August 2019
August
Oh dear, another month has come and gone without me writing my blog. My excuse is a good one though as I’ve been far too busy trying to keep Loftus looking Lovely. There is just so much for Paul and I to do that I’ve not found time to sit down at my desk and find inspiration to write.
last month was typical summer weather, hot and dry, with everything crying out for water and much of our time was spent dragging hoses pipes about. This month however has seen quite a change from that with a lot of rain mixed in with the sun shine. For me, a good down pour is always a good thing as the new plants need every drop they can get. But there’s always a downside to every weather condition and with the rain comes the weeds. In the right conditions they can germinate and grow to flowering stage in a matter of days. It’s a never-ending job but that’s gardening for you.
Luckily, I have had a few little helpers eager to assist with pulling out weeds and dead heading the flowers.
One such weed that has progressively been growing out of control all summer is the tall reed in the pond.
Never again am I letting this trifid get out of bounds. By the time we managed to get in the pond to sort it out, a reasonably small job had grown in to a major operation. The reed had grown from one side of the pond to the other and was well rooted in the mud at the bottom. Paul and I spent all day ripping it out and the job still isn’t finished.
Again, we had more little helpers eager to lend a hand. Some of the children just love getting involved in the work we do around Loftus which makes our job a lot more fun too.
Loftus is looking fresh and lush at the moment and your own gardens must also be enjoying this rain.
Don’t forget our Loftus Blooming Beautiful and Lovely lawn competition is being judged next week on the 20th. So if you have entered and want your back garden judged please leave your gate unlocked if you are out on that day.
There are some fabulous gardens at loftus and one in particular is so inspirational that I feel it should be shared with you all to show what can be achieved with a bit of TLC despite the dreaded leatherjackets doing their worst.
John and Jan’s half dead lawn was brought back to life in just a few months with a bit of hard work and determination. It was achieved by raking, spiking, over- seeding, fertilizing, watering and a regular mowing regime. This lawn is exceptional and has had a lot of TLC to look this good but It goes to show there is no excuse for a bad lawn if you put in a bit of effort and a lawn half as good as this would be very acceptable.
The children’s crazy container category and painted pebble will be judged by a people’s vote on line along with Loftus through a lens. Send in a photo of your entry by 15th September 2019. We have had a spot of bother sourcing pebbles big enough to paint but I’m working on it and I will get the word round when I have them to give out. We plan to make a feature with the pebbles in the children’s park if we get enough entries. The crazy container can be anything you like so long as it is planted up with growing plants so please encourage your children to think up something weird and wonderful. The more unusual the better, we are so looking forward to seeing all the entries.