Air, Food & Water

Its been a busy period here in the gardens with every plant and grass blade catching our eye asking for our attention. Lesley has recently completed the major task of Summer pruning the fruit trees in the orchard. This Summer pruning has resulted in not only nicely shaped healthy trees but also fruit that can be picked from the ground and not from a ladder, which can only be a good thing.
The beds have filled out and have produced beautiful blooms, full of colour and sweet fragrance. The Yew border in the orchard is an example of this colourful display and a delight for the senses. As things grow and require a tidy up, we see a freshening up of some feature plants such as the stunning Myrtle which frames the kitchen window. This has had its yearly trim and looks fresh and this has also let light into the window at last. We have also been busy keeping on top of the weed growth in some cleared beds such as the middle terrace and rose garden. Hand pulling and a rotavating has been completed and resulted in a freshening up of these areas.
The lawns have been given a light feed of organic bone meal and cacao shell. This is to both green up the lawn in turn enhancing the look but also to feed the soil microbes and produce a healthy soil. It is vital that in any situation the growing medium (soil) is treated with care and is kept healthy. Just like humans all growing mediums need air, food and water. We can provide all these things by aerating the soils, feeding with a natural organic feed and watering when required. This for lawns can mean returning your clipping as a mulch to the lawn once a month. This will act the same as an application of feed, and its free! Watering can sometimes be left to nature but if needed make sure there is room for the water in the soil. Water will fill pores in the soil if these exist. If these pore spaces do not exist water-logging will occur. Aeration will need to be carried out if this occurs.
It is approaching that time of year where the hedges require a trim and tidy (just like at the barbers). The Parterre box hedge was trim and shaped in early July this reducing the chance of scorch and blight. It has tidied up the look of the area greatly. It will no doubt be a busy August, but we look forward to it and hope that all your gardens are being enjoyed while the weather allows. Enjoy!