Seasonal gardening advice from Blooms & More

The recent wet weather in July, which was the wettest on record, presents us with both challenges and opportunities. After some great weather in May and June, flower displays in baskets and containers were looking fabulous but now might be looking a bit ‘washed out’. These can be revived by some dead heading and a weekly feed of a good quality feed such as Baby Bio ‘Outdoor Flower Food’ or Westland ‘Boost’. With some decent weather, they will continue to flower well into autumn. Remember too that pots near the house still need regular watering as they are most likely to be in a rain shadow.

In the vegetable garden, crops still to be harvested will benefit from the extra moisture and pests such as caterpillars and green fly will be less prevalent. Keep a watch out for slugs and use slug traps or apply organic pellets if needed, which are completely harmless to animals. One major problem has been potato blight which thrives in these weather conditions. Blight can be recognised when the leaves turn brown and die in a couple of days. However, the potatoes can be saved by cutting away all the foliage and disposing of it so that the spores don’t get washed into the soil.

Lawns in general have greened up since the earlier dry spell but will benefit from a feed now to keep them looking well into the autumn. Conditions are ideal for applying feed such as Westland ‘Safelawn’, which is a natural product and is child and pet friendly. If you want to prevent a build-up of moss over the winter months, use ‘’Moss Master’ or ‘Mo Bacter’ in September. These act as a slow-release feed and the bacteria in them digests the moss.

Now is an ideal time for sowing lawn seed. Germination will be fast with good heat and moisture in the soil. Apply ‘Growmore’ fertiliser before sowing to feed the new grass and give it the best possible start.

Late summer and autumn is the best time to plant trees and shrubs. Apply a feed when planting such as bonemeal to promote strong and healthy roots.