This week we have got our trusty secateurs out and are getting stuck into some summer pruning to make sure our gardens are productive and full of colour next year. Our first job is to give our Wisteria a prune back, we do this by pruning all of the whippy growth back to about 5 or 6 buds from the main stem. This encourages the plant to produce flower buds for next year. We like to summer prune our blackcurrant bushes, by removing 1/3 of the branches down to the bottom, preserving the wine glass, goblet shape of the bush, which lets both light and air in to developing fruit next year. We are cutting huge bunches of lavender, tying these into bunches with raffia and hanging them upside down to dry. We are doing the same thing with Statice and other suitable plants. We are also cutting bunches of herbs such as Sage, Rosemary and Thyme to tie into bunches and dry for use in the winter months. This is also the perfect time to propagate our herbs by taking cuttings that are 2 or 3 inches long. As we reach the end of July we are busy in the vegetable garden, not just harvesting our summer crops, but also making sowings of lettuce, beetroot, carrots and turnips, the leaves of which can be harvested as greens. We are also giving fruit trees, which are doing well this year, some support to stop the branches from breaking under the weight of the fruit. Happy Gardening
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 10:01:13 +0000