Everything grows

It’s not just the blooms that you planted that will flourish at this time of year. Summer is peak weed season too. If you like your garden to look prim and proper, then be sure to pluck out the weeds as soon as they pop up. However, as even Best Kept War Memorial head judge Bill Tait acknowledges, there has been a horticultural trend towards allowing wildflowers to grow, even in lawns. Of course, this can help encourage bees and butterflies to your garden, but you may prefer to have a specific area for wildflowers and keep things tidier elsewhere.

Don’t forget the water

Plants need more water than ever at this time of year, but it’s important to get the timing right. Head out with your watering can in either the early morning or late evening. This allows the water to soak into the soil without evaporating, as can be the case if you do this task during the hottest part of the day.

Caring for your lawn

Brown lawns can appear if there hasn’t been much rain for a while. Don’t worry too much about watering your grass if this happens – it will generally cope by itself, and the greenness will return of its own accord. One trick to fend off the brown is to never mow your lawn below one inch, and to then slowly increase that height as the summer goes on so that by autumn it can grow taller. Repeat this process in reverse in spring – i.e. start high, then gradually cut it shorter – to prevent moss build-up and to allow the grass to root in better.

Find time to enjoy your work

Whether it’s your own private garden or a communal war memorial garden, now is the time of year in which it can be best admired. Hopefully your flowers will be buzzing with insects and populated by newly-fledged birds, so remember to just spend some time enjoying the results of your hard work.

Remember the Best Kept War Memorial

This year’s Best Kept War Memorial competition is ramping up. Area judging has been taking place across the country, and soon the area winners will be decided. National judges will be carrying out their assessments between now and 19 August, at which point the victorious entries will be notified.

More information on Best Kept War Memorial can be found here