Last week Horticulturist Roger provided a few hints to keep your garden prospering through the summer period. Here’s part 2 in the series:
Plant summer herbs such as Basil and Rocket. If using pots that have been left empty over winter, the potting mix should be thrown away. Existing herb pots should be liquid-fertilised and treated with a liquid soil-wetting agent to prevent drying out in hot weather.
Aerate and top dress your lawn to encourage new growth. Turf can be aerated using a fork or aeration devices available from nurseries and hardware stores. Next, top-dress your lawn with ‘Supertop’; a mixture of sand, compost and fertiliser. This can be spread over the surface of the lawn and watered in.
Cut back ‘Star Jasmine’. After flowers have dropped Jasmine will begin to grow rapidly so a hard cut-back will keep the plant neat and encourage fuller growth.
Watch for aphids, especially on new shoots and flower buds. Aphids can be sprayed with an insecticide such as Confidor or a mix of diluted detergent and water.
Check roses for black spot. Remove any infected leaves and spray with Triforene or diluted milk and water (1:5). Ensure that any fallen leaves are removed from the ground and place in the rubbish not in your compost heap.
Last week Horticulturist Roger provided a few hints to keep your garden prospering through the summer period. Here’s part 2 in the series:
