- Sow seeds under cover for summer annuals and summer vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumber and courgettes. The aim is to have them in top condition for planting into the garden around Labour Weekend which will be upon us before you expect.
- Feijoa bushes can be thinned and opened up to encourage them to produce larger fruit next season. Give them a feed at the same time.
- Keep pinching out the flowers on strawberry plants while the clumps build up size and strength, before you let them fruit.
- Dwarf beans can be started in pots now but it is a little early to plant them in the garden yet unless you have a really prime spot.
- Pruning out any dead wood from shrubs such as rhododendrons improves their appearance considerably and pruning tends to be more fun than weeding.
- You can still lift and divide hostas but time is running out as they are in growth. This also means that every slug and snail in the vicinity will be packing their bags and moving in to munch them. Laying a ring of sawdust, sand or grit can act like a barrier and discourage them from sliming across to reach the delectable shoots.
- It is a good time to give your spring bulbs a feed of blood and bone as they finish flowering. This growth period is critical for them to build strength in the bulb for next year’s flowering. If your daffodils have not set flower buds it is either because they are too shaded or they are too congested and need to be divided up for next spring.
- Readers who enjoyed Vicki’s piece on peacocks last week may like to have a look for photos of Isola Madre, the island villa and garden in Lake Maggiore, Northern Italy. They specialize in pure white peacocks (presumably rare albinos) and as they pose on all the substantial stonework, they make possibly the most elegant picture imaginable. Notwithstanding that, sadly peacocks and gardening do not go together at all. Birds of that size do a substantial amount of damage.
Tikorangi The Jury Garden
Mark and Abbie Jury
Tikorangi The Jury Garden 