Arthur’s Gardening Blog

A Host of Golden Daffodils

The month of March, the snowdrops have been and now the daffodils burst into life shining like little yellow suns in our gardens, their shape trumpeting the arrival of spring. Few gardens do not have a clump or two of daffodils but did you know that there are up to a hundred varieties of daffodil? Daffodils of all sizes to fit all pockets of the garden, daffodils of varying yellow and white, daffodils with heavy scent and daffodils with little trumpets! Such choice!

Daffodils can be grown in almost any conditions. They are happy in most soil types but don’t like to have their roots in water – water logged areas are not recommended. When planting your bulbs remember to plant nice and deep, this will give your bulbs a chance of a prolonged life by avoiding soil erosion. Daffodils are rarely bothered by diseases or pests but if it does happen remember to remove the infected plants before the problem spreads.

Daffodils can be grown in beds and borders, rockeries and under trees. They also make a fantastic display of spring on your patio, outside your doors or in your yard if they are planted thickly into pots. To get the best display you need a good concentration of bulbs but remember that when planting in pots you don’t need to plant the bulbs as deeply as you would in soil.

Gardeners are beginning to undertake the deadheading and tidying of beds in preparation for the autumn. We now need to check our fruit trees and also take cuttings of various plants. The nights are drawing in and autumn is knocking at the door but the garden still needs us. Read on for September’s gardening tips…
Deadhead your roses as the blooms fade, remove the flower just above the uppermost leaf on the stem. Trim back your lavender bushes after flowering to remove any old blooms and the tips of shoots. Take care not to cut too enthusiastically into any old wood. Take cuttings. Try removing faded blooms from your perennials and annuals in the hope that you will get a continued display of flowers.

Don’t forget that you can put all your cuttings in your click4garden composter – there are sizes for every garden.

Our little orchard is beginning to become a hive of activity, not least to the wasps, and our early ripening apples – Discovery – have already been picked. They don’t store very well so eat them while they are at their best. Stew them if you like – they are sweet and delicious. The plums have not been as abundant as previous years but still enough to make plum jam for breakfast, lunch and tea!

You can give your evergreen hedges a final trim to make sure they are in shape for winter and if your lawn isn’t too waterlogged keep up the mowing, moving the blades up a little each time.

Our summer migrant birds are gathering together and will soon begin their journey back home. We will miss them as they swoop and dive bomb around the farmyard and garden. Our domestic birds still need us though and we must continue to fill the feeders with whole peanuts.