THE POTTING SHED

Welcome to this edition of the Potting Shed. My name is James Boddington, and this page is dedicated to the residents of Queens Park and offers gardening news, views, hints and tips.

In the garden.

The lawn

Mow less frequently, and raise the height of cut as the growth rate of the grass slows down. This will help the lawn to withstand the last of the warm, dry weather, and also keep it resistant to treading as the wet weather arrives.

 

You can now start to think about autumn lawn care, including scarifying, aerating and top dressing.

 

You can harden your lawn up for winter by applying an autumn lawn feed, which is high in potassium. Do this after scarifying and aerating but before applying a top dressing. Do not give summer feeds that are high in nitrogen as this will only result in weak, soft growth, which will be prone to disease in the autumn weather.

 

Loam and sand top dressings are usually applied at a rate of 2kg per sq m (4.5lb per sq yd), working them into the lawn with a stiff brush or the back of a garden rake. If the proprietary product you use has specific application instructions, then do follow these closely.

 

Ponds

Continue to remove blanket and duckweed using a net, rake or scoop. Pile the weed by the side of the pond for 24 hours to allow pond life to crawl back into the water and then put it on the compost heap.

 

Top up water levels when necessary, particularly during warmer weather.

 

Cover the surface of ponds with netting to stop fallen leaves from entering. Accumulated debris in the pond can encourage growth of algae and weeds, which will eventually harm the fish by reducing available oxygen levels.

 

Remove dead leaves from waterlilies as the foliage dies back.

 

Waterlilies can be prone to fungal problems such as crown rot and leaf spot, so nip any problems in the bud by dealing with them promptly. Remove affected leaves, reduce watersplash from fountains and, if necessary, repot the whole plant in fresh compost after first removing all rotten looking bits of root, stem and leaf.

 

Now is a good time to divide waterlilies and other pond plants, both floating and marginal, in order to increase their stocks or to control over-vigorous growth.

 

Overgrown marginal plants can just be cut back, if further stocks are not required. A maximum of 50% of the water’s surface should be taken up with planting.

 

You may need to thin out submerged oxygenating plants, as they can quickly build up and crowd the pond.

 

Encouraging wildlife

Jobs for the month

 

• Clean out birdbaths
•  Keep birdbaths topped up
•  Replenish birdfeeders. The breeding season is not yet over, so avoid large chunks and peanuts.
•  Leave some seedheads standing, rather than cutting them back, to provide food and shelter for wildlife.

 

As a general rule, single flowers attract more insects than double blooms. Bear in mind that insects are attracted to particular plants for their nectar (Sedum spectabile), their pollen (Lavatera), the shelter they provide (ornamental grasses and many other species) or their suitability for breeding (many native species and weeds, even the common nettle). A variety of insect-friendly planting from all these groups is likely to attract more insects than a mass planting of flowers providing only nectar or pollen.

Plants for sale.

I currently have alpines, mixed geraniums and fuchsias for sale. If you are interested e-mail me at the address below or ring 07729854671 for more details.   

You can e-mail me at jamesboddington@hotmail.co.uk with your gardening questions and I will gladly answer them for you.

 

 

My contact details :

James Boddington Garden and Lawn care

http://www.jamesboddington.co.nr

Phone 07729854671

E-mail jamesboddington@hotmail.co.uk