Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2014 | Page 66

IN THE GARDEN
With Tina Hughes

Giving way to Autumn
It has been an idyllic summer this year and now
everything is reaching its peak. Summer flowers
are giving way to the autumn stalwarts, fruits and
berries are ripening on trees and in the hedgerows.
Butterflies are also reaching their highest
numbers, the glorious fluttering barometer of our
environments health just like a miner's canary. I'm
sparing 15 minutes to take part in the big butterfly
count at www.bigbutterflycount.org this year, so
why don't you?

Trampoline tricks
Garden trampolines seem to be a permanent
fixture in many gardens now; they are great fun to
use and good exercise too. Their impact on your
garden and your children's safety can both benefit
from sinking them into the ground. A mini-digger
may be needed and drainage may be necessary.
Use the excavated soil to create a raised bank
around the sides, ideal for rolling down perhaps?

Crowded
house
Agapanthus grow well
in pots seeming to enjoy
being crowded rather
than pampered. They
will benefit from feeding
with a high potash feed
now to ensure a good
display of flowers next
summer.

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Tomato source
Indoor and outdoor tomatoes
will be moving into their most
productive stage now, so remove
all the leaves that are beginning
to go yellow as well as those near
the developing fruits to improve
ripening. Keep the plants well
watered, as erratic watering
results in split skins or blossom
end rot. Feed with a suitable
fertiliser as directed to guarantee
a good harvest.