Even though the daffodils are long gone and you’ve done most of your planting, there is still plenty to do in your garden in summer, so get those green fingers working. The insects will be rampant so summer gardening requires a certain amount of pest control and it’s not too late to plant certain flowers and bulbs such as dahlias sunflowers and nasturtiums. With the growing concern for climate change you can also take measures to make your garden ‘greener’, both literally and figuratively. Celeb gardeners in the UK offer some valuable advice on summer gardening.
There’s always time for summer gardening
Celebrity gardener and presenter, Kim Wilde, started her career as a singer and still found time to use her qualification in horticulture design to pursue her passion for gardening while releasing hit songs. She gives advice on how to cut down on your water bill and help the environment.
“With summer droughts increasingly predicted due to global warming, accompanied by hosepipe bans in many areas, it makes sense to wise up to potential water shortages in your garden”, Wilde says. Her solution is to use mulches, layers of compost, gravel or wood chips, which will help to retain moisture in the soil while the summer sun is beating down on our English gardens. She uses a mulch product made from recycled tyres by the eco friendly manufacturer ‘Dunweedin’.
Plant a tree and keep it happy
Matt James, of ‘The City Garderner’ fame, is an environmental pioneer and gardening enthusiast. His 2009 summer gardening tip is to keep your plants healthy, which will in turn keep them pest-free. “Stressed plants get sick fast, so always plant according to the demands of the plant, not the demands of the gardener”, James says. His suggestion for keeping your plants healthy is to ‘identify the various characteristics and ecology of your plot and pick plants accordingly’ and in this way you can reduce the need for environmentally damaging pesticides.
Plant vegetables for summer barbeques
The Director of Learning at the Eden Project, Jo Elworthy, suggests having a vegetable garden to do your bit for the environment. “Reduce food miles by growing your own. Copy traditional South American gardeners and grow the three sisters: courgettes to suppress the weeds, a tripod of beans to feed the soil and sweet corn … a must for the barbecue”, Elworthy advises. There are many salad plants, herbs and vegetables that will be ready for summer harvest and some leafy vegetables that can be harvested into autumn, so there’s no excuse for high grocery bills and unhealthy living if you get going with your gardening this summer.
Once you’ve done your summer gardening, you can reap the benefits because the time is right for outdoor parties. And if you’re stuck for unique and fashionable summer recipes look to a food presenter for fresh ideas.
