We’re now halfway through the year, is your garden looking summer ready?  Below are 10 Tips for making it beautiful for summer.

1. Check fences, gates and trellis for any sign of damage. Fixing any broken parts now will give you more time to spend in the garden during the summer.  It will also mean that when any climbing plants are in need of support, you won’t have to disturb the tender plants.

2. Install a water butt if you haven’t already. Winter is the best time to do this so that you can collect the rainfall over the wettest months but it’s better late than never! Collecting rainwater is the best type of water for plants. Ericaceous plants in particular, such as camellias, rhododendrons and blueberries do best with rainwater, since tap water is often slightly alkaline.

Water companies often resort to taking from groundwater reserves and streams when demand for water from consumers is at it’s highest, this is then harmful to the environment and costly to the consumer.

When installing a water butt, position it underneath a downpipe. If you’ve got a closed drainpipe, you’ll need to get a diverter kit to siphon off some of the rainwater.

3. Start trimming hedges, Leylandii and trained fruit trees now before they grow out of shape and control, if you need help with this (or if they are already out of control), Lewis Tree Care, www.thebestof.co.uk/hertford-and-ware/lewis-tree-care/ are our recommended people to help you. Don’t start chopping your trees though if you have birds still on their nest.

4. Tidy your patio or decking.  During the winter the frosts can cause damage and in spring weeds begin to poke through and can cause further damage.  Smarten it up by removing any undesirable broken chairs, tables, or planks on your decking and replace with new.  Removing weeds and giving your patio a blasting from a pressure washer will make it look summer ready and a place to enjoy sitting out. 

5. Protect your fruit trees and bushes from hungry pests.

6.  Now is the time to pant out tender vegetables such as cucumbers, courgettes, and peppers.

7. Sow salad cut-and-come-again lettuces, keep harvesting them as they grow and they’ll keep growing keeping you in salad leaves throughout the summer.

8. When it gets to mid June onwards the wettest and colder nights should be over and it’s then safe to transplant out your seedlings that have been kept indoors or in a greenhouse.

9. Regularly water and feed your hanging baskets.  Make sure they don’t become dry or waterlogged and start feeding once a week.

10. Mulch your beds to help keep them damp and keep weeds down.  

Enjoy your garden this June.