Gardening tips

Flowers

• Tie in new stems of climbing and rambling roses horizontally to supports, to encourage more flowers.
• Sweet peas need to be picked, picked and picked again to keep them flowering.
• Just using one mug worth of watering per day is usually enough to keep your hanging baskets with the right amount of moisture in them if it is particularly hot.
• Plant some pollinator friendly flowers such as scabious into your garden as they will help attract more pollinators and gain higher yields!

Veg

• Sow Pak Choi directly.
• June is the last chance to sow pumpkin seeds ready for the autumn harvest.
• Keep bi-weekly sowing salad leaves for a continuous crop.
• Harvest early potatoes as soon as they start to flower.

Fruit

• Put mulch around the base of strawberry plants to keep moisture in.
• Feed the tomatoes.
• Place netting to cover ripening fruit if you haven’t already.
• Pick and prune blackcurrants also.

Wild bird care

• Keep the bird bath topped up with water as the temperatures rise.

Pest control

• Keep on top of weeding beds and borders.
• If you find any aphids, spray some soapy water on them and rub them off gently.
• Consider using nematoads to control the slugs.

Pond

• As the weather gets warmer, pond weed can quickly get out of control if left to its own devices. All it takes to remove it is a small net or old kitchen sieve a scoop it away!
• The warmer temperatures will also make any fish more active so now’s the time to start feeding them daily.

Lawn

• Mow weekly and trim the edges of your lawn to keep it looking sharp and prevent it setting seed into your borders.

Houseplants

• Mist those humidity loving plants daily when it is hot.
• Feed once in the month.
• Make sure sensitive plants are out of direct sunlight.