CHECKLIST Complete pruning of spring-flowering shrubs. Water containers regularly and feed if necessary. Tidy and lift bulbs if necessary. Apply mulches to help with water conservation. Prune spring-flowering shrubs. If this job has not already been completed, it should be finished early this month if you want to achieve the maximum display next spring. Cut flowered shoots back to 5-8cm (2-3in) from the main stem, leaving one or two buds to provide the new branch growth to carry next year's bloom. If you forget this pruning, however, do not worry; the shrubs will still put on a good display. After all, how many forsythias get a proper annual trim? LOOKING AFTER CONTAINERS. Most containers will by now be in full growth and beginning to look good. With so much growth taking place, a lot of water will be lost through transpiration from the leaves and needs replacing. Containers in open, breezy places will lose moisture more quickly and need checking more regularly. The bigger the container the easier it is to look after and the bigger the possible reservoir of moisture and food. Food should be provided by the slow-release fertilisers in the compost but, if necessary, extra fillips can be given via foliar feeding. There are plenty of proprietary foliar sprays available which are suitable for container-grown plants: just follow the instructions. Where there are a large number of containers it may be worthwhile installing a trickle irrigation line, which will keep everything permanently moist. Most easy gardeners, however, will be content with just a few sizeable containers that they can manage with little effort: containers which sit on the ground or just above it are obviously the easiest to water and care for, and a few large ones that are well cared for will look far more impressive than a lot of smaller ones that are suffering. Try to include one or two good focal points in your garden. BULBS Foliage from dying daffodils can be removed six weeks after flowering if you need to bother. Tulip foliage can be removed rather more quickly after the blooms have faded, perhaps some three or four weeks: the leaves are certainly better removed if they begin to look tired or diseased. By the middle of the month clumps of crowded daffodils can be lifted. For minimum trouble lift, split, remove damaged pieces and then replant the bulbs immediately, preferably in fresh stations giving them more room. Small pieces can be planted to fatten up and then bloom - or, if you already have too many, the tiddlers can be discarded or given away. If the bulbs are to be stored they should be laid out in trays or open boxes in an airy, cool spot so that they can dry out before being roughly cleaned and stored in net bags, again in a cool, airy spot, until autumn planting. There may be a temptation to place the bulbs in the greenhouse to dry out, but this is not a good idea. The temperature can soar, and the bulbs will be scalded and badly damaged, if not killed. Label bulbs clearly and carefully at all times from lifting onwards: one bulb looks very much like another and getting them mixed up is very annoying. Almost all bulbs look best grown in groups of their own kind, so mixes are best avoided.
I had slept in one Saturday morning and was late for work. I quickly showered and dressed, all my jeans were in the wash so I decided to wear the pair I had worn the night before. It wasn’t until I was half way down the street that I felt something sliding down my trouser leg….my pants from the night before! Yuck. MADE IN NORFOLK Doreen Perry continues her exhibition of watercolours at 'Made In Norfolk Gallery" at Lifeboat Plain on the sea front in Sheringham. The exhibition remains open until Tuesday 7th June. Doreen Perry has lived and worked in Norfolk since 1976 and her original paintings offer richness of colour and contrast. Among the more striking pieces are those of specimen blooms; in particular roses, lilies and chrysanthemums. Doreen is also exhibiting examples of her bird and animal studies including goldfinch, thrush, field mouse and dormouse. The Doreen Perry exhibition is open every day from 10:00am until 5:00pm. Special evening viewings can be arranged by calling 01263-821122.
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