Six ways to get your borders ready for summer
- BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
Published: Friday, 10 May 2024 at 9:23 am
Spring is the perfect time to get your borders ready for looking their best in summer - discover six key jobs to do.
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Late spring is the perfect time to give your borders a little attention, in order to keep them in good shape throughout summer. At this time, there's still room between plants to negotiate a way through, so you can access plants at the back of the border before everything grows and knits together.
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- Find out how to prune spring-flowering plants
Late spring is the perfect time to give your borders a little love and attention, in order to keep them in good shape throughout the summer.
Here are six key jobs that you can do to pep up your borders in spring.
Feed plants
Feeding border plants dry blood, fish and bonemeal
Feed plants now as they come into strong growth. There are many feeds on the market, but good all-round organic products include fish, blood and bonemeal, and pelleted chicken manure. Plants in pots need extra feeding to stay health – watch our video guide to find out more.
Deadhead
Deadheading a spring-flowering plant
Deadhead spring-flowering plants such as bergenias to divert energy into leaf growth and establish stronger plants. If you want some plants, such as hellebores, to self-seed, leave the seedheads on. Watch as Monty shows how to deadhead plants to encourage more flowers.
- How to deadhead flowers
Stake plants
Putting a circular support stake around a plant
Start staking large-flowered plants such as peonies or tall delphiniums. There are many types of supports available, including grids or simple bent metal supports to stop them drooping forwards.
- How to use plant supports
Tie in climbers
Tying clematis to a horizontal support with twine
Tie in climbers to their support framework as new growth develops, and ensure you cover the space evenly. Most climbers flower more profusely if you tie them in horizontally.
Hoe
Hoeing a border
As you retreat backwards out of the border, hoe the soil where you've trodden and compacted it, to loosen it again. Hoe off any weeds you may have missed, too.
Mulch
Mulching around plants
Mulch between plants while the soil is moist. This will lock in moisture, suppress weeds and improve the fertility of the soil, as well as visually set off your plants well for the season ahead. Watch our video on choosing the right mulch for the right situation, and watch as Monty shows how to mulch borders in spring, to help suppress weeds and retain moisture in the soil.
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Set up an irrigation system
Be sure to keep any newly planted plants well watered. Watering during dry spells in summer can be a laborious task - now is the ideal time to set up a leaky-hose irrigation system through the border.
Geranium Ann Folkard
Border plants to try
- Hardy geraniums – pollinator-friendly flowers over a long period
- Astrantias – dainty, starry flowers, will tolerate a shady spot
- Clematis – perfect for adding flowers to a fence or trellis at the back of a border
- Bearded iris – elegant flowers for sunny borders
- Euphorbias – long-lasting bracts, add substance to borders
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