May 4th, 2018 by
Don’t Feel the Heat This Summer, Just Follow Our Easy Advice for a Stress-Free Garden
Garden parties are always enjoyable in summer, and it's easy to make your garden fit for entertaining Summer is the best time of year to get out in the garden. Plus, it brings with it the perfect weather for outdoor entertaining, so you want your garden looking the best it possibly can during the summer. However, you don’t need to stress about it! Being out in the fresh air and sunshine is a proven stress-reliever and great for your mental and physical health, so you shouldn’t let the relaxing activity that is gardening turn into a hot, sticky mess in the summer. Read on for our cool list of simple summer gardening tips to give you a lush lawn, fragrant flowers and a perfect patio all summer long – without the stress!
Don’t Leave it Until Summer
The easiest way to ensure your summer garden maintenance is stress-free is to start preparing for it in spring. Don’t leave it until a heatwave strikes to pick up any tools, BBQ kits, or other summery stuff, as that’s when everyone else will rush to them! If you need to sow some grass to get your lawn in top shape, do it in spring when you have more chance of rain to help water it. Spring is also a great time to start feeding your lawn iron sulphate. This amazing grass nutrient will give your grass that gorgeous green colour you’re after and will make it tougher and softer, so it’s more resistant to drought come summer. It can also kill any moss that’s snuck onto your lawn over the winter and spring.
Cut Grass – But Not Too Much
Allow your grass to grow a little longer than normal in summer You should always make time to mow your lawn in summer. Cutting grass encourages your lawn’s roots to grow and take up more space beneath the lawn, which makes it harder for weeds to take root. However, you should cut your grass a little less often in summer to allow it to grow a little longer. This helps your lawn to retain water, making it more resistant to drought. Most importantly, don’t cut your lawn too low! This will encourage weeds to take root and will almost guarantee your lawn ends up with bald spots in the summer. Mow your lawn with your blades set fairly high to save yourself any future headaches.
Artificial Grass Care
If you’ve got an artificial lawn or Astroturf, that’ll need a bit of extra TLC in the summer too. Artificial grass doesn’t encourage pests or weeds to grow, however, if there’s any animal mess, food stains or other gross stuff left on it, that certainly will! Use some artificial grass cleaner as soon as you notice any mess to keep your lawn looking hygienic and smelling fresh.
Prevent Those Pests
It's always easier to deal with aphids if you're prepared Summer is a great time for you to be out in the garden. Unfortunately, thousands of pests feel the same way! Flies, aphids, caterpillars and more will be out in force come the summer, and your garden will be like an all-inclusive holiday to them! Making sure you’re prepared for all eventualities is key. Aphids and greenfly will almost certainly find their way onto your plants in the summertime, so having some whitefly, greenfly and blackfly treatments in advance is always a good idea. That way you can cut out your pest problem as soon as you notice it to stop them from spreading and beat the inevitable summer rush for pest control products. If you have pets, you should also keep an eye on them and be thorough with your flea treatments. Fleas become very active in summer, so it doesn’t matter if you’re a cat person or a dog person – you’re at risk! Again, getting a complete flea treatment for your pets and home is always a good idea, as demand for them soars in the summer.
Water, Water, Water
You can always enlist help to water the garden! You’ll need to water your lawn and plants a lot in the summer, especially if you have budding flowers and freshly grown seeds! Once drought sets in, it can prove hard to arrest, so make sure to water your garden at least twice a week in the summer heat. Try and water your garden early in the morning or later in the evening, when the air will be a little cooler, to give your soil more chance to soak up the water. A water butt (a big barrel that collects rainwater) is always a wise investment for the summer as it’ll mean you can water the garden regularly without worrying about your utility bills!
Positioning Plants
When putting plants in pots, be careful not to let the pot overheat Where you actually put your plants is very important when it comes to summer. Make sure smaller plants (especially ones that are still growing) are placed away from larger ones that can block sunlight and create too much competition for water. Also, if you have potted plants, placing them in sunlight is usually good for them, but you do need to be careful! The pots, especially ones made of terracotta or black plastic, can overheat on very hot days. You don’t want to fry your plants! Keep the soil they’re planted in moist and make sure they’re in a cooler, shadier area for part of the day.
Look After Yourself
Make sure you don't feel the heat too much when working on your garden in the summer The most important part of your garden is you! It can be easy to get caught up in gardening if you’re passionate about it, but make sure you protect yourself from the sun and from hot weather. Obviously, this means using lots of sun cream, but it also means doing more physically taxing activities in the morning or evening when the weather is cooler. When it’s hot, things like mowing your lawn, cutting down trees, and lifting paving slabs around shouldn’t be done in the middle of the day if you can help it. Instead, try and enjoy the sunshine while you can, and do the really tough stuff before or after the temperature is at its highest.
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