In the Garden; A to-do list as gardens erupt into full bloom (2024)

IT’S a wonderful time in the garden right now as new growth abounds everywhere!

Whitethorn, sorbus and guelder rose are in full flower, with pollinators delighting in all that is available to them in the hedgerows and our gardens.

Wisteria is looking magnificent with its much-anticipated lilac blue, long clusters of fragrant flowers indicating that summer is on the way.

The apple trees are covered in blossom and we are hopeful of a good harvest this year, which will be assisted by good weather now so that pollination can happen, resulting in the formation of fruit to harvest in the autumn.

This is the time we have been longing for throughout the winter months, and it is a time to be savoured.

It is also a time where there are plenty of jobs to be done, catching up on a backlog of work which could not be undertaken earlier in the spring due to soil conditions.

Compost and manure needs to go out as a mulch and soil conditioner to boost plant growth and feed the soil.

The value of mulching over the last number of years cannot be underestimated as our weather conditions become more unpredictable and summer droughts are a more common occurrence, even in Ireland.

Mulching the surface of the soil thickly with an organic material such as compost, bark mulch or well rotted manure at this time of the year before it dries out will have the effect of retaining moisture, suppressing weed seedlings and overall improving the look of the garden. The trick is to get the mulching done now before it is needed later in the summer.

The surface of the soil has dried sufficiently to provide a good crumbly surface, and is now warming up too, with longer spells of sunshine making conditions good for the direct sowing of seeds outdoors.

Time now to sow beetroot, carrots, lettuce, broad beans and runner beans outside and let them germinate in situ. It’s always best to clear the soil of weeds that will compete with crops, particularly perennial weeds like dock roots and dandelions.

At this time of year, any kind of protected growing area is under pressure and it is a great pleasure to start planting transplants out into the soil after they have been hardened off in the cold frame.

It’s also time now to get any tender plants that may have been indoors over winter out into the garden to get growing.

Dahlias can be planted out into the soil after a winter of tubers being dried out and stored indoors. It is a good time to take some juicy cuttings, which will root readily if stocks need to be increased.

Dahlias are a great late summer staple in the garden, providing plenty of late summer colour in a myriad of colours and flower forms.

Annual fillers can be moved on also to fill gaps in beds and borders with potential summer colour.

With all of the movement of young plants out and into the garden, it is advisable to be vigilant for pests that may like a munch of the lovely new foliage. Slugs can be problematic and there are a number of precautions that can be taken to reduce damage like beer traps, eggs shells or grit around transplants or slug pellets.

Pigeons and crows have also been known to pull out transplants, so netting is advisable in the vegetable garden until their roots have become established.

Herbaceous perennials are surging forwards now and some of the taller plants like helenium, phlox and echinops will benefit from a little ‘Chelsea Chop’, cutting the new growth down to about half on some of the groups will stagger flowering and reduce the need for staking. (A ‘Chelsea Chop’ is so-called because it is a cut-back performed usually in late May or early June, around the time of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show).

Now is also a good time to consider staking before plants need it. Whether you’re using metal stakes, bamboo or hazel rods, the earlier that they are put in place, then the more effective and well concealed they will be as the growth engulfs them while the season goes on.

This is the time for many biennials and early flowering perennials to shine, particular favourites at this time of year are Aqueliga or Granny’s Bonnet, once this plant is introduced into the garden, it will seed itself freely with different combinations of colour appearing every year.

Areas of gravel close to beds or borders where weed killer is not employed to control seed germination will reap delicious rewards, with seeds of different plants germinating at will and revealing different flower colour and forms!

The bearded iris look great in the sunshine as they reveal their blousey blossoms early in the season. They can become congested with their rhizomes crowding out at the centre, and will benefit from division after flowering.

But do remember to keep their rhizomes near the surface of the soil as they like being baked in the sun and not buried under the soil surface.

Happy gardening this week as the temperatures hopefully rise and growth goes wild!

Plant of the Week

Giant fennel, Ferula communis, makes a real statement when it flowers at this time of the year.

It can take several years before producing flowers, but it is worth the wait with its large yellow umbels atop elegant soft foliage.

It has a deep tap root and is a perennial that goes summer dormant.

A Mediterranean plant that will do best in full sun and it gets to over two metres in height so it needs plenty of space.