Everything you need to grow...
Hot off the trowel
Gardens to Gander ​​
​Here are some local gardens to visit:​
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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​West Dean Gardens open Mon-Fri 09.30am - 5.00pm.
Sat-Sun 09.00am - 5.00pm
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The National Garden Scheme (NGS)
Look on their website and find a garden near you to visit.
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Woolbeding Gardens.
The gardens open again on Thursdays and Fridays only as from 24th April. Pre booking is required for everyone.
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Insector Clueso!
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The Asian Hornet has arrived in the UK, and hundreds of nests have been destroyed. However, it looks as though they have been the tip of the iceberg. They are avaricious insects that target most of our pollinators.
Our honey bees are at serious risk of their hives being invaded and the colonies being wiped out. These predators are smaller than the European Hornet, which is not a threat. The Asian Hornet can be identified by its yellow leg ends and a wide orange band towards the rear of its abdomen.
If you see one, please report it using the iPhone and Android ‘Asian Hornet Watch’ app. Alternatively, email: alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk
please include a photo if you can do so safely.
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Weeders Digest
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The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi by Keith Seifert.
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One of our Garden Club members recently returned from a mushroom cultivation course in the misty mountains of Wales, positively glowing with fungal enthusiasm. Inspired by their stories, we picked up The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi.
This book uncovers the astonishing roles fungi play in our forests, homes, and even our bodies. From decomposing leaves to forming symbiotic relationships with plants—and us—fungi are quiet powerhouses of the natural world. Seifert’s writing is accessible, witty, and packed with fascinating science. It’s a must-read for anyone curious about the magic beneath our feet!
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Available to purchase: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hidden-Kingdom-Fungi-Exploring-Microscopic-ebook/dp/B09NF771Y3​
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Top gardening jobs for July ​
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Top gardening jobs this month:​
1. Deadhead bedding plants and perennials to ensure flowering.
2. Care for houseplants while on holiday.
3. Water tubs and new plants if dry..
4. Check clematis for clematis wilt.
5. Pick courgettes before they become marrows.
6. Start picking tomatoes as they ripen, remove side shoots and water the plant. ​
7. Clear alge, blanket weed and debris from ponds and keep them topped up.
8. Deadhead, feed and water the garden for a long lasting show.
9. Don't worry if your lawn turns brown, it will soon bounce back when it rains.
10. Harvest apricots, peaches and nectarines.
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Musings
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‘In these divine pleasures permitted to me of walks in the
July night under moon and stars, I can put my life as a fact
before me and stand aloof from it’s honour and shame’
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Ralph Waldo Emerson
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‘And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing
on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar
conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer’
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F Scott FitzGerald
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‘If i had my way, I’d remove January from the calendar altogether
and have an extra July instead’
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Roald Dahl
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‘There comes a time when people get tired of being pushed
out of the glittering sunlight of life’s July and left standing amid
the piercing chill of an alpine November’
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Martin Luther King Jr.
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‘I only deepen the wound of the world when I neglect to give
thanks to the heavy perfume of wild roses in early July and the
song of the crickets on summer humid nights…’
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Ann Voskamp
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‘The summer looks out from her brazen tower,
Through the flashing bars of July’
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Francis Thompson
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‘July is hollyhocks and hammocks, fireworks and vacations,
hot and steamy weather, cool and refreshing swims, beach
picnics, and vegetables all fresh out of the garden’
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Jean Hersey
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And finally……..
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‘When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, there is always the garden’
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Minnie Aumonier.
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