A . www.clitheroeadv0rtiser.co.uk Thursday,July9,2015 I CUTHEROEADVERTISER&TIMES VALLEY GARDENING © \v< keep rabbits off your plants


WRITTEN BY JOHN


• FOLEY @


you are fighting a constant battle, yes they’re one of na­ tures cutest creatures, but with plenty of juicy leaves around them they can also be one of nature’s most damag­


I a - I


ing! They do have their favourites


and the extent of damage is really down to how many you


have. We have numerous custom­ ers’ gardens where rabbits are present and that means plant choice is limited. But the first port of call is to try and prevent the rabbits fromgetting into the garden in the first place. Chicken mesh dug into the ground up against any field ' fencing is a reliable method, but you will find that rabbits


Spotlight


f you’ve ever had an ex­ perience with a rabbit or maybe several rab­ bits in the garden then you’ll no doubt feel like


will even chew through this so you have to keep checking it a few times per year to check they haven’t made themselves awayin! Stone walls can deter, but you may find that rabbits, if hun­ gry enough, will climb these so without increasing the height - of the wall preventing them from getting in certainly can be a challenge. Sometimes rabbit proofing your garden just isn’t feasi­ ble so the next approach is to choose plants they don’t like the taste of. The RHS do have a plant list of plants that rabbits don’t like and this can be found on the internet, my favour­ ites Crocosmias are included along with other plants such as Heucheras, Paeoneas and Primulas plus many more. You would stereotypically think prickles would deter them but trust me it doesn’t; Berberis and Ilex are almost top of their list of ones they/


love. Now finally the biggest chal­


lenge with Rabbits is getting the plants established, even


rabbitproofCrocosmiascan . get a nibbling when they’re young, and a good nibbling can be enough to kill a young


plant. If you can get the plants estab­ lished then you will find rab­ bits may have a chew early on in the springwhen the shoots are soft but they will move onto pastures new, or they mayjust keep chewing the bottom foot of shrubs and the rest is safe above this point, so if you have any new plant­ ing look at putting up a small temporary fence made out of mesh just enough to stop them for the first 2 years al-


• lowingyour bed to develop, if it’s just individual new plants that your struggling with then you can’t beat an old hanging baskets, place it upside down on top of the plant and this at least allows the core shoots to be protected which will allow the plant to grow and develop and also lets the rabbits have a nibble, next year the plant will be strong enough to produce new shoots to help replace any lost in the spring by rabbit damage.


Jobs to do....


WEED Weeding out little seeding weeds


is crucial to keeping the garden tidy, one year's seeding is seven years weeding so bits of Bittercress and meadow grass need to go!


DIVIDEANDREPLANTFLAG


IRIS Nowthey have finished flowering


it is a good time to give them a thin out. A t the same time replant stronger


parts of the clump, cut the leaves back by half and water well after replanting.


WATER CONTAINERS With the weather being predomi­


nantly dry it is essential to water your pots, containers and hanging baskets


IT’S TIME TO GET


OUT IN THE GARDEN AND GET CRACKING WITH THOSE


MUST-DO JOBS...


BUT WHICH ONES? HERE JOHN FOLEY SETS OUT WHAT


NEEDS DOING AND WHEN, AND HOW TO GO ABOUT IT


twice a week especially if they are in


full sun. If unsure just feel the soil to see if


it is moist enough.


DEADHEAD BEDDING PLANTS Deadhead these regularly as soon


as the flowers begin to fade, especially Pelargonium's as this helps the plant to put more energy into producing lots of flower instead of producing seeds. I t also keeps the plants flowering for longer.


CUT BACK DECIDUOUS


AZALEAS Now after flowering is the time to


cut the varieties that drop their leaves in the winter down', they are the only Azalea which can be pruned and take them back by half now along with feeding to get strong compact growth


MORETOSEE o o a constant battle to @CLITHADVERTISER ■'' v - FACEBOOK.COM/ADVERTISERTIMES VALLEY EVENTS Q & A


HERE YOU CAN SEND IN AND FIND OUTTHE ANSWERS TO ANY GARDENING PROBLEMS


HOW MANY BOX SHOULD I PLANT PER METRE? Box is a great plant for creating a small formal hedge, trim it twice per year and itwill give superb all year round interest, if your plant­ ing young plants then you can plant up to 8 per metre, for larger plants then plant 5 per metre, either way make sure to trim them after their growth flush in Spring along with giving them a clip into shape at the end ofSummer tidying them up for the winter, feed once peryear with a shrub pellet based feed to help keep them looking


Pupils know how to make their prom


night entrances Transport with everything from for wheels to four hooves


♦b y Fa iz a A f z a a l faiza.afzaal@jpress.co.uk Twitter:@clithadvertiser


Posh frocksand snazzyjack- ets were donned by Year 11 pupils as they celebrated their end-of-year prom in style.


healthy. CAN I PRUNE MY SPIRAEA


Heuchera ‘Blackberry Jam’


This is a striking rabbit re­ sistant form with marbled


, purple and silver leaves topped with several ball like white flowers during Summer, forming a clump


18 inches tall to the top of the flowers and then the leaves are great as they give all year interest which makes it ideal for some­ where in full view.


N e x t G a r d e n in g C o u r se ^Feeling Hot H o t H ot


Brighten Up The Garden This Summer Next Thursday 9th July, 6pm


Includes 2 course meal, Lecture & 10% OFF all £19.95 per person, book 2 courses for £3


lants!


NOW? There are 2 types of Spiraea in the garden, Summer flowering which you prune early on back in March and you can be hard with these taking them down to 4inches they then floweron this seasons growth, then you have the late spring flowering forms with long cascades of White flowers, these are best pruned after flowering and can be taken down just as hard, if you pruned them in the spring you would be removing the flowers! SHOULD I DEADHEAD MY AZALEAS? After flowering all Rhododendrons and Azaleas can look slightly tatty and you may think you have to deadhead them, however it isn’t necessary. After flowering they will then put on a flush of new growth which comes up above the old flowers and then the new leaves will open up covering over any old petals and stamens and then it all magically looks fresh and green again. Make sure to feed now if you haven't already using a pallet based feed to help encour­ age cracking displays of flower next year.


GETINTOUCH


♦HOLDEN CLOUGH NURSERY, ' HOLDEN, BOLTON-BY-BOWLAND, BB74PF


Tel.01200447615 (7days) ♦ EMAIL; INF0@H0LDENCL0UGH- NURSERY.CO.UK


www.holdencloughnurMry.eoni


In keeping with prom tra­ dition, pupils from St Au­ gustine’s RC High School, Billington, arrived in a daz- zlingvarietyofmodesoftrans- port, which included sports cars, tractors, vintage cars, Limousines and even a cher­ ry picker! This year’s event was held


at the Mytton Fold Hotel, Langho and the teenagers en­


joyed a three course meal be­ fore dancing the evening away to music.


MORETOSEE OO


©CLITHADVERTISER FACEBOOK.COM/ADVERTISERTIMES


Thursday,July9,2015 www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk CUTHEROEADVERnSER&TIMES I


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