Tips & Guides
Make A Garden That Looks Fabulous All Summer Long
A lot of work goes into keeping a summer garden looking fabulous all summer long and most people fail to consider this fact. If you really want your summer garden to flourish then you need to perform a few tasks to maintain it’s beauty.
Mini gardening goals should be mapped out and you should make all attempts to achieve and follow them as closely as environmental changes permit. Remember to take into consideration natural setbacks such as lack of rain or excessive temperatures and make the proper adjustments By having a list of things to do written down in a place where it can be seen it will weigh more heavily and be much more likely to be accomplished than if it were out of sight and out of mind.
Gardening In Late Summer
Late summer is when your garden is showing up signs of wear and becoming a little tattered at the edges, changing character of the once bright garden planted in spring. You will notice the leaves have matured to a dark green and is almost brittle. Your garden is now entering into the reproductory phase of producing seeds. Insects abound and the ground is drying up. All this calls for more than a bit of attention.
You will also find most of the plants have overgrown and lacking in colorful blooms and brown spots may have appeared in the lawn. You can stimulate new growth in the perennials by cutting them back in about half and many varieties will come out with another fresh flush of fall flowers. This will neaten up your garden’s appearance. While you are at it trim off any brown and dead foliage especially from spring bulbs.
Plant Care During The Summer Holidays
Your time for rest and relaxation away from home is a period of strain for the indoor plants which remain behind, but a little preparation before you leave will ensure that they will be unaffected by your absence.
Leaving plants during the summer months can be a problem because the plants will be actively growing and their water requirement will be much greater than during the winter months. If your holiday is for more than a week, the most satisfactory solution is to persuade a friend to call in occasionally and look after them. If your friend has little experience make sure that the perils of overwatering are explained.
Enhancing The Aesthetic Qualities Of Your Garden
Introduction
It’s the perfect time of year to give your garden a makeover, whether it be a simple garden-bed tidy up, or installing different accessories. In the process, it would be best to use metal materials because they are cost efficient and easy to maintain.
You can add value to the area by installing garden gates. You can easily achieve this with the right style and appropriate central theme for it.
Preparation
A garden makeover is a good excuse to hunker down and do some extreme weeding. Remove any weeds and also plants that haven’t taken well and look sickly or out of place. Spend some time tilling the soil and consider introducing some fertiliser to the garden.
Your Garden Tasks In Mid-Summer
Midsummer is a time for enjoying the results of your earlier efforts. There are always jobs to be done, of course, but you should also make time to relax. As most things are sown or planted, the emphasis is on weeding, watering and feeding. In dry summers water shortages can be a problem, but when you do water, do it thoroughly, as shallow watering will encourage surface rooting and make the plants even more vulnerable to drought.
Midsummer is great time for assessing what looks good in the garden, and what could look even better. Take photos and make notes, and start planning right now for next year’s display.
How To Propagate Succulent Plants
Succulents are perfect plants for xeriscape gardens and are easy to root and grow. Once you learn how easy it is to propagate succulent plants, it’s a great way to expand your plant collection. You can use this planting technique with succulent plants from the Crassula family. This propagation technique also works on other cactus and succulent plants like Aloe Vera, Echeveria, Aeonium and Baby Jade (Portulacaria afra).
Planting succulent by cuttings: Start with a cutting about 4 – 6 inches long. Bury about half the stalk in soil. This will give you deep roots and helps the plant withstand drought better. Trim off the last few leaves to make a bare stalk if you need to. The leaves can be planted too; bury about half the leaf, cut side down. Most succulent plants and shrubs will form roots on the joints in their stalks.