Forget-me-Not: it's that time of year again!

 Yes, the time of year that every professional gardener dreads - well, not exactly dreads, perhaps, just “moans about to every other professional gardener of their acquaintance” - that moment when the Forget-me-Not have nearly finished flowers, and are shedding seeds as though there were no tomorrow.

 Most people love Forget-me-Not - in fact, I have one slightly dotty Client who insists that if I remove any whilst weeding, I have to pot them up so that they can put them elsewhere in the garden. I know, I know, but apart from this one quirk, they are a lovely Client, so I let them get away with it... and in case you are wondering why this is so dotty......

 

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Watering pots when they are bone dry

 This might be a surprising topic, considering how much rain we've had over the past spring/winter/autumn/last summer...

... but last week, one of my Clients asked me to set the irrigation system going again, now that we are nearly in summer (hollow laugh), because some of the plants in their pot garden were visibly wilting, despite all the rain, and although they had tried to water them manually, the water was just running straight through the pot, and the plants were still wilting.....

 

 

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What's “No Mow May?” I hear you ask.

I mentioned this in a short article a few days ago, and I've had several people ask me what No Mow May is; is it worth doing; and why, when they tried it last year, did they not get a single wildflower appearing.

So, what is it? It's a well-meaning (but not really very well-thought-out) suggestion or “movement”, aiming to persuade the owners of small domestic gardens to stop cutting the lawn throughout May, in order to “encourage more bees to their lawn”.

The idea is that if you leave the grass uncut for a month, lots of wildflowers will pop up, surprising and delighting you, and giving the bees some early nectar.

Nice idea... but does it really work?....

 

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June Newsletter

 Welcome to June... will it be a traditional Flaming June? Will we ever see the sun again? Will there be a hosepipe ban?

Thank you to everyone who is following me, over on Patreon:  it's nice to see that many of you are converting to paid membership, and I'm really grateful for everyone that does so, because although - as you know - I hate to sound like a money-grubbing errr, money-grubber (laughs in embarrassment), I do have bills to pay, so do please consider converting your free membership to a paid one: you can give as little as a pound a month, and I like to think that I'm good value.

As an incentive, here's what you missed last month: posts about No Mow May (not something of which I approve, read all about it!), and - in a related theme - scything down the overlong grass: Ladders, Ivy Myths (the first in a short series of about four...), "Wisteria Ate My Obelisk", how to remove Forget-me-Not, Watering pots which have been allowed to dry out (yes, we all do it!!) and a reminder about getting to grips with your Sticky Willy before it gets out of hand.

However, the long-awaited philosophical ramble into miniature eco-systems, which didn't make it into February's selection, nor that of March, has also failed to make it into May. One day. One day....

So do please think about supporting me: just go to any of the articles  - just click here - and click the "Join to Unlock" button. Follow the instructions, and once you have joined, you will get access to all of the previous "locked" posts, as well as all the future ones!!

Oh, and the photo? The only good thing you can say about the excessive amount of rain we've had in the past several months, is that weeds with long taproots have been easier than normal to remove!

Ivy: Myths: Number 1: "Cut it at the base, it will fall off by itself...."

Oh no it won't.

Exhibit A, M'lud:

 

If I had a fiver for every time I'd heard this myth...  people think that by severing the stems, they won't have to pull out the ivy, whether it's growing up a tree, or up a wall.

“It will fall off, by itself,” they say.

No, actually, it won't.

Fascinating fact: ivy clings to trees, walls, buildings, anything it can, and it clings using aerial roots. These are roots which grow out from the upright stems, even though they are above ground, and are exposed to the air.......

 

 

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