Tips for Your Eco Garden in July – Yes, summer is here and, rain or shine, July may be one of the hottest months of the year when you should get some time to relax and enjoy your garden.
However, not everyone is happy just to sit back and gaze over their array of floral delights. Many gardeners, I included still love to sow and grow from seed. Knowing how important it is to provide varieties of flowers that can be sown for as many months of the year as possible Burpee Europe have introduced two new blooms that both can be sown now and right up to the middle of August.
Echinacea ‘Sundress’
Coneflowers are always a favourite for the perennial border, not only do humans love this plant, but beneficial insects do too! This lovely variety flowers the year after sowing, plants produce an abundance of stunning flowers with pure white flirty petals around a rich golden cone.
Verbascum ‘Snowy Spires’
Everyone loves a Verbascum, but this one is a real stunner and boy do the bees adore it too! Classy and just a little bit sassy, this perennial has crisp pure white florets that dance gracefully atop lush, green foliage.
– Seeds available from:
Plants Of Distinction and Dobies
Keep the rest of your plants looking good by regularly deadheading and you’ll enjoy a longer display of blooms. Make sure you keep new plants, especially those with little root growth, well-watered and hoe off weeds, which thrive in the warmth and rain.
Things to do…
Flowers – Autumn-flowering bulbs, such as autumn crocuses, Colchicum, Sternbergia, Amaryllis, and Nerine, can be planted now.
Cutting back plants in baskets followed by feeding can encourage new growth and help revive tired displays.
Start collecting seeds from plants you want to grow next year, especially annuals such as Calendula, poppy, and Love-in-a-mist. You could also take cuttings of patio and container plants ready for next year.
Save on water by trying Watering Spikes– these are plastic watering spikes that independently water plants using a bottle of your choice for up to 2 weeks. These nifty little watering spikes help you to recycle your plastic bottles in the garden. They will fit onto bottles with a 28mm bottleneck.
Tip: Making a small hole in the bottom of the plastic bottle allows better water to flow through the system.
How about setting up a traditional water butt, the perfect way to harvest water and keep your garden full of life. What better way to retain natural water than collecting it from rooftops via rain guttering. This is one of the easiest areas to save water as we don’t need to waste valuable tapwater on our plants. Plus, plants actually prefer rainwater – it is better for them! For more information visit waterwise
You may think you are already using water mindfully, in your house and garden, but our friends at Dripfina would like to share over 170+ more ways to conserve water.
We have been trying out the Unwins Microgreen Growing Kit – This Homegrown Microgreen Growing Kit is the perfect bundle for growing 3 beautiful flavours and is ideal for small spaces, such as a windowsill in the kitchen.
The pack contains 3 x seed varieties, Rocket, Basil Dark Opel and Coriander and biodegradable trays and grow mats. Everything you need to grow vitamin boosting microgreens for adding flavour and nutrients to your cooking.
Lawns –A zero-emissions way to cut grass with no petrol or electricity required is the manual garden lawnmower
Perhaps more effort but easy to use and hassle-free and work out all in one! No filling with petrol, no passing extension leads through the kitchen window, just push and go. They’re better for your grass too: their cylinders give a cleaner cut, which heals quickly. The result: a greener, healthier and better-looking lawn. Plus: they’re almost totally silent, are lightweight, have no fuel or running costs, and create no pollution or CO2 emissions.
We have been experimenting with the superb selection of lawn seeds and feed from Johnsons Garden Care, which cater for all garden lawn issues ranging from lawn boosters to lawn thickening and have been particularly happy with the results.
Birds and wildlife
Eco Bird Feeder – a simple, elegant way of recycling unwanted food for your local birds. Just hang from a branch or outside your window, insert food, and watch birds come to feed.
From apples to cheese, have fun experimenting.
Why not give your garden a boost with Johnsons Lawn Seed Country Meadow, this is a grass and wildflower seed mix which includes a selection of native wildflowers adding some additional colour to the garden as well as catering for the wildlife.
Recycling
There is nothing quite like expressing yourself in the garden. Give a new lease of life to old garden chairs with a colourful coat of paint.
Utilise old golf clubs and pipes as garden spikes for an alternative feature in the garden.
Lilly Light