earlier in spring and mow the grass regularly, all you will need to bring your lawn back to optimum condition is a balanced lawn food. EverGreen Mow it Less will give you a  green healthy lawn in just 3 days. Trials prove this special nutrient-rich formula feeds right down to the roots promoting slow, natural growth which means up to 50% less mowing than other lawn care products tested. Apply anytime for less mowing and more time for you.

Plant out brassicas with a felt pad around each stem. These circular mats placed on the soil will help to prevent the cabbage root fly from laying their eggs beside the plant stems. Some that are impregnated with copper will also deter slugs from getting onto the plants.

To avoid getting carrot fly this year follow these tips

·         Sow fly resistant varieties such as Flyaway or Resistafly

·         Sow seed thinly to eliminate the need to thin

·         Cover the seed bed with garden fleece

Nows the time to be earthing up your potatoes . When the plants have reached 20-30cm (8-12inches) tall then you need to draw the soil up and around them by scooping it out between the rows and using this soil to almost cover them over. This encourages potatoes to form higher up and ensures that light does not reach the developing tubers and turn them green. Ideally they should be ‘earthed up’ again in about 3 weeks.