Play catch up in your garden!

May and June have been two difficult months in the garden this season but now is a good time to take stock and prepare the garden for mid and late summer colour,the trick to keeping the garden looking good and full of colour is too look after the existing plants you have and add in some “colour fillers” to gaps in the existing flower borders and patio planters.

Garden plants will benefit from some liquid feeding with one general purpose liquid feed, one is ideal for flowering and foliage plants and will encourage both vigour and the production of both flowers and fruit on many of your garden plants Click here to see our One Liquid Plant Feed. Regular watering will also be important this and next month in particular on larger flowering plants like Hydrangeas, clematis and roses Click here to see our Flowering Plants

Remember mid summer is also the ideal time to sow new plants from seed, its an easy and very effective method of raising new plants to add colour and interest for autumn, winter and spring. I recommend you sow wallflowers, scented Brompton stock, sweet William and winter flowering pansies, simply sow out of doors in seed trays and transplant the young plants in august to their flowering position Click here to see our Flower Seeds

Jobs in the garden this week..

20th June 2011

1. End of June is a great time to sow a new lawn, I recommend green velvet lawn seed mix for a quality hard wearing lawn that looks great but stands up to some wear and tear. Take my advice and add some Scott’s sportsmaster pre seeding fertiliser to the soil before sowing the green velvet seed. Lawn seed sown now will germinate in less than two weeks Click here to see our Lawncare

2. Blue hydrangeas are now available for planting and will reward you with lots of colour from now until early winter. Click here to see our Hydrangeas Blue hydrangeas are ideal for both shrub borders and patio planters, remember to water them well and feed weekly with one liquid feed Click here to see our One Liquid Plant food

3. If you have sweet peas flowering in your garden, then lucky you, remember to cut the flowers each week, this will help to promote new flowers all summer long. Feed your sweet peas with a dressing of one liquid feed each week Click here to see our One Liquid Plant Feed

4. Early July is the ideal month to sow shamrock seed, its easy to grow and can be sown out of doors in seed trays or directly into the soil. Shamrock seed sown now will provide you with lots of rich green shamrock for March 17^th. Shamrock can also be grown in pots or window boxes Click here to see our Shamrock Seed

5. variegated popular is showing super colour this summer, the large pink, white and green leaves are produced all summer and now is the ideal time to plant a young variegated popular in your garden. Remember to prune the stems hard back in winter for a strong show of colour next summer. V. poplars are easy to grow and suit all soil types.

6. There is still some time to plant tomato and pepper plants for lots of great pickings this summer. Look for strong mature plants and place in a warm sunny sheltered location Click here to see our Tomato and Pepper Plants. Remember to feed weekly with one liquid feed and you can look forward to great tasting home grown fruit this summer Click here to see our One Liquid Plant Food

7. Trailing petunias are one of the best summer flowering basket and patio plants you can plant this summer. Hot pink and Barney purple are two of the best varieties and will flower from now until early winter. They are ideal for creating a strong vivid display of colour. Take my advice and plant 3 trailing petunias in your baskets or window boxes for a stunning show of colour Click here to see our Trailing Petunias

8. There is still plenty of time to sow garden herbs and vegetables from seed, soil tempetures are ideal at present for fast germination and quick growth. Sow herbs like chives, parsley, thyme, rosemary and lavender directly out of doors in seed trays or directly into the garden soil. Veg plants including cauliflower, cabbage, leeks and lettuce can be sown now Click here to see our Herb and Vegetable Seeds

9. Potash is important for all fruiting plants – Apply a dressing of Sulphate of potash to all fruiting plantings now, simply apply a handful of potash to the soil around the fruiting plants. Potash is beneficial to apples, pears, Plum, cherries, blackcurrants and gooseberries Click here to see our Sulphate of Potash

10.  Blight protection is still important on tomatoes and potatoes apply a dressing of Promoximil blight treatment to potato crops and tomato plants every two weeks throughout July for maximum protection Click here to see our Proxanil Potato Blight Treatment

11. July is an excellent month to plant flowering and foliage climbers; I recommend summer flowering clematis, scented honeysuckle, flowering hydrangeas and the lovely free flowering wisteria. Remember to add organic compost to the planting hole when planting Click here to see our Climbers

Join us for Sunday carvery lunch at the bay leaf restaurant, families welcome. Afterwards take a stroll through the Edinburgh woollen mills centre at Horkans lifestyle & Garden centre – we open 7 days – every Sunday from 12 to 6pm.

 

Summer Flavours to Plant Now!

 Summer flavours to plant now

The early dry weather in April ensured the pollination of summer fruiting plants and encouraged that summer fruiting trees and bushes are laden down with ripening fruit. Blackcurrants, Gooseberries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries are producing a bumper crop of delicious fruit. Late June is an ideal time to plant fruiting plants in your garden and many plants ready for planting are carrying fruit even as young plants.

Apple, pear and plum trees are also producing a heavy crop of young fruit let’s and in many cases these will need thinning, removing of some of the smaller fruit lets, to allow the larger fruits to develop to full size and improve flavour

I recommend you feed all fruiting plants with ONE liquid fertiliser each week until harvest Click here to see our One Liquid Plant Food

Remember to also keep a watch out for greenfly and caterpillar attack on all fruiting plants and take action early to remove unwanted pests.

Jobs in the garden this week..

1. Plant Summer flowering scented roses this week, I recommend varieties including Arthur Bell , Korresia , Nostalgia this beautiful scented variety is well worth planting for colour and sweet fragrance Click here to see our Roses
   

2. Kill grass growing up amongst your shrubs, roses and flower borders, use Fusillade treatment to kill grass without killing your valuable plants. Follow instruction carefully on the Fusillade packet Click here to see our Fusillade treatment
   

3. In dry weather apply a dressing of Potato blight treatment to help keep your developing stalks clear from the dreaded potato blight. Late June and July are the most important months to keep your potato stalks protected – remember that potato blight can also affect tomatoes Click here to see our Proxanil Potatoe Blight Treatment
   

4. Caterpillars are now emerging on cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli plants, the warm weather encourages the development of many garden pests. Take action now and treat your garden vegetables to an anti caterpillar treatment before too much damage is caused
   

5. June is an excellent time to take cuttings of your favourite plants including hydrangeas, Fuchsias, Hebes, potentillia, spiraea and hypericiums. Please use some rooting powder on the base of the cutting to encourage quick rooting and stronger plants Click here to see our Rooting Powder
   

6. Feed tomato and cucumber plants from now on weekly with one fertiliser or Tomato Liquid fertiliser. Apply the liquid feed at the base of the tomato plants. Remember to remove the side shoots of tomato plants to ensure a strong clean stem with lots of fruiting clusters Click here to see our Fertilizers and Plant Food
   

7. Karate is the treatment for protecting carrots from Carrot root fly spray; apply the Karate treatment through water on the foliage of the developing carrots to protect your crop of carrots this summer Click here to see our Karate Carrot Root Fly Treatment
   

8. Plant double flowering dwarf marigolds in flower borders and beds for long lasting summer colour this summer. Remember to feed all bedding and patio plants with One liquid fertiliser weekly for larger blooms Click here to see our One Liquid Plant Food
   

9. Clean patio and paving areas with a spray of Patio magic – Patio magic kills algae and moss on paving slabs and concrete areas quickly and helps to clean your patio of unsightly stains and growth. Apply Patio magic in water in dry weather.

10. Continue to plant vegetable and herb plants throughout June, lettuce, cabbage, onions, and cauliflower and broccoli plants can still be planted for several weeks to reward you with additional home grown vegetables for late summer and autumn 
    Click here to see our Vegetable Plants

11. Sowing a new lawn or planting a wild flower meadow patch can be tackled this month, soil conditions are ideal, the seed sown now will germinated and establish quickly and make for a rich green lawn by early autumn. The lawn seed I recommend is called green velvet, its easy to grow and maintain and will with stand the normal family wear and tear – June is a great month to sow a new lawn or wild flower meadow Click here to see our Lawn Seed
    

12. Plant garden lilies now, they have just come into flower and will add both flower colour and scent to borders or patio planters. Garden lilies are available in a wide range of colours and will flower this and every summer

13. June is the ideal time to plant free flowering dahlias in patio planters and flower borders. These easy to grow plants re ideal for adding colour from June to early winter and are now available in a wide choice of colours

Horkans Lifestyle & Garden centre are open 7 days Sunday 12pm to 6pm. Visit our Westport centre on the west road in Westport and also our Castlebar centre in turlough Castlebar.
The bay leaf restaurant located in our turlough centre offers a beautiful Sunday lunch for all the family and also opens seven days per week

Outdoor Gerberas – Plant now for Stunning colour!

Gerbera Garvinea is the first series of hardy Gerberas for the garden and offers a wonderful show of colour from now right up until early winter. This new series of outdoor flowering gerberas are easy to grow, free flowering and ideal for planting in flower or patio containers. Gerberas are now available in a wide choice of colours and because of their compact shape and free flowering ability are suitable for planting in flower beds, shrub borders and in mixed planted containers.

This new selection of outdoor varieties are ideal for picking like normal Gerberas to give you a super fresh bouquet for your home every week!
Plant a selection of outdoor gerberas now for a great show of colour this summer!

Jobs in the garden this week..

1. Baskets, window boxes ad patio planters should be planted this coming week with summer flowering plants. I recommend bush and trailing fuchsias, African daisies, geraniums, busie Lizzies and bonfire begonias as ideal plants to provide you with lots of colour all summer long

2. June is the ideal time to Liquid feed vegetable and fruiting plants, tomatoes, cucumbers, marrows, courgette and aubergines will need weekly feeding with ONE liquid fertiliser. This will help to promote good fruit size and increase flavour Click here to see our ONE liquid plant food

3. If you have sweet peas flowering in your garden, then lucky you, remember to cut the flowers each week, this will help to promote new flowers all summer long. Feed your sweet peas with a dressing of one liquid feed Click here to see our ONE liquid plant food

4. Wallflowers, sweet William, antirrhinums, double daises, winter flowering pansies and polyanthus can be sown from seed now to provide you with lots of colour in winter and spring next year. Simply sow the seeds in seed trays of compost or directly out into ridges of soil. The plants will grow on during the summer and can be planted into flower beds and borders in autumn Click here to see our Flower Seeds

5. Variegated popular is showing super colour this summer, the large pink, white and green leaves are produced all summer and now is the ideal time to plant a young variegated popular in your garden. Remember to prune the stems hard back in winter for a strong show of colour next summer. V. poplars are easy to grow and suit all soil types.

6. There is still some time to plant tomato and pepper plants for lots of great pickings this summer. Look for strong mature plants and place in a warm sunny sheltered location Click here to see our pepper and tomato plants. Remember to feed weekly with one liquid feed and you can look forward to great tasting home grown fruit this summer Click here to see our ONE liquid plant feed

7. Trailing petunias are one of the best summer flowering basket and patio plants you can plant this summer. Hot pink and Barney purple are two of the best varieties and will flower from now until early winter. They are ideal for creating a strong vivid display of colour. Take my advice and plant 3 trailing petunias in your baskets or window boxes for a stunning show of colour Click here to see our Petunias

8. There is still plenty of time to sow garden herbs and vegetables from seed, soil tempetures are ideal at present for fast germination and quick growth. Sow herbs like chives, parsley, thyme, rosemary and lavender directly out of doors in seed trays or directly into the garden soil Click here to see our Herb Seeds. Veg plants including cauliflower, cabbage, leeks and lettuce can be sown now Click here to see our Vegetable Seeds

9. Potash is important for all fruiting plants – Apply a dressing of Sulphate of potash to all fruiting plantings now, simply apply a handful of potash to the soil around the fruiting plants. Potash is beneficial to apples, pears, Plum, cherries, blackcurrants and gooseberries Click here to see our Sulphate of Potash

10.  Blight protection is still important on tomatoes and potatoes apply a dressing of the systemic Proximinal blight treatment to potato crops and tomato plants every two weeks throughout June for maximum protection Click here to see our Proximinal Blight Treatment

11. June is an excellent month to plant flowering and foliage climbers; I recommend summer flowering clematis, scented honeysuckle, flowering hydrangeas and the lovely free flowering wisteria Click here to see our Climbing Plants. Remember to add organic compost to the planting hole when planting Click here to see our Compost

12. Plant flowering Hydrangeas now, Many of the popular varieties re just coming into flower now and will flower right through to early autumn. This year look for the stunning new variety called Hydrangea Selma which produces deep red foliage followed with bright pink and white flowers. Also plant the lace cap hydrangeas now for colour this summer Click here to see our Hydrangeas

Join me for the Gardening programme this Saturday morning on Midwest radio from 9am to 10am for ask about gardening. Text your gardening question to 0879004141 or email to garden@midwestradio.ie

Horkans Lifestyle & Garden Centre turlough Castlebar and west road Westport open seven days Sunday 12 to 6pm

Time for a bonfire of colour!

The scarlet red flowers from Begonia bonfire provide a stunning show of colour in patio planters and flower borders from now right up until early winter.
Begonia bonfire is a very free   flowering border plant that produces a mass of colour irrespective of the weather conditions over the summer months. The colourful blooms are produced on mass and are ideal for filling gaps in shrub borders and flower beds.




Once planted this colourful plant will flower for months and can be lifted in early winter and stored indoors over the winter as a bulb and replanted next summer for another year of colour.


Begonias are now available in a wide variety of colours and are ideal for a stunning show of colour in pots, borders and beds.

Jobs in the garden this week!

1. Early June is an excellent time to plant a Japanese maple plant in your garden or in a large container.  The beautiful purple foliage provides a stunning show of colour from spring right up until early winter. Japanese maples are easy to grow and provide a wonderful show of colour and shape in any garden or container Click here to see our Japanese maple

2. Lawn clover is wide spread in many garden lawns, the rich green foliage and bright white flowers is adapt at growing and thriving in the recent warm dry weather. Lawn clover spreads by under ground stems and from the seeds produced later in the summer. Remove it now from your lawn with a dressing of Scott’s Renovator lawn treatment. Renovator will kill unwanted lawn weeds and also feed your lawn producing a rich green colour without forcing growth Click here to see our Renovator

3. Sow some cabbage from seed now, the variety I recommend is called April, it produces lovely rich green cone shaped heads ideal for using in late winter and early spring, simply sow the seeds out of doors in a ridge or drill. The young plants will be ideal for planting into the ground after you dig your first early potatoes Click here to see our April Cabbage

4. Give the kids something to do this summer, now is the ideal time to sow Shamrock seed to provide you with lots of rich green shamrock plants for next march’s st Patrick’s Day. Shamrock seed is now available for sowing or for posting abroad to relatives and friends of Ireland Click here to see our Shamrock Seed

5. Carrots can be attacked this month by carrot root fly, protect your plants with a dressing of carrot root fly treatment. This treatment can be applied now to young developing carrots and will kill the carrot root fly grubs on contact. Simply mix the carrot root fly with water and drench onto the developing young carrots to kill and control carrot root fly attack Click here to see our Karate Carrot Root fly treatment

6. Grow your own flowering plants from seed, wallflowers, sweet William, winter flowering pansies, polyanthus, antirrhinums and Lupins can all be sown from seed now. You have a wide selection of seed to choose from, I recommend the Thompson and Morgan range of seeds for a super variety of colours and type’s. Seed can be sown directly out of doors now Click here to see our selection of Flower seeds

7. Take cuttings from geraniums now, they are simple to root and grow. Select young new growth, dip in rooting powder, and place into a small pot of compost and cover with a polythene bag. Cuttings will root in a couple of weeks and make nice strong plants before autumn Click here to see our Geraniums

8. Tomato and pepper plants will require weekly feeding from mid June on, I use One liquid feed on all my fruiting plants. One not only feeds your plants but also stimulates the plant into producing new growth and fruit. One liquid feed is easy to use and ideal for a wide range of flower and foliage plants Click here to see our One liquid plant feed

9. Sow a wild flower meadow this month, its any ideal way to add colour and wildlife interest to your garden. A wild flower meadow is ideal for larger areas in your garden and rewards you with a mixture of meadow grass and wild flowers which attract a wide range of wildlife to your garden.

10. Potato crops are growing strongly and now is the time to add some organic chicken manure fertiliser to the young stems to encourage strong growth and bigger tubers – apply a handful of organic chicken manure to each plant now and again in mid July Click here to see our Chicken Manure Pellets

11.  Garden timber furniture will benefit from a dressing of wood treatment to clean the wood and enhance the natural colour. Garden furniture wood treatment is now available for a wide range of outdoor timber furniture and not only restores the wood to its natural colour; it helps to protect the furniture from the weather.

12. Summer flowering roses can be planted now, they have just come into flower, and if planted now will flower from June to early winter. Roses are available in a wide variety of colours and heights. Click here to see our range of Rose's  Remember to feed existing roses with Rose food once a month  and apply a dressing of rose clear to all roses Click here to see our Rose Food

The Bay leaf restaurant in Horkans offers you a wonderful Sunday lunch at its carvery every weekend. Bayleaf restaurant opens 7 days and every Sunday from 12pm – Join us for Lunch this weekend