As we approach the May bank holiday and the weather becomes pleasant, many Brits will be plotting a weekend of work to ready their garden for the summer. May can be a crucial time for gardeners and can make or break green fingered enthusiasts’ plans for the months ahead.
A former senior royal gardener Jack Stooks – who worked for King Charles for more than two decades at Highgrove House – has shared how people should pay attention to certain jobs, especially when temperatures are finally going up. Mr Stooks has shared his expert tips on when you should cut your grass when the heat suddenly rises, and noted the one common planting mistake people make when the weather is hot during the spring months. He told Smooth Spins Casino: “Even though it’s hot, we still have cold nights.
“There is still a good enough amount of moisture in the ground that you can just keep mowing as normal, but what you do want to pay more attention to is if you got things in pots, like plants in your house, all of those things dry out a lot quicker in weather like this.
“You want to be paying attention and making sure your watering stuff is all ready, like hose pipes and watering cans. Sometimes people turn all their plumbing outside off over the winter to not have those pipes. Have your mowers cleaned and sharpened, too.”
With two decades experience under his belt working in some of the most prestigious gardens in the country, Mr Stooks is well aware of the mistakes many people fall into in their efforts for garden perfection.
When asked what the most common mistake was, Mr Stooks pointed to a simple technique to enhance a plant’s chances of thriving through the summer.
He said: “When it comes to potted plants, like bear root shrubs or fruit trees, you ideally want to keep them in the shade. You want to keep their roots protected while you’re doing that.”
He added: “We’ve had a few days of nice weather, but people will forget and they think ‘We’ve got this amazing weather. All our plants are fine now, we can just leave them be.’
“But you might still get a massive frost. You don’t expect it because the weather is great. You need to remember to keep your plants protected. Keep an eye on the weather because the late frosts always catch people out.
“For instance, if you take seedlings out of the glasshouse and plant them straight into the ground without hardening them off, a sudden frost can damage them.”
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