It’s a topsy-turvy climate!

As always, gardeners have been kept guessing by the weather this year. In many ways, the wet winter and the seemingly continual showers during the spring have helped to keep plants green and lush. Certainly, newly planted shrubs, trees and hedges will have benefitted from being constantly watered. Even into mid-June, there have been cool nights, breezy northerly winds and unusually grey skies. Now it is (meteorological) summer, the temperature contrasts when the sun appears have been quite dramatic. As gardeners, we have to be prepared for hot and dry conditions over the next few weeks. Use bark or mulch to preserve water in shrub beds; hanging baskets and bedding plants will need daily watering and weekly feeding for best results, as will vegetable plants. Slugs and snails have been prolific this year. Apart from slug pellets, there are other options which help: grit, wool or wool pellets and perlite can all contribute to keep them at bay. Copper tape and spraying WD40 around pots are also excellent deterrents. Black spot and mildew on roses is also a problem: regular spraying is advisable as there is little alternative to chemical control apart from removing the worst-infected leaves. Apart from filling in with bedding and vegetable plants, July is not ideal for planting, especially larger shrubs and trees. Hot and dry weather can make it difficult for them to establish. So it should be a time to enjoy the best your garden can offer, large or small, tended or neglected. Even overgrown areas can be a joy at this time of year – teeming with wildlife and wildflowers. A small pond will also be hugely beneficial, swiftly providing a source of food and drink for an array of fauna and flora.

David Hogg Buckland Nurseries