The Good Gardener Company

The Good Gardener Company The Good Gardener Company offers a regular garden maintenance service and ad hoc work at sensible rates Local Service

13/03/2021

It's nesting season and our garden birds are working hard. Did you know that all wild birds, their nests and eggs are protected by law? It’s important not to disturb them, so please leave the hedge-trimming until later in the year.

BeesPlants for Bees in your GardenThere are two main types of bee; the Bumblebee and the Honeybee. Populations of both h...
24/11/2020

Bees
Plants for Bees in your Garden

There are two main types of bee; the Bumblebee and the Honeybee. Populations of both have suffered huge declines in recent years for a number of different reasons so it is worth knowing the difference.

Bumblebee
Bumblebees

There are 24 species of Bumblebee living wild in the UK. They are easily recognised by their characteristic fluffy bodies. Different species of Bumblebee have different length tongues because they feed from different shaped flowers. Our wild Bumblebees have suffered declines due to bad weather, the use of insecticides and a reduction in wildflower rich grassland for feeding and nesting.

Honeybee
Honeybees

There is only 1 species of Honeybee in Europe and these bees live in hives that are cultivated and tended by beekeepers in order to produce honey. Britain's cultivated honeybee population has been largely affected by the varroa mite, which has spread rapidly through bee hives since arriving in Britain in 1992. Honeybees are slimmer and smaller than Bumblebees, having a closer appearance to a wasp. They all have short tongues which are best suited to feeding from open flower shapes.

Encouraging Bumblebees in the Garden

Although Honeybees are often found in gardens, it is our wild Bumblebees that are of greatest interest to the gardener. Given that collectively gardens equate to over a million acres in the UK, there is much that we can do as gardeners to help save Bumblebees from decline. If every garden contained a bee house and a range of bee friendly flowers, trees and shrubs then this would significantly increase both food and shelter for our native Bumblebees, and help to reverse their decline.

If you are encouraging bees into your garden then it is important to avoid using insecticides as these will kill helpful pollinating insects (including bees) as well as the target insects.

Bee house
Make a Bee House

Remember that different species require different habitats. Mason Bees enjoy nesting holes in wood or thick stems. You can make your own simple bee house or you can buy a commercially made bee house. Use hollow bamboo canes, dried Japanese knotw**d stems or even thick bramble stems. Fix bee boxes in a south-facing spot but not in direct sunlight. Also make sure the entrance points downwards so that rain does not get in.

Many other species of bumblebee will prefer a wood pile in your garden. Simply create a pile of logs, stems and branches and leave it be - the more untidy, the better! Other species will enjoy a grassy bank to nest in - let the grass grow tall and plant pollen rich plants along the edge of the bank.

Planting Flowers for Bees

It�s best to aim for a good variety of pollen rich flowers that have different flower shapes and a range of flowering periods from early spring to late summer. Try to ensure at least two different plant species in flower at any time throughout this period to prevent your bees from going hungry. Most double flower forms are lacking in pollen or nectar and likely to be inaccessible to bees so these are best avoided.

We�ve put together a list of bee friendly varieties for you to grow, to help feed the bees in your garden. If you wanted to choose just one or two varieties to grow to help the bees, we suggest any variety of Scabiosa or a wild flower would be ideal.

Bee-friendly Flowers

Annuals

Borage; Buckwheat; Californian Poppy; Candytuft; China Aster; Cornflower; Cosmos bipinnatus; Forget-me-not; Gilia capitata; godetia; Heliotrope; Nigella; Mignonette; Nemophila; Phacelia; Poached Egg Plant; Sunflower; Sweet Sultan; Zinnia

California Poppy
Hollyhock
Biennials

French honeysuckle (Hedysarum coronarium); Hollyhock (single flowered varieties only); Honesty; Wallflower

Herbaceous Perennials

Agastache; Alyssum; Anchusa azurea; Arabis ; Aubrieta; Campanula; Nepeta; Cranesbill; Dahlia single-flowered varieties only; Erigeron; Geum; Globe Artichoke; Globe Thistle; Golden Rod; Gypsophila ; Helenium; Hellebores; Sedum; Jacob's Ladder; Japanese anemone; Lambs� Ears; Leopard's Bane; Liatris; Lungwort; Michaelmas Daisies; Oriental Poppy; Monarda; Persicaria amplexicaulis; Rudbeckia; Salvia; Scabious; Sea Hollies; Sidalcea; Thrift; Veronica; Marrubium; Verbena

Single Flowered Dahlia
Fritillary
Bulbs and Corms

Allium; Autumn Crocus; Crocus; Fritillaries; Glory of the Snow; Muscari; Hyacinth; Siberian squill; Snowdrops; Winter Aconite

Vegetables and Culinary Herbs

Asparagus; Brassicas (left to flower); Broad Bean; Hyssop; Marjoram ; Marrow, Cucumber and Courgette; MintRosemary; Runner Bean; Sage; Thyme

hyssop
Cherry Blossom
Trees and Shrubs

Almond; Apple (including ornamental Malus); Berberis; Blackberry; Blackthorn; Boston Ivy; Box; Broom; Caryopteris; Ceanothus; Cherry including single-flowered ornamental types; Cherry Laurel; Christmas box; Clematis cirrhosa; Cotoneaster; Currants; Olearia; Daphne mezereum; Dogwood; Enkianthus campanulatus; Escallonia; False Acacia; Pyracantha; Fuchsia; Gooseberry; Gorse; Hawthorn; Hazel; Heather; H**e; Holly; Horse Chestnuts; Hypericum; Indian Bean Tree; Ivy; Japanese Quince; Judas Tree; Koelreuteria paniculata; Lavender; Loganberry; Lonicera � purpusii; Mahonia; Maples (Acer); Mountain Ash; Buddleja globosa; Pear; Perovskia atriplicifolia; Plums; Potentilla; Raspberry; Rock Rose; Rose (single-flowered species); Snowberry; Strawberry Tree; Sycamore; Sweet Bay; Tetradium daniellii; Virginia Creeper; Weigela; Willows, male forms, especially goat willow (Salix caprea).

British Wild Plants and Flowers

Bindw**d (Convolvulus arvensis); birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus); burdock (Arctium lappa); charlock (Sinapis arvensis); chickw**d (Stellaria media); clovers (Trifolium spp.); coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara); dandelion (Taraxacum officinale); devil's bit scabious (Succisa pratensis); field scabious (Knautia arvensis); figworts (Scrophularia spp.); h**p agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum); horseshoe vetch (Hippocrepis comosa); knapw**ds (Centaurea spp.); knotgrasses (Polygonum spp.); lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria); mallows (Malva spp.); marsh marigold (Caltha palustris); meadow clary (Salvia pratensis); meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria); poppies (Papaver spp.); purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria); red deadnettle (Lamium purpureum); rose bay willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium); teasel (Dipsacus fullonum); thistles (Cirsium spp.); toadflax (Linaria vulgaris); traveller's joy (Clematis vitalba); valerian (Valeriana officinalis); viper's bugloss (Echium vulgare); white bryony (Bryonia dioica); white melilot (Melilotus albus); yellow melilot (M. officinalis); yellow trefoil (Trifolium dubium).

See our wildflower seed range here

Other 'Plants for a Purpose' articles:

Plants for Wildlife
Plants for Birds
Plants for Butterflies
Plants for Garden Mammals
Wildlife Habitats
Growing Plants for Wildlife
Perfect for Pollinators
What to do in your Garden to Encourage Wildlife

JULY DIARYLawnsKeep mowing regularly, except during drought. In hot weather, set the mower at a slightly higher level th...
30/06/2020

JULY DIARY

Lawns
Keep mowing regularly, except during drought. In hot weather, set the mower at a slightly higher level than normal for early summer. This can prevent the lawn drying in hot weather.

Last time to apply a liquid summer lawn fertiliser, especially if a spring feed was not given. A soluble feed and w**d product may be useful if there are w**ds present in the lawn.

Don’t worry unduly about brown patches on the lawn - they will recover quickly when the autumn rains arrive.

If a completely green lawn is necessary, then use a sprinkler once a week. Place an open jam-jar on the lawn and leave the sprinkler running for sufficient time for 13mm (0.5in) of water to collect in the bottom of the jar. This is the optimum amount to avoid wasting water, while still wetting the roots sufficiently.

New areas of grass, sown or turfed in the spring, will need extra watering to keep them going through their first summer.

Lawn growth slows down in late summer. Raise the cutting height slightly as the month progresses, to help the grass better resist the wear it suffers in summer.

Troubleshooting
Inspect any yellow patches on the lawn: if they contain small pinkish-red strands, then you may have red-thread in the lawn. This is a fungal disease, common on light soils after heavy rain, when the nitrogen is washed out of the soil. A nitrogen-rich fertiliser should remedy the situation, and the damage is rarely long-lived.

By mid-summer some lawns may be heavily infested by ants. Brushing out the nests on a dry day is the best method of control, and should be done prior to mowing.

Isolated w**ds can be dug out or spot-treated with a paint-on w**dkiller.

When mowing, take time to generally inspect the lawn. You may notice areas that could benefit from more radical renovation in the autumn.

One of the lovely gardens The Good Gardener Company maintain.
22/06/2020

One of the lovely gardens The Good Gardener Company maintain.

Bird nesting season is over, so time to think about tidying those hedges.
11/06/2020

Bird nesting season is over, so time to think about tidying those hedges.

JUNESummer arrives.June 21 is the longest day of the year, and the extra light and warmth encourages the garden to put o...
30/05/2020

JUNE
Summer arrives.

June 21 is the longest day of the year, and the extra light and warmth encourages the garden to put on an exuberant burst of growth. But this extra light and warmth also means w**ds will sprout up from seemingly nowhere. Keep on top of them by hoeing regularly in dry conditions.

Top 10 jobs this month

1 Hoe borders regularly to keep down w**ds

2 Be water-wise, especially in drought-affected areas

3 Pinch out sideshoots on tomatoes

4 Harvest lettuce, radish, other salads and early potatoes

5 Position summer hanging baskets and containers outside

6 Mow lawns at least once a week

7 Plant out summer bedding

8 Stake tall or floppy plants

9 Prune many spring-flowering shrubs

10 Shade greenhouses to keep them cool and prevent scorch

March - Spring arrivesSpring usually arrives by mid-March and the frequent sunny days provide the opportunity for an inc...
27/02/2020

March -
Spring arrives

Spring usually arrives by mid-March and the frequent sunny days provide the opportunity for an increasing range of gardening tasks. It's time to get busy preparing seed beds, sowing seed, cutting back winter shrubs and generally tidying up around the garden. Let's hope this month sees less rain.

The Good Gardener Company would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and peaceful 2020.December has been so wet t...
18/12/2019

The Good Gardener Company would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and peaceful 2020.

December has been so wet thus far - waterlogged lawns are easily damaged so try to avoid walking on them when possible.

Here's a few tips from the RHS. Winter repair and maintenance.

Avoid walking on lawns on frosty mornings. It can damage the grass and often leads to brown footprint-shaped marks.

Prune open-grown apples and pears (but not those trained against walls)

Prune acers, birches and vines before Christmas to avoid bleeding

OctoberThe autumn chill sets inAlthough we had some warmer days over September, the autumn is now definitely here for re...
09/10/2019

October
The autumn chill sets in

Although we had some warmer days over September, the autumn is now definitely here for real, and it feels colder. It's a beautiful time of year, with the trees changing colour. Sometimes it may seem pointless raking, when the wind blows even more leaves onto the lawn, but just think of all the lovely leafmould you can make! It's also time to start preparing for early frosts.

Top 10 jobs this month
1
Divide established rhubarb crowns to create new plants

2
Cut back perennials that have died down

3
Divide herbaceous perennials

4
Move tender plants, including aquatic ones, into a greenhouse or conservatory

5
Plant out spring cabbages

6
Harvest apples, pears, grapes and nuts

7
Prune climbing roses

8
Finish collecting seeds from the garden to sow next year

9
Last chance to mow lawns and trim hedges in mild areas

10
Renovate old lawns or create new grass areas by laying turf

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Cowden
Edenbridge
TN87HZ

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+44 7551 954571

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