at time to lift, split and replant them. This is especially good for the tall varieties as the wind tends to catch them if they have not been staked. Just about all the daffodils have died back now and should be de-leafed to keep the garden nice and tidy. Also bluebells need the foliage removed as these have died down, at the same time you can lift some of the bulbs as they reproduce quickly and use to fill up gaps in your spring borders, this is a good idea as bluebells can be invasive and easily smotheAt last the rain has stopped and Rusty our dog has been able to get in the garden again to carry out his favorite pastime of chasing the balls up down the garden. The weather has certainly been a bit Jekyll and Hyde just recently with enough rain for a month in the last three to four days. Just when we thought there was no let up, the weather has done a u turn and now we are back in the blazing sun.

We wish we had had the camera handy the other day, to catch a wonderful snap that brought a smile to our faces. Rusty was laying out on the patio in the garden sunbathing just outside the kitchen door. At the moment we have many baby birds at all stages of development including blackbirds, starlings, wagtail’s, sparrows and robins to name a few, and as we are both intrepid bird lovers we have bird tables and feeders scattered all around the garden. We also feed the birds with grated cheese, for the parents to feed their young and the babies when old enough to feed themselves, this is good for them and they can not get enough of it. The birds soon learn to come to the kitchen door and cheap when they want feeding, and on this occasion Sandra threw some cheese out for them but some bits went onto Rusty. The next thing we knew was this baby robin flew straight down onto Rusty's back and was quite contently eating away. Although Rusty does not take any notice of the birds hopping round him in the garden we did not know how he would react to this. We should not have worried at all, as all he did was rolled his eye's upwards as to say hurry up so I can get back to my sleep. What a good dog!

Right, back to the garden for some more garden tips. After all this rain and wind you should be looking for damaged plants. The best thing to do is pick any flowers that have gone over in the rain and take them and put them in a vase with some greenery to make a gorgeous display indoors, waste not want not as the saying goes. I find at this time of the year when the iris plants have finished flowering, is a great time to lift, split and replant them. This is especially good for the tall varieties as the wind tends to catch them if they have not been staked. Just about all the daffodils have died back now and should be de-leafed to keep the garden nice and tidy. Also bluebells need the foliage removed as these have died down, at the same time you can lift some of the bulbs as they reproduce quickly and use to fill up gaps in your spring borders, this is a good idea as bluebells can be invasive and easily smothe

our faces. Rusty was laying out on the patio in the garden sunbathing just outside the kitchen door. At the moment we have many baby birds at all stages of development including blackbirds, starlings, wagtail’s, sparrows and robins to name a few, and as we are both intrepid bird lovers we have bird tables and feeders scattered all around the garden. We also feed the birds with grated cheese, for the parents to feed their young and the babies when old enough to feed themselves, this is good for them and they can not get enough of it. The birds soon learn to come to the kitchen door and cheap when they want feeding, and on this occasion Sandra threw some cheese out for them but some bits went onto Rusty. The next thing we knew was this baby robin flew straight down onto Rusty's back and was quite contently eating away. Although Rusty does not take any notice of the birds hopping round him in the garden we did not know how he would react to this. We should not have worried at all, as all he did was rolled his eye's upwards as to say hurry up so I can get back to my sleep. What a good dog!

Right, back to the garden for some more garden tips. After all this rain and wind you should be looking for damaged plants. The best thing to do is pick any flowers that have gone over in the rain and take them and put them in a vase with some greenery to make a gorgeous display indoors, waste not want not as the saying goes. I find at this time of the year when the iris plants have finished flowering, is a great time to lift, split and replant them. This is especially good for the tall varieties as the wind tends to catch them if they have not been staked. Just about all the daffodils have died back now and should be de-leafed to keep the garden nice and tidy. Also bluebells need the foliage removed as these have died down, at the same time you can lift some of the bulbs as they reproduce quickly and use to fill up gaps in your spring borders, this is a good idea as bluebells can be invasive and easily smothe

they can not get enough of it. The birds soon learn to come to the kitchen door and cheap when they want feeding, and on this occasion Sandra threw some cheese out for them but some bits went onto Rusty. The next thing we knew was this baby robin flew straight down onto Rusty's back and was quite contently eating away. Although Rusty does not take any notice of the birds hopping round him in the garden we did not know how he would react to this. We should not have worried at all, as all he did was rolled his eye's upwards as to say hurry up so I can get back to my sleep. What a good dog!

Right, back to the garden for some more garden tips. After all this rain and wind you should be looking for damaged plants. The best thing to do is pick any flowers that have gone over in the rain and take them and put them in a vase with some greenery to make a gorgeous display indoors, waste not want not as the saying goes. I find at this time of the year when the iris plants have finished flowering, is a great time to lift, split and replant them. This is especially good for the tall varieties as the wind tends to catch them if they have not been staked. Just about all the daffodils have died back now and should be de-leafed to keep the garden nice and tidy. Also bluebells need the foliage removed as these have died down, at the same time you can lift some of the bulbs as they reproduce quickly and use to fill up gaps in your spring borders, this is a good idea as bluebells can be invasive and easily smothe

led his eye's upwards as to say hurry up so I can get back to my sleep. What a good dog!

Right, back to the garden for some more garden tips. After all this rain and wind you should be looking for damaged plants. The best thing to do is pick any flowers that have gone over in the rain and take them and put them in a vase with some greenery to make a gorgeous display indoors, waste not want not as the saying goes. I find at this time of the year when the iris plants have finished flowering, is a great time to lift, split and replant them. This is especially good for the tall varieties as the wind tends to catch them if they have not been staked. Just about all the daffodils have died back now and should be de-leafed to keep the garden nice and tidy. Also bluebells need the foliage removed as these have died down, at the same time you can lift some of the bulbs as they reproduce quickly and use to fill up gaps in your spring borders, this is a good idea as bluebells can be invasive and easily smothe

at time to lift, split and replant them. This is especially good for the tall varieties as the wind tends to catch them if they have not been staked. Just about all the daffodils have died back now and should be de-leafed to keep the garden nice and tidy. Also bluebells need the foliage removed as these have died down, at the same time you can lift some of the bulbs as they reproduce quickly and use to fill up gaps in your spring borders, this is a good idea as bluebells can be invasive and easily smother other spring flowering bulbs. When replanting spring bulbs we always make sure we bury them at a good depth, this allows summer bedding to be placed over the top to keep your borders in continuous colour. Do not forget to get that hoe out again just to whip it round the garden to get rid of those pesky weeds. Just by doing this now, for a few minutes can save you hours later causing you to dislike the great gardens you have created instead of enjoying them.

How are those lawns doing? They should be getting lush and weed free by now. Something I should have mentioned before is after you weed and feed the lawns at least the next three lots of cuttings should be disposed. Do not put them on the compost heap because of all the chemicals in the weed and feed. Do not forget to change the height of your lawn mower to suit the ever changing weather conditions, so lower the blades in wet periods and heighten the blades in dry times. By doing this simple operation will keep your lawns in pristine condition complementing your garden.

Just some more information on the orange and lemon tree's. The fruit on the orange tree’s take at least eighteen months to grow to eating stage, but once you taste the fruit it is certainly worth the wait. The wait for the lemons is shorter only ten to twelve months but they do grow all the time, so as you are using the ripe lemons, younger one's are ready to take their place. The care required is quite minimal. Apart from feed, water and some pruning to keep tree's in shape that is it. As we have said before they are just another great talking point for your garden

I hope these garden tips help to keep you great gardens looking how a good garden should look like.