All in a summer garden
ABOUT THIS TIME every year we await, with a mixture of impatience and forlorn hope, that most elusive of creatures, the heatwave. Should we get it then the majority of us will relish the garden but quietly forget about gardening. Only the enthusiast will regard the plight of his plants and even then water shortages may make things difficult. Howwever, all this may be wishhful thinking so in the meanntime let's get down to some useful work.
The almost ubiquitous early summer-flowering shrubs; weigela, mock-orange (Philadelphus}, and deutzia, should be pruned once they have finished flowering. Generally speaking the aim here is to reduce the size of the plants so as to prevent them becoming unwieldy. Do this by removing the shoots that have flowers leaving the young side shoots below to produce next year's flowers. Also any thin, weak shoots are best cut away so that, overall; the branches are thinned out rather than simply trimmed. Frequently the shrubs are left unpruned for years with the result that some day drastic action. must be taken if they are to retain their place in the garden. Because summer pruning has the effect of reeducing growth rather than promoting it it is best to leave any severe cutting back until March. In doing this you will sacrifice a season's flower but the result will be a reejuvenated plant of manageeable proportions.
From these medium-sized shrubs to a delightful dwarf evergreen favourite, the rockkrose or helianthemum . Reaching no more than a few inches in height this is indisspensable for the rock garden, dry wall or almost any sunny position at the front of the border. As I write they are in full bloom and will remain so for many weeks to come, their flowers closing each evening and opening again the following morning. Given scope they will spread rapidly but are best trimmed each year after flowering to prevent them becoming straggly.
Rock roses are frequently offered comparatively cheaply. These plants are innvariabley raised from seed and are of mixed colours. More often than not this means whites and pinks rather than the more attractive yellow, orange and red shades. To be sure of having these you must buy the named varieties such as Wisley Primrose, Brown Gold, Cerise Queen, Red Orient or any of a host of others. Do not be put off by the extra cost or the size of the plants, provided they are obviously alive and well, as these varieties are infinitely superior to the vast majority of seed raised plants. On the other hand if you have a friend with a number of such varieties who is willing to
Bearded flag iris part with a few cuttings you will find them very easy to root at this time of year. Take the cuttings, about three inches long, from the tips of the young shoots, remove the lower leaves, dip the ends in a hormone rooting powder, e.g. Seradix 2, and insert them round the edge of a pot in a mixture of peat and sand. Cover this with a fine white polythene bag, having watered them in well, and place on a sunny window sill. If a clear polyythene bag is used keep away from strong sunlight. Within a month they will have rooted and the humidity created by the bag is best reduced gradually by splitting it in a few places before it is removed altogether. In the autumn they will be ready -for potting into 3 inch pots before being planted in their final positions in the Spring.
The May and June flo wering flag irises are an old stand-by in many gardens. They are best divided every four or five years once flowering is over. Use a fork to dig up the rhizomes which should be cleaned up by cutting away the old, nonnproductive, ends farthest from the leaves. Before reeplanting, which should be done so that the rhizomes are only barely covered by the soil, work bonerneal into the soil at the rate of 4 ozs per sq. yd. This is a Slow acting phosphatic .fertiliser and is invaluable where bullbous and rhizomatous plants are concerned.
Last month I mentioned how weeds in the lawn are best treated. Follow this through this month, Verdone is the weedkiller to use. During hot weather help prevent the grass from burning up by removing the box from the lawn mower. Greenfly , black spot and milldew of roses was also dealt with. Again continue treattment, using malathion for greenfly and benlate for black spot and mildew. Note that July is frequently a bad month for these diseases.
Outdoor tomatoes are now growing rapidly and forming flower trusses freely. Saari the first formed of these will be setting fruit. Because our summers are short it is essential to limit the number of trusses produced by each plant. Do this by removing all Side shoots as soon as they appear and by pinching out the main stem at two leaves above the fourth truss, The regular watering that has been necessary up to now must be increased and supplemennted with liquid fertilizer. It is wise to use a product formulated especially for tomatoes because they are such heavy feeders. At this fruiting stage potassium is the nutrient most keenly in deemand. Supplement its supply with sulphate of potash used either as a top dressing, being worked into the top few inches of the soil around each plant, Or as a regular, additional liquid feed.