Preparing for spring

Firstly, Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you are spoiling someone special in your life. This year I'm making a big fuss of our little girl as she's 4 now and although Valentine's day has been explained before, it's all new to her! One of the things we are doing is a little chocolate heart treasure hunt, which she will love. 

We are also going to be planting our sweetpea seeds this weekend as these are a real favourite with our family. They are great because they are so pretty, smell wonderful and they keep growing back despite certain little fingers picking them quite often!

So here's a short guide:

• Sow seeds in seed compost. You can either use seed trays or I think best is to use old toilet rolls (as the roots grow quite long)
• Cover with 1cm of compost
• Keep them on a sunny window sill
• Water them regularly 
• Once they have a few sets of leaves, pinch the top off (to encourage bushy growth) 
• When you notice the spring frosts have gone, plant them out 8-12 inches apart in a sunny spot
• They will need support so either use canes, netting or trellace
• Cut flowers before they turn to seed pods to encourage more flowers to grow

And that it, simple! Let me know how your sweetpeas turn out. 

Thanks so much for reading. Take care...

Time for a staycation

It has been a busy couple of weeks. We've completed projects such as fencing, a path (in Bettws, Newport), landscaping and a bit of fencing (in Llanyravon, Cwmbran) and hedge cutting in Pontypool (where we saved a swift) as well as keeping our regular customers gardens neat and tidy. It has been hard going at times in the heat, especially when we're working in a 'sun trap'. But we’ve managed it!

We've had a healthy increase in calls for quotes, so this should help towards keeping us busy for the rest of the summer. But if you're interested in having some work done give us a ring, long hours are part and parcel of this line of work.

For those of you staying in Britain for the summer holidays, good on you! We have beautiful countryside and beaches to enjoy. We had a day out at the Wales National Air Show in Swansea recently, it was amazing to watch the red arrows, the RAF are a crazy bunch! This year we expect an increase in the number of people enjoying their own back gardens so make the most of your outdoor space. We are available to chat to you about ideas and solutions for you. This could include arranging a suitable area for the kid’s paddling pool, seating areas, play areas or just generally making better use of the space you have no matter how big or small.

We've also been in contact with City Wildlife again recently. We found a swift being tortured by a cat, so thanks to them the swift is now in safe hands.

This week’s tip is simply a reminder for watering. Please wait until it is shady to avoid scorching. There is no threat of a hose pipe ban as our water levels are good due to the wet year we had last year. Water everything daily to keep your plants healthy, this will help to limit the effects of pests and diseases as your plants will be under less stress - remember the grass too!

My favourites this week are the 'Agapanthus', 'Osteospermum' and 'Sweet peas' what's yours?

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