Gardening advice

We are now at the stage in the summer where bedding and patio plants need constant maintenance to make sure they perform at their best right into the autumn. Dead heading should be done regularly.

I was asked by someone recently what was the correct way to dead head a Marguerite. Was it enough to pinch off the dead flower or should the stem be removed?

The correct answer is that the stem should be neatly removed with a scissors, but who among us really has the time for that?

Simply pinch off the spent blooms of the bedding and patio plants to encourage further blooms to come in their place. Water regularly and feed with a good plant food or tomato food to maintain good nutrient levels. All these measures should ensure that you will be enjoying masses of blooms well beyond the summer and up to the first frosts.

Kilmokea House

I first visited Kilmokea House with my parents on a trip with the International Camellia Society in 1989.

I remember it to this day, particularly the fantastic selection of rare and unusual Primulas.

Under its current owners Kilmokea, which is situated in New Ross, Campile, Co Wexford, has continued to blossom as a garden and also, as a guesthouse of some repute.

John d’Arcy, a 21-year-old student, has arranged an open garden in the stunning grounds here tomorrow, in aid of the very worthy charity ‘To Russia with Love’.

Like any self respecting vegetable garden, the one in Kilmokea is a working garden with the food produced served up to guests in the house.

You will see many rare and unusual varieties of more common fruit and vegetables, and enjoy also the wide variety of roses, Herbaceous and beautiful ponds and streams in this not to be missed garden.

For more info contact John on 087-9004530.

Q. I have a 16-year-old Cherry Blossom which has not flowered for the past 6 years. Well, after much feeding this past two years we got seven flowering buds, but had nothing in the previous five years. The tree is between 15 and 20 feet tall. How much should I prune it and when? What feed do you recommend? I have to admit it has growing competition from small trees and a hedge within 6 feet.

A. The best time to prune your cherry is about now. June to August is what I would recommend. It will bleed a lot and you will see a lot of sap coming from the cuts, but the best chance it has to repair this damage and heal the wounds, is during this period.

I would think that it will thank you for the pruning and it should help with promoting more flowers next year. However as you mention it has quite a lot of competition and I suspect that these are also contributing to the lack of flowers by competing for nutrients. I would mulch the tree with three or four bags of the probiotic worm cast compost Celtic Gold. This will make a dramatic difference to the vigour of the tree and help with flowering for next year. Also apply sulphate of potash from Mid February next year.