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Hurray… warm, sunny days and long light evenings at last!

If you haven’t attended one of our evening events before you won’t know how magical the garden centre is at night, so do your very best to come to at least one of the two events that are coming up soon …

13^th June, 6.30 – 9pm Jaadu Fashion Show

A charity event in support of Dulwich Helpline

We’re hosting a soiree to showcase some of the gorgeous clothes available at Jaadu, Croxted Road. The fashion parade will last approximate 20-30 minutes. Whilst you sip a glass of lovely cold wine you can look at the 24 outfits being showcased. There will be a live band playing all evening, and locally sourced food will be served too.

Tickets are just £15 each and proceeds go to local charity, Dulwich Helpline. Tickets are limited for this event, and can be purchased either at the garden centre, Jaadu, Cook or Jo Partridge. Several West Dulwich shops will stay open late that evening to make this a splendid local event.

As well as the proceeds from ticket sales, 10% of any purchases made on the night will also go to Dulwich Helpline. And as if THAT wasn’t enough, hold onto your ticket to receive a one-off 10% discount from Jaadu, Jo Partridge and the Dulwich Bakery, as well as us, during June.

4^th July, 7.30 – 9pm – Book launch - Penelope Bennett - Window Box Allotment

Penelope will be talking about and demonstrating ideas from her newly-expanded and illustrated book Window Box Allotment, which explains how the urban gardener can squeeze the most out of very little space; always the skill of the green-fingered city-dweller. Afterwards there will be a Gardeners’ Question Time session, with Penelope answering audience questions. Drinks will be served during the evening.

Tickets are £10 available from us, Dulwich Books or online from http://markthomas.eventbrite.co.uk

I hope that many of you will be able to come along and enjoy what I’m sure will be a fascinating evening, and there’s going to be a prize, judged by the author, for the most interesting question posed.

Now for some gardening topics …

The biggest issue facing us in our gardens right now is getting enough water to our flourishing plants, shrubs, trees, vegetables and grass. Hard to believe I’m writing that after the endless rain we had during April and so much of May!

Remember:

• If you don’t already have one, invest in a water butt to catch every bit of run-off from your downpipes.
• Soaker or “leaky” hose is exempt from the hosepipe ban, as long as it’s used in conjunction with a pressure valve.
• Collect and use water from the house – water used to wash vegetables and the cold run off from the hot tap. Water with soaps and mild detergents can be used and will not damage plants, but avoid using on edible crops.
• Prioritise those plants which really need water such as newly planted trees and shrubs, particularly larger specimens which need a thorough watering each week, for the first 12 months at least; young plants such as vegetables, small bedding plants; leafy vegetables. Plants which are well established do not need watering unless they show signs of stress.
• All plants in containers need regular, daily watering. Use large pots and containers as the higher volume of compost will retain more water. If possible, move containers into light shade on very hot days. Use saucers under containers.
• Don’t ever water during the heat of the day. Either do it first thing, or once the sun has left your garden.
• Water effectively: target water onto the soil, not onto the foliage; make a dip in the soil around individual plants to avoid runoff; take the rose off the watering can to direct the water more closely to the base of the plant and down to the roots.
• Use mulch. It really helps to retain the water in the soil, plus has the added advantage of keeping weeds at bay.
• Weeds take valuable water and nutrients from the soil so get rid of them to allow your plants to have the best chance. See Sally’s notes on weeds and weeding below.
• Strong plants cope better in these conditions, so start a feeding regime. We recommend the excellent Maxicrop range (my particular favourite being the “plant growth stimulant” in the brown bottle … liquid magic, in my opinion).

What’s new at the garden centre? Lots!

• Agapanthus plants, with their spikes of blue flowers just opening.
• Herbaceous plants in varieties and colours to suit every part of every garden, including lots for those slightly tricky shady spots.
• Hairy Pot herbs, with big chunky plants coming in most weeks.
• Basil - finally in stock!
• Colourful bedding plants brimming over the edge of the trolleys outside our gates.
• Vegetables by the bucket load - in both strip form (several young plants ready to be separated and planted out) or in individual pots.
• We are stocking a range of grafted vegetables, recently introduced to the retail market. Vegetable grafting is a centuries-old technique utilized in Asia to improve plant production, reduce disease susceptibility, and increase soil utilization. Growers take the best vegetable varieties available and graft them onto vigorous-growing root stock. This results in larger plants with greater resistance to pests and disease, and an excellent fruit yield over a longer period compared to normal plants.
• In very soon - a new range of bedding in mixed, 10 plant packs. These are packaged in colour ranges, so if you want a few different plants in, say, shades of blue or pink, this could be just what you need. At £5.95 for 10 plants, we think it represents excellent value for money.

Other items:

• Kadai firepits in all sizes (my lodger, who’s a chef, tried mine out last weekend and is raving about it – he says it’s the best barbeque he’s ever used).
• Newly acquired Vintage pieces.
• Burgon and Ball tools, including hoes to clear all those weeds that are just romping away.
• Bug killer … I don’t think I’ve ever known a week when so many people have come in saying their gardens are infested with black, white and green fly. Take action! Have a bottle of bug spray at hand and zap them at the first sign of infestation.

Here’s wishing you all a marvellous long bank holiday weekend, with fun galore, and lots of sunshine.

Do pop in to see us soon.

Karen

PS:

 WE ARE OPEN BOTH BANK HOLIDAYS FROM 10am – 4pm.

June Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday: 9:30am – 5:30pm Sundays: 10am – 4pm

Tel:020 8670 7788 www.alleynpark.co.uk

Garden jobs for June

I think I’ve finally acclimatized to the about turn of our weather, and am loving it, as are our gardens. There’s a lot to get on with so here are some ideas for lovely days in the garden. Whether your garden is ornamental, productive or a mixture of the two, regular maintenance keeps things ticking over well, and you will enjoy the garden more if you keep it looking good.

Planting

• If you grow vegetables, this is the month to plant out the more tender crops such as tomatoes, peppers, beans, salads, courgettes, sweet corn and so on. Some can be grown from seed, or you can buy young plants. Prepare the ground appropriately e.g. Runner beans need well-prepared ground – prepare a deep trench with plenty of good compost, you can even use newspaper to help with water retention in the soil
• Keep sowing salad vegetables in small quantities every 2 to 3 weeks for a constant supply through the summer.
• Many vegetables can be grown in containers, so don’t despair if you don’t have a vegetable garden or allotment.
• Put colour into your garden with summer bedding plants – pots, baskets and many other containers can be used, or they can brighten up an unplanted area in the garden. Use water retaining crystals to help with dry weather, and a slow release fertiliser in the soil.
• When planting, a sprinkling of Rootgrow mycorrhizal fungi in the planting hole will improve survival rates and drought tolerance in the early stages of establishment. Rootgrow is also great with bedding plants, hanging baskets and patio pots - just sprinkle a layer of Rootgrow onto the compost when building your baskets or pots then plant and backfill as normal.
• Plant drought tolerant plants such as Sempervivums in containers in the sun, larger succulents and Mediterranean sun loving plants such as Cistus, rosemary and lavender. All these plants need free draining soil, so that their roots don’t sit in cold, wet soil in the winter.

Watering wisely

Karen has given a lot of good advice about watering above, but I found some encouraging research in the June issue of ‘The Garden’, the RHS publication.

An RHS Senior Horticultural Scientist has looked at how plants react to less water, and found that in most situations garden plants can survive and function with significantly less water than we might assume. Plants have ways of coping with ‘carefully managed’ water reduction. For containerised plants, this means regular watering, but just to the point of water running from the base. Experiments show that watering can be reduced by at least 50% in several species - including Petunia, Heuchera, Salvia and Dahlia – with only a minimal reduction in size and flower numbers. (The Garden, June 2012)

Maintenance

• Continue to tie in shoots on climbers. If not tied in now they will become woody and inflexible.
• Deadhead camellias and rhododendrons, which are coming to the end of their season.
• Deadhead roses regularly to encourage further flowering. This also applies to bedding plants – the plant won’t waste energy creating seeds, instead putting it into producing more blooms.
• Remove perennial weeds by hand or using chemical weed killers.
• Prune deciduous shrubs that have just flowered such as Philadelphus, Weigela and Deutzia, if they are becoming overgrown.
• Feed roses, soft fruit and container plants with general-purpose fertiliser
• Remove old leaves of hellebores.

Vegetables and fruit

• Feeding, watering and supporting fruit and vegetables are vital in June.
• Hoe between rows of vegetables on hot days to make sure weeds dry up and die without re-rooting or they will compete for moisture and nutrients. Weed killer might kill or damage your crops as well as the weeds.
• Water tomatoes and peppers regularly to prevent blossom end rot - a symptom of calcium deficiency due to erratic water supply.
• Fruit trees naturally shed their surplus amounts of fruit at this time of year, a process known as the “June drop”. Once this natural process has finished, take out any remaining fruit that appears damaged or misshapen so that what’s left will be larger and of a better quality.
• Strawberries produce shoots or runners, which can be pegged down into little pots of compost. Once they’ve rooted, you can sever the tie, and you’ll have a new plant. Cut off any runners that aren’t required to save the plant’s energy for the job of creating larger fruit.
• Look out for the caterpillars of the cabbage white butterfly which will be attracted to your brassicas. They will appear on the underside of the leaves as clusters of black eggs or young caterpillars. Pick them off and squash them!
• Pinch out side shoots that form in the fork of the leaf joint on tomato plants, so that the plant’s energy is not wasted on growing non-productive branches. You should only have one main stem on each plant, as a general rule.
• Protect ripening fruit from birds with netting.
• Protect against carrot fly with horticultural fleece or insect proof mesh.
• Tie in new raspberry and blackberry canes.

Weeding

It’s worth keeping on top of weeds everywhere in the garden. Here are 3 reasons why:

• Weeds take valuable water and nutrients from the soil, as well as light, air and space and your cultivated plants are left competing with them.
• The strongest plants survive, and weeds which like your garden are there because the conditions suit them, and they will bully their way in.
• Well weeded borders look better!

How to tackle weeds

• Annual weeds are easy to deal with by hoeing and mulching1
• In lawns and grass, use selective weed killers to deal with broad leaved weeds such as clover or speedwell. Regular mowing and feeding discourages many weeds. Raising the blades to leave the grass longer helps to shade out the weeds.
• In established borders, dig, hand weed or hoe regularly. In spring, when weeds are small, use a glyphosate weed killer. Use well-rotted manure or compost to mulch, at any time of year, but make sure it is from a reputable source – you don’t want to introduce weed seeds or roots from another source.
• If perennial weeds invade clumps of perennial flowers, the only way to get rid of them completely is by digging up the plant in autumn or spring and dividing it, removing all traces of the weeds roots before replanting.
• Hand weeding around the border can be both therapeutic and satisfying – honestly! And you will notice early infestations of aphids and pests as you work your way around
• Weeds in paving – this is best dealt with in spring, but can be hand weeded using a knife, or sprayed with a path weed killer.

Lawn maintenance

• Mow lawns regularly, but leave the grass longer by increasing the cutting height on the mower.
• Don’t worry if lawns go brown in drought conditions persist. They generally recover well. The lawn can be spiked to aid rehydration when it rains – push a garden fork 10-15cm into the soil every 20cm.
• Apply a high nitrogen summer lawn feed, timing it when rain is forecast.

Garden pests

• Watch out for aphid infestations - it is easier to control those caught early.
• Lily beetle and rosemary leaf beetle can destroy plants in a matter of days. Lily beetles are bright red, and their larvae are orange-brown and surround themselves with black slime. Rosemary leaf beetle only appeared in this country about 5 years ago and has stripes of shiny, almost oily looking, bronze and green across its back. It attacks lavender as well as rosemary. The pesticide Provado is the only one recommended by the RHS as effective against these pests. Read the manufacturer's instructions regarding restrictions on the use of these products and harvest intervals.
• Watch out for powdery mildew, which signals a lack of water

Wildlife

Birds need constant supplies of food and water as they raise their young – keep feeders and bird baths topped up.

Enjoy the long weekend now upon us, and get out into the garden in between Jubilee celebrations. It’s a great opportunity to get organised for the summer ahead.

Sally

June Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday: 9:30am – 5:30pm Sundays: 10am – 4pm

Tel:020 8670 7788 www.alleynpark.co.uk