How to Harvest Herbs for Drying

Now's a great time to harvest herbs for drying. It can save you money, plus it's nice to know where your food ingredients come from. The best time to harvest herbs for drying is in late summer, before flowering, when plants are starting to flag. You want to make sure that the plant has enough foliage to keep growing after harvest so try not to take any more than 50% of the current season's growth at any one time. Try to harvest in the morning, after the dew dries, but before the heat of the day. MATERIALS NEEDED: – Sharp scissors, knife, or small pruners – Twine, string, or rubber bands – Paper bags (optional) 1. Harvest: Use sharp pruners to cut your plants, making sure to cut when leaves are dry and free from dew or rain. 2. Prepare: Remove any discoloured or damaged leaves. Wash in cold water. Make sure to thoroughly dry the herbs, they can mold and rot if left damp. 3. Air Dry: Bunch the herbs together, making sure there is enough space for air to circulate around the branches. Use twine/string/rubber bands to hold the stems of your herbs together. Turn your herbs upside down and hang in a warm, dry place that is out of the sunlight, for example a closet or shed. If you don’t have a dark place to hang herbs, you can place them upside down in a paper bag, but you make sure cut holes for ventilation. Wrap the opening of the bag around the stems, securing the closure with rubber bands or string (this will also help to keep dust off). Hanging upside down allows the essential oils to flow downward from the stems to the leaves. 4. Storage: For the best flavour, put leaves whole (leaves retain more oil when stored whole) in labeled airtight containers stored in a cool, dry place, then crush before using. Though they will keep for a long time, dried herbs are best used within a year as they start to lose flavour around that point. But you'll be able to repeat the process next year to replenish your stocks.

Tip for Patching Lawn/Turf

Lawn Care: Tips for patching small area of turf. Patch small areas of turf by taking a bit from a less visible area. Cheaper than buying new, and colour will match. 

Do you need help mowing your lawn or with lawn care? Contact us today at 07906483550 and we can help you get your lawn looking great!

Time to Aerate Your Lawn

Has your lawn and soil become compacted certain areas? North London's clay-based soil is especially prone to compacting so most local lawns benefit from aerating in early-spring and early-fall. Aeration can be done by spiking with a garden fork, machine or aerator sandals, giving grass roots needed air, water and nutrients to grow thick, deep and strong. Contact us at 07906483550 or email us at: Thehampsteadgardener @ gmail dot com to have us mow and aerate (and generally look after) your lawn.

Contemporary Look with Bamboo

Bamboo looks much better and stronger if you thin out the canes. Get your hand right in there and cut all the old, dead canes and any weak/spindly ones right at the base. Then thin out the remainder to allow a little space between each. If you're after a contemporary look, you can cut all stems out below a certain height to create an almost topiary-like look with the bamboo.

Time to Plant Winter Brassicas, like Broccoli

Now is the time to plant out your winter brassicas, like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.

Secateurs At The Ready

Keep a bucket and secateurs ready for a little dead-heading whenever you can be bothered. It will keep the garden full of flowers for longer. Dead-heading especially benefits bedding plants like petunias, marigolds, nasturtiums and argyranthemums. Contact us if you need help in your garden.

Last chance to fill gaps in borders

Do you have any gaps in beds and borders? Now is your last chance to fill in gaps with new bedding plants before the season starts to turn.

Harvest Herbs for Drying

Now's a great time to harvest herbs for drying. It can save you money, plus it's nice to know where your food ingredients come from. The best time to harvest herbs for drying is in late summer, before flowering, when plants are starting to flag. You want to make sure that the plant has enough foliage to keep growing after harvest so try not to take any more than 50% of the current season's growth at any one time. Try to harvest in the morning, after the dew dries, but before the heat of the day. MATERIALS NEEDED: – Sharp scissors, knife, or small pruners – Twine, string, or rubber bands – Paper bags (optional) 1. Harvest: Use sharp pruners to cut your plants, making sure to cut when leaves are dry and free from dew or rain. 2. Prepare: Remove any discoloured or damaged leaves. Wash in cold water. Make sure to thoroughly dry the herbs, they can mold and rot if left damp. 3. Air Dry: Bunch the herbs together, making sure there is enough space for air to circulate around the branches. Use twine/string/rubber bands to hold the stems of your herbs together. Turn your herbs upside down and hang in a warm, dry place that is out of the sunlight, for example a closet or shed. If you don’t have a dark place to hang herbs, you can place them upside down in a paper bag, but you make sure cut holes for ventilation. Wrap the opening of the bag around the stems, securing the closure with rubber bands or string (this will also help to keep dust off). Hanging upside down allows the essential oils to flow downward from the stems to the leaves. 4. Storage: For the best flavour, put leaves whole (leaves retain more oil when stored whole) in labeled airtight containers stored in a cool, dry place, then crush before using. Though they will keep for a long time, dried herbs are best used within a year as they start to lose flavour around that point. But you'll be able to repeat the process next year to replenish your stocks.

Keep late-season plants well watered

Many of the late-season plants are getting into their stride now. Make sure they do not dry out or flowering will stop sooner than necessary. Hydrangeas, heleniums and helianthus, for example, will stay looking good for far longer if you never them it dry out.

Time to Trim Conifer Hedges

Now is a good time to trim conifer hedges and take cuttings if you'd like to grow new plantlings. Need help? Give us a call today at 07906 483550.

Dalia Care

If you grow tall dahlias make sure they are properly staked so they do not crash down under rain and their own weight. The combination can be extremely heavy and they are hard to pull upright once they have hunched over. Dead-head them to keep the flowers coming.

Time to prune summer-flowering shrubs

Now is the time to prune shrubs that flowered in early summer, like hydrangea, spirea, lilac and buddleia.

Pests & Predators

With warm weather, pests and diseases multiply rapidly, greenfly and blackfly in particular. If you can build up diversity in the garden by growing a variety of plants you can attract beneficial insects and wildlife and a healthy balance will develop between pests and predators.

Time to trim your climbers

Self-clinging climbers (like climbing Hydrangeas and Ivy) are growing fast now. Cut off any loose stems which have come unstuck to stop them tearing off. Or if the plant has taken over and outgrown the space, we can come give the entire plant a haircut.

Don't let your garden dry out, especially when you're away.

Plants which have been planted recently are at risk of drying out in hot weather and during holidays. Soak them generously before you go, then apply a mulch of old compost or bark to help prevent water from evaporating away. Make sure recently laid lawn is regularly watered, especially while you're away, or it can dry out beyond repair.

Divide Autumn Crocus Now

The foliage of Autumn Crocus (colchicums) is dying off now. This is the time to divide them because you can see where they are still and haven't started making next year's roots. Replant as single flowers, and they will soon build up clumps again. They look especially good in rough grass.

Garden Maintenance: Weeds in paving

Clear out weeds in paving with an old knife or sprinkle salt on as an alternative to chemical weed killer.

Now is the time to prune Euphorbia

Euphorbia is a great evergreen perennial for dry shade. To keep it strong and attractive, now is the time to cut out all the flowered stems at the base. But make sure you wear gloves! (Or better yet, have us do it.) Euphorbia is considered highly toxic and the sap can be extremely irritating to skin and especially eyes.

Give your old furniture new life with a jet spray

Garden Maintenance: Jet spraying can give your old furniture new life, in addition to getting rid of bird poop and other mess.

Let us help bring your furniture and garden back to life with a furniture clean and disinfecting. Contact us today.

Garden Maintenance: Bamboo

Put a heavy mulch of rich compost around the base of Bamboo. It will help produce longer, thicker canes. Mulching can be a heavy and stinky job. Give us a call to have us mulch your Bamboo...and entire garden! Your plants will thank you for it! (Mulching is one of the best things you can do to have healthy and thriving garden plants.)

Now is the time to feed and water Clematis

Clematis is one of the most popular vines in the North London gardens we serve. To keep clematis flowering or building up to their late flush, keep them well fed and watered (fed at least fortnightly). Remember to soak the base of the plants near walls, as soil there can be in a rain shadow and the soil can be very dry under walls.

Who's looking after your plants when you're on holiday?

It's summer holiday time! While you may be planning an escape, spare a thought for your plants while you're away. Who will water them? (We can!) If you don't have someone to look after your indoor plants while you're away, they may be able to stand outside in the shade for a week or two. We can water and look after both outdoor and indoor plants while you're away. Contact us for more information.

Tying in roses:

Now that the first flush has died, roses will now start producing new growth. Climbing roses should be tied in, training shoots as near as horizontal as possible. Training mainshoots horizontally causes more sideshoots to develop, producing more flowers. Need help? Contact us today!

Garden Maintenance: Make sure to water new plants well

Garden Maintenance: Make sure to water new plants well.
Don't let them go short of water for at least 12 months while their roots get established. Need someone to water and perform regular garden maintenance for you? Send us a message today!

Rose Maintenance: Aphids, ants and roses

Get your spray ready. With roses now producing new growth be on the lookout for Aphids, who like to colonise the succulent new growth of roses. If you see ants on roses, it's a sign of aphids. Make sure your spray is new as some treatments are no longer legal.

Lawn Care: Fertisiling Advice

Is your lawn bare and patchy in places? Fertilise weak lawns by evenly spreading fertiliser when the grass is dry but rain is forecasted. Or, contact us and we can do it for you! 

The 9 Benefits of Mulching:

Did you know that mulching is the single best thing you can do for your garden?
1: Improved Soil Quality: Gives London’s clay-based soil the nutrients plants need
2: Reduces Weed Growth: Less maintenance
3: Tidy Landscape: Improves overall look of your garden
4: Retains Water: Needs less water in heat
5: Temperature Less Extreme: Keep soil cool in summer and warm in winter.
6. Prevents Erosion: Levels landscape and reduces runoff
7: Natural Nutrients Decompose: Environmentally friendly way of enriching the soil
8: Easier Maintenance: Even and lightweight surface
9: Protects Plants: Shields roots from extreme weather

The mulch we recommend is a mixture of horse manure and peat that was used to grow mushrooms. Mulching is therefore a rather stinky and messy job! If you'd like us to do it for you, please contact us. We're happy to get dirty for the sake of a good garden!

Jet Spay Services in North London

Having a party or BBQ this summer? Give your garden and furniture a deep clean. Contact us to schedule a jet-spray today.

Time to prune your roses

 

The first big flush of flowers on roses are now dying off. Prune spent buds back to an outward and upward-facing, 5-leaf stem to encourage new growth and another flush of flowers. Or give us a call and we’ll do it for you!

Garden Maintenance: Weeds in paving

Clear out weeds in paving with an old knife or sprinkle salt on as an alternative to chemical weed killer.

Time to Trim Your Bushes!

Are your hedges and shrubs looking a bit tired and overgrown? Now is the best time to give your plants a needed haircut, while the weather is warm and dry. Our experienced gardeners are happy to help out!

Plant Design: Hostas

Do you have shady spot where things struggle to grow? Why not try a hosta in a container? Hostas are easier to protect from slugs and snails in pots. Perfect for hiding drains too!

Container Gardening

Container Gardening Maintenance Tip:
Life in a container can be tough. In this heat, make sure your plants are getting enough water. Try to water in morning or evening. For an extra treat, give your potted Camellias, Conifers, Box and Bay some fertiliser (if you have some) as well.

Or give us a call and we'll do it for you!

Garden Maintenance Tip: Hoe loose gravel

Garden tip: run a hoe through areas of loose gravel in paths to disrupt weed seedlings.

Garden Maintenance: Weeds in paving

Clear out weeds in paving with an old knife or sprinkle salt on as an alternative to chemical weed killer.

Garden Maintenance: Tying in roses

Climbing and rambling roses should be tied in, training shoots as near as horizontal as possible. Training rose mainshoots horizontally causes more sideshoots to develop, producing more flowers

Planting Design: Making hanging baskets that last

When making hanging baskets, leave a dip in the middle so you can water easily and cleanly. When potting hanging baskets, make sure to mix water retaining granules in the compost...but follow the directions. Too many crystals can kill the plants!

Garden Maintenance: Osmanthus Delavayi

Osmanthus delavayi has flowered now. If you grow it in a formal shape, now is time to prune and feed.

Garden Maintenance: Aphids, ants and roses

Aphids are starting to come out and colonise succulent new growth of roses. Get your spray ready. If you see ants on roses, it's a sign of aphids. Make sure your spray is new as some treatments are no longer legal.