Top Gardening Jobs for the Rest of the Year

I don’t know if you’re the same, but I find when I’m gardening, I’m making a mental note of things I need to do. These are often based on problem spots, things I don’t like the look. Sometimes the list includes successes which I want to repeat or build on. And less frequently still, it’s flahses of inspiration, ideas I suddenly have. As we’re half way through the year, the end of June is a classic moment for me to pull some of these thoughts together into a gardening ‘to do’ list; the top gardening jobs I need to try to do during the remainder of the year.

So I thought I’d share with you what’s on this year’s list and why.

Dividing Perennials

Looking at my sunny bed, which wraps aroud the corner of my patio, it’s very clear to me that some of my perennials in the bed will need dividing this Autumn. In particular my Sedum, Veronicastrum Adoration, Astrantia Major, Nepeta and Phlox Mount Fuji.

The bed looks wonderfully full, which I love, but it’s now tipping over into the ‘too full zone’. I need to divide the plants to refresh them. Doing so will also give others around them – especially my new peonies – more space and light. Dividing also prevents plants looking tired and a bit threadbare in the centre (the Nepeta already does if I’m honest).

Dividing them is not complicated. You can see how to divide perennials here. However, what to do with them then is more of a challenge. Having divided the plants, I’ll have more of them – and I have no room for them. Hopefully a few friends and neighbours will want them!

Anyway, this is definitely one of my top gardening jobs for Autumn.

Sorting Out Trees

In our garden we are blessed with some wonderfully mature trees which we inherited when we moved in almost 30 years ago. Copper Beech, three old Apple trees, Silver Birch, Elm, a Maple and two massive – and I mean massive- Robinia Pseudoacacia and a Magnolia. The trees make the garden look incredibly established, provide cover for wildlife and frame the space. To this mix we’ve added a Cherry tree which a dear friend gave to me when my Dad died. Sadly the pigeons and black fly decimate it but the Cherry soldiers on. We also added five Catalpas to screen a garden eyesore. Lastly, there’s a Walnut tree which has seeded from somewhere and which I think is a complete nuissance as it’s crowding out other trees nearby. Mr F-W doesn’t want to get rid of it, but I do.

Anyway, these trees desperately need checking and pruning by an expert. In particular one of the Robinias (above) needs attention. Let me first state it is utterly beautiful and I’m anxious to retain that beauty, not hack it back. However, one of its branches is now resting right across the roof of a shed, and will ultimately bring it down. A further branch is now so long and low hanging that it is literally only three foot from the floor. And this is a branch which extends right out across the garden! The whole tree is ginormous!

Our Apple trees also needs a sort out. The largest one is unshapely and our two smaller trees look very sad and tired. Also I want a second opion on the Walnut. Is it causing problems to the other trees and will those problems get worse? In other words, should it stay or go?

Call in a Expert

This is all work for a specialist, so my top gardening jobs include booking a tree surgeon. My trees are deciduous (they lose their leaves) so I understand they are generally best pruned when dormant, in late Autumn or Winter. Hopefully I can book one for then. Will get on the phone on Monday!

Bulb Planting

One thing which has worked really well this year is my mini glade of old native Bluebells (not the Spanish ones). I planted it last Autumn as part of my bulb planting plans. It edges the route towards our dustbins (classy!) A lot of experts suggest they work better when planted ‘in the green’ in Spring time. Even then they say ‘don’t be disappointed if they don’t work in their first year.’

Well, I went the less recommended route and planted 150 native Blubell bulbs in Autumn. And I had no such disappointment! I had lots of flowers this Spring – kaboom!! I did plant them really deep – it took ages. But anyway, kidding myself I have the Bluebell bulb midas touch, I’m going to plant a whole load more to increase and extend the effect.

Rethink My Clematis Pots

I don’t know about you, but I find a lot of gardening is trial and error. That’s why my list of top gardening jobs inevitably includes correcting errors! One of these has to be my arc of five Clematis in pots curving past our old apple tree. The idea is a nice one (I think) but in reality it’s a shocking disappointment. While I have thriving clematis on my patio, those in the curve of pots are just not happy. Two are ok, but not much better than ok. The other three are a complete waste of time.

The pots didn’t perform well in their first year and I wondered whether this was the compost I’d used. I’d bought it from a new supplier (as we were in full lockdown) and I didn’t much like the look of it when I opened the bag.

So over Winter I decided to change it and repotted all of the clematis. When I did I took the opportunity to underplant them with tulips. However the change of composts hasn’t helped. And on reflection, I also think the tulips in these containers are a mistake. They looked lovely but, if you want tulips to return, you need to leave their leaves to die back.

A feature of five pots of straggly tulip leaves looks awful! If the clematis were thriving they might hide the leaves a bit, but they’re not. So while the arc of pots in Bake Off terms is a showstopper in Spring when the tulips are blooming, it’s an soggy-bottom eyesore for the remainder of the year!!

So I’m going to completely rethink these containers. I’ll probably move the healthy clematis, perhaps putting them together in one pot on my patio. (Great advice from my friend Deni who is a clematis whizz). I’ll then put something different in the other four.

Moving Plants

Every year my gardening to do list includes moving plants, and this Autumn will be no exception. Although it’s not good to keep moving plants, if you have one in the wrong spot you shouldn’t be afraid to act.

In my semi-shaded bed I have four Sanguisorba planted on the edge of the bed. I love their airy form and small fluffy pale pink flowers, which really compliment the Rose Wildeve planted near them. However, because the light for the bed mostly comes in from behind, they’ve become really straggly and they lean the wrong way – backwards into the bed! They’ve also got too big, inhibiting two gorgeous Deanes Dream Hostas planted next to them. (These are two of my favourite hostas – you can checkout my top ten hostas here).

At the same time, two Mexican Feathergrasses which I planted in the same bed, next to some other lime coloured hostas, are looking really wonderful. I know the grass normally prefers full sun, but they are thriving in this semi shaded spot. They’re a much better height for this bed, and don’t spread so far.

Added to all of this, this end of the bed is looking ‘bitty’ that’s because I’ve popped into it random things I didn’t have a home for – fatal!

This has given me inspiration for an idea. I’m going to lift all four of the Sanguisorbia and find another home for them. I’m going to replace them with just two more Mexican Feathergrasses. This will build on and repeat the theme happening elsewhere in the bed. I may well add more lime coloured hostas too, and remove a few other ‘odds and sods’ in the bed. I’ll see if that works better, providing a more planned, thought through and cohesive looking bed!

Letting Nature In and Out!

Last September I blogged about how to attract wildlife into your garden, sharing tips from a leading ecologist. Since then I’ve really tried to follow the advice. I’ve left some grass areas (under trees) long. I’m cleaning the bird waterbowl every day. We’ve left patches of nettles and we’ve created a wood pile near our bins.

I’ve also continued not using any chemicals, despite there being masses of aphids and black fly in my garden. I’m keeping fingers crossed that ultimately the lady birds or hoverflies will see them off. To encourage them, I’ve concentrated on planting a variety of shapes and colours when it comes to my planting choices. We’ve also refreshed our birdboxes; building a new one for the little copse at the bottom of our garden. (See how to build a bird box here)

Well, drum roll….this week we were rewarded for our efforts with this lovely little headhog, grass in mouth, scuttling across our patio. We think it’s using the grass to build a nest. So our top gardening jobs will include making sure there are plenty of garden exits for our new resident hedgehog. (I so hope he/she’s a resident and wasn’t just passing through).

Top Gardening Jobs..what’s on your list?

I obviously have lots of other day-to-day tasks to complete; things which routinely crop up at this time of year. Watering, feeding, deadheading, deadheading and yet more deadheadin, staking, training, refreshing pots. But the tasks I’ve focused on here are specific to this year. Making them my top gardening jobs. So what’s on your list? What are you moving, changing, doing more of over the next 6 months? I’d love to know…