July is National Picnic Month, and even though, of course, it is wonderful to eat your picnic in the countryside or down on the beach, sometimes a back garden picnic is just fine too!

Lawns form the heart of most gardens. Most lawns are made up from intricate mixes of grass varieties. But from a pollinator perspective lawns are a monoculture and although some grasses are larval plants for some moth species and grass does make pollen, grasses are wind-pollinated and not ideal food plants for most insects. However, the other plants that grow within a lawn, that you might detest, or class as weeds, are actually vital early spring food plants for our pollinator pals.

Hasn’t it been lovely to enjoy the longer days, especially when we wake up to blue sky and sunshine!  It’s easy to lose a few hours when we get into the garden, I always do! There’s nothing better to be either up early, ‘the crack of sparrows’ as my aunt says, or pop out for a stroll in the evening inhaling the beautiful fragrances. A fresh dewy morning or a warm evening with blossom and freshly cut grass, it’s so good for the soul! Whenever you spend time in your outdoor space, try and take time to pause, life is too busy and it is so easy to not take time for yourself.

When I was writing last month’s blog, I had hoped we could all get out into our gardens again and start our hands-on gardening year. What a time we have had with the weather! There will be extra jobs to be taken care of now, such as repairing or replacing fences, glazing in the greenhouse may need replacing; you may have needed a tree surgeon too. Devastating for some with the damage caused and the flooding in some areas. Let’s hope March brings a better more settled month. As the weeks pass, we can look forward to those days ahead sitting out in our gardens, enjoying all the hard work we have put in over the winter months.

Kate & Paul @thebungalow_reno are an impressive young couple who are in the process of renovating their second, yes second bungalow! This included tackling the large garden that was in great need of some love and attention. Kate & Paul put Mountfield's Freedom 500 battery-powered range of garden tools through their paces and here are the results!

Many people still enjoy the effect of “stripes” on a lawn following a grass cut and all of my customers are no exception - Simon James.

August has arrived, it is high summer and yet again we feel blessed if we are fortunate enough to have a garden! Right now, plants are flowering in abundance and the vegetable plot is in full production of tasty, healthy produce. So, let’s have a look at what we need to do to keep our garden looking fantastic!