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• Plant out early (new) potatoes and ridge up to protect young shoots.
• Plant summer flowering bulbs such as begonias, gladioli and lilies.
• Top dress containers with multi purpose compost.
• Prune bush roses down to an outward facing bud.
• If your grass appears to be growing, set the mower blades high and give the lawn a light cut.
• Plant new perennials and divide established ones to create vigour and increase your stocks.
• As weeds start to appear, treat with weedkiller and mulch borders to prevent more growth.
• Prune winter flowering shrubs if the flowers have faded and also shrubs which will flower during the later summer months.
Another winter is, hopefully, behind us and as we look forward to the warmer days and shorter nights it’s worth giving some thought to preparing your garden for the lovely sunny days to come.
Careful planting, pruning and sowing done now will ensure that your favourite outdoor space is bursting with colour and looking its very best just when you want to enjoy it.
We have everything you will need for your garden throughout the season and all our gardening staff are experienced horticulturists, here to help with any questions you may have, from planting up a hanging basket to planting a whole garden!
To make it all just that little bit easier, we have put together a selection of fantastic offers on the gardening essentials you need, just when you need them.
Happy gardening from us all at Gateacre Garden Centre!
Growing plants from seed is a low cost and incredibly rewarding method of raising your own plants. Whether you are sowing indoors or directly into the ground a little later in the year, there is something very satisfying about a glorious display of colour or a bumper crop of vegetables that you have grown yourself.
Seed generally falls into two categories: seeds of more tender plants, that need to be started off with a little warmth (half-hardy seed) and seeds of more robust plants, which can be sown directly into the soil. If you are new to all this, starting off some half-hardy seeds in a covered seed tray on a warm windowsill allows you to see what’s going on, while raking over an area of ground and scattering some hardy seeds such as pot marigolds or cornflowers can quickly give you an exciting flower border.
For indoor sowing:
• Fill plugs or a seed tray with multi purpose compost to just below the rim.
• Scatter seed evenly and press down gently.
• Cover larger seeds with a light covering of compost.
• Water in with a fine spray.
• Place in a warm, light spot, preferably covered with a clear lid.
For outdoor sowing:
• Rake over a sunny, open spot until the soil is fine and crumbly. You will know when the soil is warm enough for planting when tiny weeds start to appear.
• Scatter the seed evenly and rake in gently if you are sowing flower seeds, or trickle into a very shallow trench and cover carefully if sowing vegetables.
• Thin out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle to prevent overcrowding.
These are very general guidelines; more detailed instructions are always given on the back of good seed packets.
