Time for a trim

Many hedges can be trimmed now. Before you start always check that there are no nesting birds. Use the right tools for the job. For small leafed hedges use shears or a hedge trimmer for large leafed hedges (like laurel and holly) use secateurs so you can neatly cut the stems.

Children's Holiday Project - Decorate and grow!

Buy a terracotta or plastic pot about 25cm in diameter. If you use a terracotta pot, paint it with PVA glue to seal it and prolong the painting. Once dry paint the outside with emulsion or acrylic paint in your child's chosen colour. Let the pot dry in the sun. Let your child decorate the pot by painting a pattern - you could even help make stamps from potatoes or sponges - think of fun shapes like flower heads, hearts and swirls. If you go wrong, paint over with the base colour and try again! To help preserve the painting apply another layer of PVA glue to the dry painted surface then fill the pot with compost. Either sow with seeds or pre-grown plants. You could either have a colourful flower pot or what about a vegetable or salad pot? At St Bridget Nurseries Garden Centres you'll find the pots, seeds and compost you need plus a lovely range of gardening tools for children including small trowels, watering cans and gardening gloves.

Flower Power

Summer flowering shrubs such as philadelphus, jasmine and weigela will benefit if you cut back flowering shoots to strong new growth immediately after all the flowers have faded.
Encouraging new growth ensures the plant carries flowers all over the plant instead of just at the top. To give shrubs the energy to produce plenty of flower bearing stems, dress around the roots with a slow release food like Miracle-Gro Slow Release Rose & Shrub food. This contains a controlled release plant food that will supply all the major nutrients over the next six months to ensure good sturdy growth.

This product is available from both St Bridget Nurseries' Garden Centres in Exeter.

Production Rose Field Now Open...

Would a garden without a rose smell so sweet? St Bridget Nurseries' Garden Centres have a wonderful selection of roses in their plant areas for you to buy today or alternatively visit the production rose field while you are visiting the Sidmouth Road, Clyst St Mary Garden Centre. It's just a short walk from the bottom of the car park. You will be able to stroll through thousands of roses that we the company are growing in Exeter. If you find a rose you like why not order it for the autumn when the roses will be dug from the field? St Bridget Nurseries have a delivery and mail order service. Ask their staff for further information or call 01392 876281.

Tomatoes

It seems like everyone is growing tomatoes these days. What help can we give to ensure bumper crops?

Tomatoes certainly are a favourite home-grown vegetable or rather fruit! You can grow them in a greenhouse, in the veg garden, in pots on the patio or even in hanging baskets! A little care and attention now will ensure bumper crops throughout the summer. First you need to make sure they are kept well and evenly watered – if the soil or compost dries out then the crop is reduced, the fruit may split and even suffer from blossom end rot –that’s when the bottom of the fruit turns black. Crops growing in grow-bags are always the worst affected as the compost dries out so quickly. A drip watering system will help get over this. Tomatoes are also hungry feeders, and need a weekly diet of liquid tomato fertiliser – this not only improves the crop, but it improves the flavour too! Make sure your plants are well supported – so tie them in regularly to their supports, which should be strong and sturdy. Finally, always remove sideshoots from upright cordon varieties – this isn’t necessary, by the way, with the smaller bush varieties – then remove yellowing or dying leaves and watch out for pests and diseases and treat accordingly.