50 things to do this month from the Gardeners’ World team
PLUS Maintaining pond plants ◼ Propagating houseleeks ◼ Thinning onions ◼ Planting winter potatoes ◼ Collecting seeds
Feed exotic plants in containers
Give exotic plants in pots a feed to boost their energy levels and keep them happy. Fast growers such as ginger lilies (Hedychium), castor oil plant (Ricinus) and Chinese rice paper plant (Tetrapanax) will have exhausted all the nutrients in the compost, which means they are now dependent on you for nourishment.
To keep in the habit of feeding for the rest of the growing season, add a half-strength liquid food to your watering can each time you water your plants. Use a high-potassium feed such as tomato food for flowering plants and an all-purpose feed for foliage plants.
STEP BY STEP
Get evergreen hedges in shape
Give evergreen hedges a trim to keep them in shape now that the nesting season is over. Evergreens are popular cover for many songbirds, so do a quick check before you start to make sure that any birds have gone. Finish the job by pulling out weeds growing along the base of the hedge.
1 PUSH in tall canes along the hedge. Tie a line at the level you want the height to be. Trim the sides so they taper towards the top.
2 KEEP the shears flat to make the hedge level along the top. Move back along the hedge, trimming any sprigs that stick out.
3 PICK out cut stems that are still on the hedge. Use a tarpaulin on the ground to collect them and add to the compost heap.
Don’t forget
□ Water and mulch plants growing against south-facing walls – their roots will be drying out quicker than plants grown in the open
□ Prepare soil for sowing grass seed or laying turf by removing weeds and raking it level
□ Use a biological control to deal with vine weevil if you see notches eaten out of the edges of your plant’s leaves
LOOK OUT FOR
bindweed
Check borders for bindweed because it can choke other plants when left unchecked. This twining plant often surfaces from ground close to shrubs and perennials, so is rarely noticed until it emerges at the top of the plant.
Trace the stems back to the ground and pull them out. The roots will keep producing more shoots, but pull it out at ground level regularly t
