• Divide perennials such as Hosta and Liriope., watering them well 2-3 days before hand. Dig up the clump and pull apart with two forks. Cut through the roots cleanly with a knife making sure each division has at least one crown (growth point). Replant at the same depth.
• Now the ground has really warmed up get on with planting trees, shrubs, roses, strawberries and perennials.
• Any containerised plants need plenty of fertiliser and frequent watering, especially during warm weather. Use Phostrogen liquid feed as it gets to work very quickly.
• Deadhead larger bulbs such as Tulips, Narcissus, and Hyacinths. Be sure not to cut the foliage!
• As leaves emerge on trees and shrubs, check for aphids, spider mites, etc. and spray with Bug Clear, or Bug Killer form Growing Success (uses natural plant extracts to kill insects, approved for organic gardeners) if needed.
• Fertilise bulbs again as they bloom. They are heavy feeders and another application will ensure nice blooms for next year. Vitax Q4 or J Arthur Bowers Blood Fish & Bone
• After the last chance of frost, (around mid April but can vary) you can start planting hardier annuals, pot marigolds etc.

Lawn Care for April

• Mow at least once a week if necessary. Roll to firm turf or seedlings if required.

• Mow at least once a week, lowering the height at each successive cut, but do not cut shorter than 4-6 cm (2-3 inches). Aerate the lawn and scarify. Level any humps or troughs. Apply fertiliser now if not fertilised with a Scotts Evergreen slow release lawn food earlier.
  

• This is the prime planting month for just about anything! As the soil is nice and warm for plants it’s a good time for planting Gladiolus, Daylilies, Lilies and Dahlias.  Other summer bulbs can be set out – Priory Farm Plant Centre stocks a huge range from Taylors Bulbs, as well as pot grown plants. Always use Rootgrow and a general plant food (more Vitax Q4 or J Arthur Bowers Blood, Fish & Bone). Incorporate perennials into bulb beds for an interesting contrast such as Foxglove with Narcissus bulbs.
• Early flowering shrubs such Azaleas and Rhododendron should be pruned after blooming and can be fertilised at the same time.
• Fertilise and spray roses for insects and diseases staring this month. Use Toprose plant food, as it has the very best range of nutrients. A continuous rose maintenance program throughout the summer will ensure a beautiful display all season long. Use Fungus Clear and Rose Clear 3 alternatively to keep bugs and disease under control.
• Mulch flowerbeds, shrubs, and trees with a fresh covering of J Arthur Bowers blended manure. For a more decorative look use bark chips. J Arthur Bowers golden pine is longer lasting than standard decorative bark, and as an added bonus it has a lovely pine scent.
• Instead of a daily sprinkle, water plants deep and slowly several times a week.
• Prepare beds for annuals by tilling and adding compost.
• If you noticed holes eaten in your Hosta leaves, or your Dahlias are getting munched, the culprits are probably slugs. Use slug pellets or Just Green Natural Born Killers slug killer to eliminate the problem.

• Apply summer lawn food (Scotts evergreen range). Continue regular mowing during the summer.
  

• Now is the time when all houseplants will benefit from a shower or gentle hose-down to get rid of dust accumulated over the winter months and many plants will require re-potting. We stock a large selection of Talbot Cortez plastic pots and a range of very reasonably-priced Scheurich ceramic pots. You will find small (10 litre) bags of J.Arthur Bower’s Houseplant Compost in our greenhouse sales area or larger bags of John Innes Nos.2 and 3 in the compost area alongside the car park.
  
  
• Don’t forget to feed all your house plants to keep them in tip-top condition. We stock most of the well known fertilisers such as Baby Bio, Miracle-Gro, Chempak, Fito or, if you favour a more organic method, why not try some liquid or granulated seaweed fertiliser from Bod Ayre, a small producer in the Shetland Islands.
  
  
• There’s still time to establish summer bedding plants for beds, borders, tubs and baskets so if you haven’t already done so, pay a visit to the Plant Centre and stock up.
  
  
• Check on tomato plants and stake them as necessary. Remember to feed with Tomorite which will help you to get good crops of full flavored tomatoes.
  
  
• Plant your runner beans outside now and stake them as they become taller. Look out for black fly and treat if necessary with Growing Success Bug Killer.
  
  
• Tidy up azalea and rhododendron bushes that have finished flowering, removing deadheads and pruning as needed. Feed with Miracle-Gro Ericaceous plant food to boost iron levels. Remember to ensure plants don't dry out through the summer as this would affect next year's flower performance.
  
  
• Remember to water strawberry during dry spells in order to produce luscious fruit. Feed with a tomato food such as Tomorite. Protect the fruit from birds if necessary with nets (but check daily in case any become trapped) and be on the lookout for slugs.
  
  
• If slugs are feasting on your strawberries or you notice holes in your other plants, use slug pellets or Just Green Natural Born Killers slug killer to eliminate the problem.
  
  
• Look out for aphids which will suck out sap and therefore destroy your plants. They can infest flower and vegetable gardens. Try Provado Ultimate Bug Killer ready-to-use spray.
  

Lawn Care for June

• Mow more frequently, if possible and water as necessary. Remove weeds using Verdone Liquid Lawn weed killer and feed your lawn using Evergreen ‘I Want To Feed My Lawn After Cutting’.
  

• Keep weeding! There are lots of weeds at this time of year.
  
  
• Hanging Baskets and tubs – keep these looking their best by making sure they are regularly watered and fed with Phostrogen Plant Food. Deadhead any finished flowers to encourage more.
  
  
• Tomatoes – continue to make sure your tomatoes are well supported using stakes/canes. Remove dying leaves. Check for pests and treat if necessary, using Provado Ultimate Bug Killer. Check for whitefly under the new leaves. Feed weekly with Tomorite.
  
  
• Roses – dead head flowers and continue to do this regularly. This will prevent them producing seed pods which will mean the plant is using all its energy to produce seeds rather than more flowers. Check for black spot and mildew – treat if needed with Rose Clear 3. Feed using Top Rose.
  
  
• Now is the time to sow seeds for autumn vegetables – try Franchi Seeds Italian pea Telefono for bright green pods up to 12cm long, or Thompson & Morgans spring onion Shimonita – a novel Japanese variety that can produce huge sweet stems for harvest over a long period. You will need to mix plenty of feed into the soil, such as J. Arthur Bowers Blended Farm Manure.
  
  
• Keep your beds tidy – deadhead regularly, feed weekly with the Miraclo-Gro Feeder. Protect against bugs using Provado Ultimalt Bug Killer, keep border edges trimmed. Mulch with J. Arthur Bowers bark chips or blended farm manure.
  
  
• Continue to keep an eye out for slugs and snails. Use slug pellets or Just Green Natural Born Killers slug killer to eliminate the problem. Try Slug Clear Liquid as it’s invisible to pets
  Continue to keep summer fruits protected with netting to prevent birds feasting on them, but check regularly in case any have become trapped.
  

Lawn Care for July

• Your lawn should now be regularly mowed – at least once a week. Feed with Miracle-Gro Lawn Feed and use weedkiller as necessary such as Verdone and remove any moss using Evergreen Moss Killer Liquid. Use a rake to pull out perennial weeds. Trim edges to look neat and tidy. To prevent the lawn from drying out, don’t mow too closely.
  

• Watering the garden is likely to be the biggest task this month. Vegetable gardens, most flowering plants lawns need about one inch of water every week to keep them green. Make sure you water thoroughly and deeply every time. If possible, do your watering in the morning or early afternoon so the soil has a chance to warm up before the cooler evening hours set in.
  
  
• Hanging baskets/tubs/potted plants need regular watering and should be moved into a shaded area if possible. Feed weekly using Phostrogen Plant Food. Be sure to check them every day during hot weather and about every second day on moderate summer days. Push your finger an inch or two into the soil to be sure there is adequate moisture below throughout the root area.
  
  
• Keep your beds and borders tidy, remove weeds and prune as necessary. Continue to deadhead regularly, otherwise they will go to seed and the plants will stop producing flowers. You should have plenty of flowers now, so continue to feed them with Miracle-Gro Feeder to maintain this colour for as long as possible.
  
  
• Continue to treat roses to prevent blackspot and mildew. Use with Rose Clear 3 spray. Continue to remove old flowers.
  
  
• Lift early potatoes now, especially if you like to put them in your salad. Just lift one root at a time so you have just enough when you need them.
  
  
• Tomato growers should start to think about pinching out the centre shoot of tomato plants – you want the plants now to concentrate on the existing tomatoes rather than more flowers.
  
  
• Ponds need to have their water levels checked and topped up if necessary, especially if the weather has been dry. Tidy up by removing decaying plants in the pond and thin out oxygenating plants. Remember safety is of paramount importance if you are going to have young children near your ponds. Priory Farm’s plant centre does stock fine mesh safety nets or little rolls of fence that can go around the edge. The other added advantage is that it will protect your fish from Herons.
  
  
• Start planting for your autumn and winter vegetables and flowers. Plant starters or seeds of green onions, carrots, beets, lettuce, spinach, radishes, and winter cauliflower directly into the garden early this month. Great additions to the garden for that time of year include winter pansies, primrose and sweet Williams.
  
  
• Feed your lawn with Evergreen’s Mow It Less Lawn Feed. Continue to mow regularly and fill any cracks caused by very dry weather. Use a summer fertilizer for the last time towards the end of August: try Evergreen’s ‘I want to feed my lawn after cutting’.
  
  
• Continue to watch for insect, slug and snail, or disease damage throughout the garden, and take the necessary steps to control the problem.
  

Bulbs

• Now is the time to think about buying bulbs for a colourful spring garden. These can include favourites like daffodils, crocuses, tulips snowdrops and narcissi. Visit Priory Farm Plant Centre for ideas and advice. Timing the planting of your bulbs can depend on our autumn weather. If September brings warm and/or wet weather you may want to store bulbs until the soil becomes cooler before planting.
• Plant prepared hyacinths inside now and they should bloom by Christmas. Put in a dark place and water occasionally. These will bloom earlier than outside hyacinths.
  
  

Hanging Baskets/Outside Pots/Containers

• You may wish to continue with your summer baskets for a little longer
  if they still look good or if they seem to be fading, think about your autumn/winter baskets/containers. Look in the Priory Farm Plant Centre
  for colourful winter flowering plants – these will include: winter pansies, primroses, Primulas, evergreen grasses & ferns, heucheras and sedums.
  For a trailing plant use ivy.
  
  

Bedding

• Clear away faded flowers and continue to deadhead perennials, to keep them looking fresh. Plant some winter plants such as winter pansies, violas, asters or ornamental cabbage to keep colour in your garden during winter. This is a good time to plant new evergreens and conifers as soil is still fairly warm and moist, especially with our summer rains. Try rhododendrons, azaleas, camelias or pieris ready for an amazing spring show of flowers. You can plant them in pots if your soil is chalky.
  
  

Roses

• Continue to deadhead roses and to treat for mildew and aphids –
  we recommend Rose Clear 3
  
  

Autumn harvesting

• Pick fruit and vegetables as soon as they are ripe – they need to be eaten when they are at their best. Look out for early ripening apples as soon as they are ready to eat as most do not keep for long. To test for ripeness, lift the fruit in the palm of your hand, if it leaves the spur easily with the stalk intact, it’s ready to pick.
  
• Harvest vegetables as soon as they are ready for maximum flavour.
  
• Now is the time to cut and dry herbs for winter. Pick onions and let them
  dry before storing them.
  

Lawn Care for August

• This is the best time of year for sowing new lawns or patches of worn/damaged lawn. Use seed or turf. Give your lawn an autumn feed –
  try using Evergreen Autumn Lawn Feed and also weed and moss killer –
  try Evergreen Lawn Builder. Use an autumn fertilizer that contains ferrous sulphate, which will kill the moss and act as a lawn tonic. Once the moss
  has turned black, scarify your lawn with a rake to remove this as well as other debris. Pick up falling leaves – these can be used for compost. Continue to cut as necessary.
  

Lawn care

• Depending on our autumn weather, you may be able to stop mowing by
  the end of this month – although if the weather remains mild, the grass will continue to grow and may still need cutting. Mid autumn is a good time to lay turf and to apply an autumn lawn feed to strengthen the grass.
• Continue to pick up/rake up fallen leaves from lawns (those left on your
  lawn will kill the grass underneath), and also those which have fallen onto borders, rockeries and paths (which will become slippery and dangerous). Continue to aerate, remove weeds and moss as necessary.
  
• Remove any remaining summer bedding plants and annuals. Trim lavender bushes once they have finished flowering.
• Prepare the ground for new rose bushes by digging in farm yard manure. New seasons roses should become available from the end of the month
  as should fruit trees and bushes which are also best planted at this time.
  
• Deadhead summer/autumn herbaceous plants, this will encourage
  continued flowering.
• Plant new perennials such as Hellebores, Heuchera, Asters, Penstemon
  and Euphorbias . This is the best time so they can put plenty of roots
  down before the ground gets too wet or cold. Plants sold at Priory Farm
  are container grown – so if you buy your plants now but the weather is
  not suitable for planting, you can wait if need be.
• Plant bedding plants for continuous colour during the winter months. There are lots of varieties available – have a look in the Plant Centre for a good selection. You could also try winter-flowering primulas, often the polyanthus type, and again, these come in a variety of colours. Small bedding cyclamen have also become popular and come in pinks, reds and whites.
  
  

Fruit

• Continue to pick fruit – apples/pears/plums - as they are ready. Most varieties of apples should be picked by the third week in October. You may need to store if you have too much. Do not store different fruits together – as they ripen at different times and ethylene gas given off by the early ripening varieties will cause the later one to ripen prematurely. A good
  way to store apples is to peel and slice them, then bag and freeze.
  

Lawn care for November

• Depending on the weather, you may still continue to mow your lawn. If we have mild winter, the grass will carry on growing. You will probably make your final cut in November.
• Check your lawn for diseases (such as rust – the lawn will look orange/yellow and generally lack vigour, up close you’ll see orange blobs on grass stems). Continue to aerate and rake to remove leaves. This will rectify any minor disease. Treat with Evergreen ‘I want complete Autumn lawn care’ lawn
  food to increase turf health and fight of disease.
  
• Brush away worm casts with a besom broom.
  
  
  

Fruit Trees and Bushes

• Cut back chrysanthemums to around 3 inches above ground once they
• have finished flowering
• Mulch strawberries and other delicate plants to help protect their roots
  from frost
• Tender bulbs such as dahlias and gladioli should be dug up and stored in
  a cool, dark place for the winter
• Ensure your plants and fruit canes are ready for the winter winds by checking ties and stakes
• Prepare sites for your new fruit plants and cover the soil with plastic to
  keep out the worst of the autumn rains and cold.
• Prune existing fruit trees/plants.
  
  

Hanging Baskets/Outside Pots/Containers

• Look in Priory Farm Plant Centre for plants to give late autumn colour to your pots and containers - try brightly coloured ceramic pots or mellow terracotta tones. We have an assortment of evergreen shrubs and grasses. Many of our unique plant combinations provide instant colour and are under-planted with bulbs for a spring surprise
  
  

Hedges

• November is a good time to plant a hedge – because the soil is still warm enough from summer, the roots of the hedging plants get well established before the onset of cold weather. This means they will be in a much better and sturdier state to put on good growth in the spring. Good hedges are: Yew, Privet, Bamboo, Laurels, Photinias, Box, Conifers (Thuya, Leylandii)
  
  

Bulbs

• Plant spring bulbs – visit Priory Farm’s Plant Centre to see what is still available, including bulb planters and fibre. Tulips are best planted in November. We have pre filled packs and also ‘fill-a-bag’ selections of daffodils. Erythronium ‘Pagoda’ is good for shade/woodlands and flowers March-April, as does Lily-of-the-Valley with its highly fragranced white flowers. Remember to lift your gladioli and dry them off in a frost free shed or greenhouse;
  a garage will work just as well, but make sure the mice don’t get them!
  

Christmas Trees

• It’s best not to delay buying your Christmas tree. Visit Priory Farm Plant Centre – our trees are grown to high standards in a sustainable way and
  are specially chosen for their excellent needle retention and beautiful looks.
  
  Follow our tips to get the very best from your tree after you get it home:
  
  
• Cut the stem.
  
• Put the tree in water, so that the water can be taken up through its stem.
• Water it every day.
• Keep away from heat.
• Although you will want to buy your tree as early as possible to ensure you have a good choice, you may want to keep it outside for a while as the earlier you bring it inside, the earlier it will lose its freshness.
• To keep your tree fresh at home, keep the temperature at or below 20C.
  
  

Hanging Baskets/Outside Pots/containers

• For your winter containers try using Skimmias and Azaleas or pop down to the Priory Farm Plant Centre to buy a ready-made container of winter and spring flowering plants, the perfect one stop solution for a Christmas gift.
  
  

Maintaining Equipment

• As the next few gardening months will be quieter, now is a good time to carry out maintenance to your gardening equipment, especially anything that will not be used now until spring.
• Once you have finished with your lawn mower, you will need to empty it
  of petrol. Remove any grass residue from mowers and strimmers.
• Store your garden equipment in a dry shed. Hang on walls if possible to keep off damp floors. Keep your electrical equipment indoors. Check for rust, wipe any grass off. Sharpen shears if necessary.
  
  

Houseplants for Winter

• Bring your garden inside with houseplants suitable for winter. Come and see the selection at Priory Farm Plant Centre. Choose from hyacinths, cyclamen, azaleas, poinsettias, Christmas cacti, African Violets, stephanotis, orchids, Christmas arrangements in baskets and ceramic pots – perfect as a gift. There are also exotic palms and evergreens such as anthuriums with striking green and red foliage.
• To care for your houseplants, clean dust from the leaves with a damp cloth, control pests with Provado Ultimate Bug Killer, deadhead as necessary, water as required. Keep away from heat.
  
  

Feeding Birds

• Now we are moving from Autumn and its natural food supplies, to the colder weather, make sure that the birds visiting your garden are well fed by keeping your bird feeders filled. Look in Priory Farm Plant Centre for our selection of Bill Oddie bird food and feeders, plus suet feasts.
• We stock a large range of squirrel proof feeders for all birds, as well as nest boxes, bird baths, bird tables, seed trays and roosting pouches. There is also a selection of wildlife habitats such as Frogitat for frogs and toads, bat boxes, Ladybird towers, bug boxes, butterfly and moth habitat feeders, hedgehog houses. All make unique presents.