'Garden Column - May 2008'

Enjoy the merry month of May with alpine colour.

Rock gardens up and down the country are coming alive with plenty of flower, growth and interest.
It is worth keeping on top of the maintenance. Keep weeding and dead head your plants as they finish flowering.
Scan the area and make a note of the gaps which have formed over the winter months where some of your collection has failed, then head off to the garden centre.
With the wide variety of alpines available choose wisely and read the plant instructions carefully. Do not plant something which may end up smothering and choking existing plants.
If you are unsure, use a tape and measure the gaps before setting off.
Plant in odd numbers � why odd numbers you may ask? I can only give the answer my college tutor used to give us when we asked the same question � nature is never predictable.
Set them in streams cascading down the rockery as they would in their natural environment.
Most alpine growers will have at selection of dwarf conifers growing amongst their rock plants but if you are not a keen lover of conifers or you want something else to gain some extra interest or height to the area then there are wide range of dwarf grasses, hardy ferns and low growing shrubs which will also do the job.

Put the mats out here come the strawberries!

As the flower stalks of your strawberries appear it is worth applying some fresh, clean straw. This is widely available from our pet shop.
Alternatively you could use some strawberry mats. These are mats made out of a thick cardboard type material which help protect your fruit from sitting upon the soil which can help to keep your fruit clean.
Also as the fruit develops feed your strawberry plants regularly every 7 days with Vitax Organic Strawberry Fertiliser.

Hoe and feed your crops.

Hoe and fertilise around fruit and vegetable plants as they establish.
By hoeing frequently it will keep weed growth down and keep your work load to a minimum. This will also stop any competition for space that can seriously harm your young plants if the weeds are left to prosper.
Once the weeds have been removed the application of a general purpose fertiliser like Vitax Q4 will encourage your crops to grow successfully.

Remove old bedding plants.

As wallflowers, forget-me-nots, viola�s and other spring flowering bedding plants start to go over and finish flowering.
These plants need to be removed and placed onto the compost heap.
Plants which have signs of disease should be placed either into the wheelie bin or cremated in an incinerator.
Polyanthus & Primrose plants should be carefully removed and placed into a growing area ready for them to be lifted in the autumn for planting next year or placed somewhere where they can be allowed to naturalise. Keep these well watered through the summer months feeding them every other week with a liquid fertiliser like Miracle-Gro All Purpose Soluble Plant Food.
Once these areas become clear rake the areas level and then apply a generous top dress of compost and a general purpose granular feed like Vitax Q4 or Fish, Blood and Bone.
Then keep the area weed free until you are ready to plant out your half-hardy summer bedding plants once the threat of ground frost has ended at the end of the month.