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Fortieth edition - August 2004
July was a very wet and cold month for us in the UK, but
the countryside looks wonderfully green and lush because of it. The plants in
our gardens have put on an extra spurt too, with the added benefit
of not needing to spend hours watering plants to keep them looking good..
And of course we British do love to talk and moan about the weather..
August is a busy month, with preparations to be made
for the coming seasons as summer draws slowly to an end.. But do take time
out to visit a late summer flower or country show. It will set you up with
happy memories for the cold winter months ahead..
Wildflower seed mixtures..
 Last
year a colleague from laterlife.com mentioned that she had bought some
exceptional seed to plant up a paddock area of her garden. The seed was from
Pictorial Meadows, who sell wildflower seed mixtures that are suitable for
use in a wide range of situations from small scale domestic use to large
commercial plantings The mixtures are designed to produce beautiful and
uplifting meadow-like sheets of colour, providing high quality, very
long-lasting and cost-effective flowering displays. They overcome many of
the problems that are often associated with creating meadows from seed, such
as unreliable germination, short flowering season, untidy appearance and the
need to sow on low-fertility soils. Have a look at their website:
Pictorial Meadows ...
Wildflower seed mixes are also `Bumblebee friendly`!
Here is the result
for this year, which she is delighted with:-
Seems they are finally thinking about older
gardeners, with this product...
 EnvirOmower;
Cordless electric environmentally-friendly lawn mower...
No more arm-yanking cords or power leads. You'll never need petrol or oil
again with the ENVIROMOWER; an environmentally friendly, cordless
battery-powered lawn mower. FREE DELIVERY in the UK.
See their website at
www.enviromower.co.uk
Jobs for the
month - August
Houseplants
 This
information I gave for July also applies to August, so I shall leave it here
for a further month..
Look for aphid damage, red spider mite, mealy bug and
any other unwanted visitors, and spray immediately. Don`t forget to make
provision for your houseplants if you are going away. There are several
types of capillary matting in the garden centres that you can stand the
plants on, or even soaked newspaper in a bucket. Failing all else, put your
well watered houseplants in the coolest room in the house with drawn
curtains or blinds and they will easily cope for a couple of weeks.
Bulbs.
Clean off any bulbs that were lifted and stored earlier in the season, in
readiness for re-planting. New season bulbs will be arriving at the garden
centres, but do try and plant them as soon as possible after getting them
home. If this is not possible, store them in a cool dark shed that has good
air circulation, to prevent mildew.
Lawns
The wet weather has encouraged good strong growth this
year, but I am also getting reports of `fairy rings` and have a couple of
them in my own lawn.. I have decided that as they are unsightly but not a
menace, I will just rake off the toadstools with a lawn rake and put up with
them. Don`t cut the grass too short this time of year. This season I
have left the cutting blade on the mower higher than previous years and the
lawn is looking better for it.
Greenhouse
Make sure that plants in the greenhouse have
adequate ventilation and are shaded from too much sun. Maintain humidity to
avoid red spider mite by damping down with the hosepipe. Shade cucumbers
from hot sun. Regular watering of your tomatoes will avoid `Blossom end rot`
Hedges
The final cut of the year for hedges should be in
September, as they will not grow in cold weather. Check there are no birds
still nesting in your hedge.
Fruit and veg
Support heavily ladened branches of plums trees as they tend to snap off.
Start picking apples and plums. Lift onions and shallots and hang to dry in
a shed if it is too wet to leave them outside. Continue sowing vegetables
such as spring cabbage and turnip, and you still have time to sow some quick
salad crops for this year..
Flowers for cutting
Continue to train sweet peas up their supports.
Deadhead annuals to encourage further flowers. Collect seeds from
hardy annuals such as cornflower, nigella and larkspur, so they can be sown
directly in the ground in the autumn. Cut flowers for the
house to encourage more growth.
Herbaceous plants
Cut back the foliage on flowers such as delphiniums
that are finished. This is a good time to take cuttings of tender perennials
in case the winter kills the parent plant. Keep the borders weed free and
mulched and watch out for signs of disease or pests on your plants.
 Ponds and water features
Remove blanket weed with a stick, taking care not to include any
wildlife. I love this job, it is somehow very therapeutic! Tidy any plants
that are past their best and continue feeding the fish. Keep the water level
topped up in case of evaporation in very hot weather. Clean the moss and
algae off your water feature and make sure there is sufficient water in the pump
chamber.
Wildlife
It seems to have been a busy year for the birds, with many of them producing
many clutches of young. Don`t feed the birds during the summer months as
there is an abundance of natural food in the garden for them to feed their
young on, which is much more beneficial for them. Take care when pruning
shrubs for the autumn as some birds may still be raising a late brood of
youngsters..
If you like birds, here is the website
for you...
RHS FLOWER SHOWS 2004
http://www.rhs.org.uk/events/shows.asp
Laterlife is pleased to support the project below:-
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http://www.sensory-garden.com
Designed to stimulate the senses and provide a haven of peace, a place
to chill-out and unwind from the stress of modern living. A garden
designed specifically to be "Positive About Disabled People" and raise
funds for people with Multiple Sclerosis.
Take a virtual trip around the garden, through different countries, its
monthly photo galleries & artwork, explore and discover the plants,
birds and wildlife, water features and wind-chimes, as we endeavour to
describe the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch of the various
areas.
We hope you enjoy your visit to the Sensory Garden Project
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And some places to visit...
www.edenproject.com 
The
living theatre of plants and people
The Eden Project is a gateway into the world of plants and people. A meeting place for
all to discover how we depend on plants and how we can help to manage and conserve them
for our mutual survival.
Kew Gardens two locations:-
http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/
Tel: 020 8332 5655 (24 hr)
Fax: 020 8332 5197Royal Botanic Gardens
Kew
Richmond
Surrey
TW9 3AB |
Tel: 01444 894066 (24 hr)
Fax: 01444 894069 Royal Botanic Gardens
Wakehurst Place
Ardingly
Nr Haywards Heath
West Sussex
RH17 6TN |
The National Botanic Gardens of Scotland comprise:
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Scotland's Premier Garden
Benmore Botanic
Garden, Argyll
Argyll's Magnificent Mountainside Garden
Dawyck Botanic
Garden, Borders
Wonderful Woodland Garden
Logan Botanic
Garden, Galloway
Scotland's Most Exotic Garden
 The National Botanic Garden of Wales
www.gardenofwales.org.uk
The star attraction here is the 91 metre long domed glasshouse, that
houses landscapes normally found in the Mediterranean. This would be a super place to
visit on a chilly day...
Keep the e-mails with
your gardening problems coming
Have a look at previous
editions of Gardener`s Diary
Some websites of interest to gardeners:-
www.alantitchmarsh.co.uk
Alan Titchmarsh MBE, TV gardener, writer, broadcaster and thoroughly nice person.
Just a few choice words to describe him. See his
website....
 Thompson and Morgan:
A growing
resource for gardeners worldwide. The site includes the international online seed
catalogues, the young plants catalogue (UK only), the wholesale seeds catalogue, together
with the award winning Germination Times and a host of other useful information.
www.carryongardening.co.uk
 Gardening is an important part of many people's lives. You don't have to
give up gardening because of accident or illness, the onset of disability or the problems
associated with growing older. The information on their website is designed to provide you
with the information to Carry on Gardening.
Carry on
Gardening was initiated by the horticultural charity Thrive
and is funded by the National Lottery Charities
Board. It brings together information on easy ways of gardening gathered over 23
years by Thrive and research carried out since the early 1970s by Mary Marlborough Centre,
Oxford, on tools and equipment for disabled and older people.
The founder
of www.maple-landscapes.com
is my eldest son.. give him a call if you live in the Leicester area of the UK and have
need of his services..
Good reading:-
"The Yellow Book" contains information of
all Gardens of England and Wales open for charity, and can be bought priced £5 from
National Gardens Scheme www.ngs.org.uk
National Trust Gardens Handbook is £6.99 and
the new edition is out in May Telephone 01394 389 950 or see their website
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
RHS Garden Finder is £12.99 from Dorling
Kindersley www.dk.com
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Gardener`s Diary is a regular feature of laterlife.com
run by Rosemary Martin. 
