Dried Flowers Made Into Beads

At least there is one thing you have now got out of the way and that is planting, and planting out. There is little planting to be done now summer is here, other than tipping out a few plants in containers bought from the garden centre.

Deadheading is an important job this month, and needs to be given more care than it usually gets. Deadheads should not be just pulled off leaving ugly beheaded stems behind- secateurs do the job more cleanly and the stem should be cut back to a leaf or leaves. This is an important point and often ignored by your everyday gardener.

Weeding takes time and it is important to hoe and get rid of the 'unwanted plants', for they take as much moisture and nutrition from the soil as the 'wanted'. But don't stay put like a hairpin for the entire weekend- find other jobs that will straighten you up!

Wallflowers should be sown this month. Late sowing is often responsible for poor spring displays. The seed bed should be given a sprinkling of lime and the seedlings transplanted after the appearance of the third leaf.

Baskets, window-boxes and tubs dry out quickly and need daily attention. The basket will benefit by an occasional soak in a bucket or tank.

More hydrangea cuttings can be taken: well-ripened, un-flowered shoots of about 3-4 ins. taken below a joint, strike well.

In the house make sure the Indian azalea and solanum (the winter cherry) plunged in a shady place in the garden for the summer, do not go dry. The solanum should be syringed overhead when in bloom.

Outside again care should be taken not to damage young shoots when dead-heading the rhododendrons.

Hedges may be trimmed, other than beech, hornbeam and yew, which must wait until nearer the autumn.

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