Decorative garden: it's time to plant aquatic plants in the garden pond
Perennial aquatic plants are insensitive to cold, but do not grow as long as the water is very cool. Therefore, early planting has no advantage.After a long winter, the water warms up slowly and only at the turn of May and June will it reach a temperature of over 12 ° C, allowing for planting plants in the pond.
Planting is facilitated by special baskets made of plastic or natural materials, e.g. coconut fibers, which we can buy in shops and garden centers. They can be conveniently filled with soil outside the pond.The baskets limit the expansion of strongly growing water lilies or cattail. We can also plant water plants in plastic pots, which are then placed in a pond.
Use soil poor in nutrients for planting. Garden soil promotes the growth of algae. During flooding, the earth will not come out of the basket if we cover it with small pebbles.Immerse the baskets slowly so that the soil is gradually soaked.
Balconies and terraces: vegetables at your fingertips
Some vegetables are also perfect for potting on a balcony or terrace. In such a small area, the cultivation of, among others, miniature tomatoes, herbs and peppers, including pepperoni.
The Italian variety of 'Toskana' is distinguished by long, shiny, red pods with a sweet, aromatic taste.The 'Pinocchio' variety surprises with its unusual coloring, from yellow, through orange, to red. Among the chili varieties we recommend the red 'Fireflame' and the yellow 'Sunflame'. All plants like a sheltered and sunny place and a slightly moist substrate. We supply power once a week.
Hedges: leading and cutting a hedge
After planting hedge shrubs, everyone asks the same question: what next, how to bring the shrubs to rapid, lush growth?
Lush and rapid tillering can only be achieved in one way: by regular and strong pruning. Moreover, procrastination with pruning can harm some plants.The victims of such a procedure are quite often the thuja and the cypress.As a result of neglect, the shrubs grow wider and cannot be formed anymore, because the old shoots do not bounce back. The conclusion is obvious: the pruning cannot be delayed, the cutting should be started when the bushes are still young. The hedge should be trimmed at least once a year.As a result, it will grow luxuriantly and gradually take on the desired height and width.
Trim the hedge very early in spring. In the case of strongly growing shrubs, such as the thuja and hornbeam, it is worth making an additional summer pruning from the end of June.
First trim the sides of the planting. Position yourself sideways to the hedge, and lead the electric shears from the arm down and up. When the sides take the appropriate shape, we proceed to the ridge equation. Keep the shears horizontally, cut the hedge by rotating the body around. In this way, we will be able to obtain the most even cutting surface.Finally, we should smooth the edges of the hedge, even if the planting has a cuboid cross-section, and thoroughly clean the bushes of cut shoots and leaves.The leftovers can be put in thin layers in a compost heap and used for fertilizer.
Large-leaved hedges, like holly, look better after pruning if they are clipped with a hand pruner rather than an electric shear. Cutting with pruning shears is undoubtedly cleaner, leaves are not torn apart and therefore do not dry out.
Vegetable: harvesting and drying popular herbs
Midsummer's Eve, the shortest of the year, celebrated on June 24, sets the season for harvesting many popular herbs. The last decade of June is the time of harvesting the so-called carob herbs, i.e. chamomile, verbena, St. John's wort, calendula, mugwort and thyme.The flowers of St. John's wort, calendula and chamomile are harvested in the late morning on a sunny day.It is worth knowing that the more insects gather around the flowers, the more essential oils they contain (and the better the quality of the herb ). We dry the collected flowers in a luminous shade on an airy stand, preferably on a net stretched on a frame.
Herbs should dry for 3-4 days, then they should be dried in paper bags and only then sealed in a dark glass jar or can. Verbena, mugwort and thyme are harvested whole shortly before flowering and, after bundling, dried with flowers downwards in a shaded place. After 4-14 days, remove the dried leaves and store them in a dry, dark place, preferably in dark glass cans or jars.
Orchard: apple trees must be watered abundantly
Apple trees need to be watered more often than other fruit trees. There is a high risk that, after the summer heat, early varieties (but not only) will start shedding some of the fruit.In winter varieties, the fruit taste deteriorates due to under-watering, and they also lose their storage properties.After a long drought, the trees produce fewer flower buds, so fruiting is more modest.
In areas where annual rainfall does not exceed 600 mm, trees, especially young ones, must be additionally irrigated in summer. It is better to water apple trees once (a week), but abundantly than several times a week, but not abundantly. The substrate should be watered to a depth of approx.20 cm.
