Cutting remarks
Cutting remarks
THANKFULLY, the lawn is beginning to look a little bit more like the real thing now. It has undoubtedly benefited from the recent rain, which brought the benefits that all the previous treatment was designed to encourage.
I have been cutting weekly since early April. It was lightly scarified and then fed just before the last forecasted rainy period, which didn’t quite materialise, so there was a wee bit of scorching here and there. Finally, last week, I lowered the height of cut to what I regard as the norm – the blades are set at about an inch above ground level.
My next ploy will be to attack the weeds that are beginning to creep in here and there. I will mow the lawn first, leave it for a couple of days and then apply the selective herbicide – but only if the surface it dry, and likely to remain so for a few hours, to allow the chemical to be absorbed. The clippings from the first cut after that will NOT be put on the compost heap.
As you must know by now, I am not a great fan of the fertiliser/moss- killer/weedkiller formulations that have become the norm simply because all the ingredients are not always required. In my view, we should only use the minimum of whatever is absolutely necessary. If you only want to apply fertiliser why do you have to have the other elements as well – and probably pay a lot more for the product? That brings me to a point someone made on this very topic. I had recommended a straight lawn fertiliser for autumn use and this person tried to obtain it, even going through to the manufacturer to be told that such a product didn’t exist.
From time to time, I have made reference to the fact that, as retail units get bigger and manufacturers get fewer, choice will be limited. It is a fact of life – the same thing is happening with the spread of multiple food retailers and the demise of individual outlets. Gardeners will suffer, too.
In some parts of the country, it is still possible to obtain specific specialist plants and sundries, and nowhere was that better illustrated than at Ingliston 10 days ago at the Gardening Scotland show.
As chairman of the Gardening Scotland board, I have to be careful what I say, but I think it was widely recognised that we delivered another belter of a show. There were problems – there always are where people are concerned.
The point I wanted to emphasise is that we had a host of individual producers of plants and sundries, proving that there is a vibrant sector there that deserves to succeed because they do offer a much wider choice. Most operate by mail-order selling.
And that applies to lawn products and services, too. I talked to two separate firms, each unique in its own way, one providing advisory and practical services on lawns, the other also providing lawn maintenance materials.
To digress for a moment, our son lived in Ashford, Kent, for a year or two. Being busy people, both he and his wife, while enjoying the garden, had little time for maintenance.
What time they had was spent in the privacy of the back garden. Visible to all and sundry, the front area got into a bit of a mess and, on one visit, the Oldmeldrum team paid a visit to the local garden centre, picked up a load of rock garden plants and transformed one corner. The biggest problem was the lawn.
“Get someone who knows what they are talking about to do it,” says I, as we waved goodbye.
Well, they did. They looked up the local phone book and espied an advert from a firm specialising in all lawn work. Having checked its credentials on the web, it was discovered that the firm had branches all over the south. They were certainly not “chancers”.
To cut a long story short, a representative visited, had a good look at the lawn and, while he was there, took a soil sample. A few days later, they received a report, which detailed the fertiliser requirements and programme of activity that would be necessary to restore the lawn to respectability. This included feeding, scarifying and weed-killing.
The work was carried out expeditiously and thoroughly. The transformation was very evident when we received some pictures a few weeks later. Of course, it cost a bob or three, but they could afford it. Left to the owners, it just wouldn’t have happened, but they were more than happy to mow regularly to maintain the improvement.
Almost a year later – they moved to a new job – the house went on the market and I like to think that a fine lawn at the front helped to impress prospective purchasers.
I’ve just remembered, I did tell you about the Ashford experience once before – remember? Hot summer, everything as dry as the desert, daughter-in-law tries to be rid of a pampas grass at the front gate by setting fire to it, ending in a visit by the fire brigade as neighbours feared for their own property.
The message is, if you can’t get exactly what you are looking for locally, set your sights a little wider.
I can’t let the opportunity pass without congratulating everyone involved for giving us such a spectacular three days despite starting in the rain and finishing in it, too.
Happily, in between, it was lovely. That said, when were Scottish gardeners ever put off by a wee drop of rain – have a look at Beechgrove tomorrow night for proof of that, if proof were necessary.
In particular, congratulations should go to Kevock Plants, from Lasswade. Its display of rock garden plants took top prize again in the Floral Hall and was described by one of the judges as better than anything he had seen at Chelsea Flower Show earlier in the month. Praise indeed.
Secondly, our very own Karen Laing, having landed a silver medal for her show garden at the RHS Malvern Show, went one better at Ingliston with silver gilt, winning the show garden category as well as being voted best newcomer.
Inspiration for Karen’s garden came from an ancient Pictish dwelling which nestles in the Tillymorgan hilltop out there by the Glens of Foudland. But there’s more – when Karen has the time, she gives us a wee bit of help at Beechgrove, honing her gardening skills in the process. Weel din, lass.
There were some spectacular displays on show at this year’s Gardening Scotland
