大象传媒

So far, May has been a total washout, what with the constant rain and now the cold evenings, its no wonder so many of the crops recently sown have not made an appearance so far. The Potatoes, though, which were sown in tubs during April are doing very well, though they are pretty hardy so am not surprised they have beaten the Radish and Lettuce sown only a matter of days after.

If you want crops like Tomatoes and Cucumbers then they will have to be sown where they can get a little heat so short of placing them in a heated greenhouse your best bet will be to leave them on a bright windowsill until the seeds germinate, hopefully by then we will be experiencing some seasonal temperatures.

The rain has done wonders to the trees and shrubs as they now look fantastic with lush green foliage and in some cases like Rhododendrons and Azaleas are ablase with glorious colours. The lawns are looking good too but watch out that weeds are not taking a hold and if they are get them out as soon as you can or give them a blast of chemical weed killer.

PLANT OF THE WEEK:

BLACKBERRY "Loch Marie" is an impressive fairly new variety from the Loch range of berried canes. This fantastic variety is not only an early cropper with an excellent flavour, but is also the first to have unique double pink flowers on its thornless stems. Grown in the open ground this modern Blackberry will do well provided the soil is freely draining. For those of you with smaller gardens or balconies "Loch Marie" will grow well in terra cotta pots if well fed with Rose or tomato feed and will provide sweet and juicy fruit over an extended period.

TOPICAL TIPS:

Plant out Canna's and Dahlia's into well dug soil and well fertilised and make sure plants are firmed in. Canna's being Lily bulbs will need to be planted at least twice their depth or if you want plants then the garden centres will now have these in stock. As for the Dahlia's, they can either be purchased as growing plants or the tubers can planted just below the soil surface.

Divide Bamboo's by getting a sharp knife or a spade and cutting the root clump through the middle. New plants can be propagated in this way and all you do is plant the section removed into either a pot or back into the open ground.

Deadhead spent Tulips and Daffodils but do not remove the foliage yet as this will be supply the nutrient for next years flowers. Feed the base of the bulbs with Sulphate Of Potash or Pelleted Chicken Manure.

Happy Gardening

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