| August in the Garden with Paraic August is all about outdoor living with family and friends. Making the most of the sunny days, and doing as much as we possible can outdoors. Being able to eat, sit and relax in our back garden is now more popular than ever. Our gardens should be an extension of homes, a place dine, entertain and spend family time. Spending some time this month keeping on top of the weeding, deadheading, feeding and cleaning will make a huge difference to your perfect garden staycation place. This month in our garden centres we are hosting a “Summer Sizzler.” This includes promotions on selected lines from our Outdoor Living Department including top of the range furniture and BBQs – ideal for back garden parties including Communions and Celebrations. In August we also start to think about Autumn coming in. Autumn means tackling moss, planting for Spring and wildlife.Catch me Ireland:AM Wendesday 12th August at 9.35am. Where I will be showing you my top tips for planting for the environment and especially pollinating insects including honey bees – bumble bees, wildflower planting and bringing biodiversity to the garden.Paraic Horkan Lawn Care:To prepare your garden for Autumn, follow Paraic’s 3 step lawn care program. The first step, which you can do now, is to treat the moss with Zero. Zero will rid the lawn moss, without turning the lawn black. It works in hours, safe for pets and children and best of all there is no to rake the moss out! Follow with a dressing of Osmo to feed and green the lawn over the Winter months. August is one of the best months to sow a new lawn or re-seed bare patches in your lawn. Green Velvet lawn seed is a perfect, hard-wearing lawn seed. It will give you a hard-wearing lawn that is easy to maintain, yet ideal for children and pets to play on.Sow and Grow:Sow vegetables, herbs and flowering plants from seed. Sow a wide selection of edible and flowering plants from seed. Simply sow the seeds in a pot of compost and cover with cling film. Then just watch them grow and replant them once ready! Plant blueberries now in large pots or directly out into your garden soil. Blueberry plants produce their fruit in August, you may even be lucky enough to purchase plants with some ripening blueberries attached. Blueberries love lime free soil, so add a handful of Ericaceous Plant Food. It’s not too late to get those spuds down either. The young shoots will appear within weeks. They will continue to grow throughout the autumn, producing a crop of new potatoes for your Christmas dinner. Garden Care:August is the ideal time to prepare for autumn. Clean out your bird feeders and wash them in a little detergent. Then add some new wild bird feeds to prepare for the busy wild bird season in September. Clean your path and driveway with PACPAC removes Algae, Lichens, Moss and Mould from all hard surfaces. It is self cleaning – little need for sweeping after applying. Remove Lawn MossUse Zero to remove lawn moss, this product will work in hours and will not turn lawn black. Feed your LawnOsmo will green our lawn without forcing growth, it is a slow release fertiliser for optimal growth, colour & health of grass.Garden Colour:Did you know you can get plants for free? Yes, August is a time for propagation! Choose some of your favourite garden shrubs and cut pencil length slips off the plant. Tip: Cut straight across below a leaf joint or bud and add Perlite to the mix. Rooting powder will help to stimulate healthy root development in cuttings. Fuchsia, Hydrangea, Hebes and Lavender are all suitable for taking cuttings. You can take up to twenty plant cuttings, placing them side by side in the pot. Cover the slips and pot with a plastic bag and leave in a bright sheltered location for four weeks. Once the slips have rooted, plant them in individual pots to grow over the autumn. Sow Wildflower Seeds The flowering mix will not only be an eye-catching display, but is great for the eco-friendly gardener as they help in improving biodiversity. Simply weed the area, sprinkle the seeds and lightly rake over. This will attract bumble bees, butterflies and honey bees next spring and summer. Remember to add some spring flowering bulbs to this area too. Above all, Enjoy August and your outdoor living space!If you have any gardening, furniture and BBQ questions, simply visit or call your nearest Horkans. Our Garden Experts are waiting to help. |
