Quickfire 'what is going on out there'

Hi hi!

Let’s skip the preamble! Spring is getting busier.

We are…

Mowing lawns much more regularly

One annoying thing about this weather is how quickly lawns are growing. This lawn in Miramar grew 10cm in 4 days….

Some lawns are just fast growers. It is annoying, sure, but reflective of a good environment for your grass! I don’t have a suggestion as to how to slow it down, but regular, very short cuts at this time of year help a lot.

Later on in Summer and all through the rest of the year I recommend keeping your lawn much longer than we cut it in Spring. Grass just does not stop growing at this time of year.

If your grass is getting too long to mow easily, do your best to mow it in the most dry conditions. Unfortunately the rain falling from the sky may not reflect the dryness of the ground! We regularly mow in the rain because prior to the rain starting, the lawn was dry, and after the rain ends, the grass will be much wetter (and harder to mow).

It is also helpful to make a second pass- one mow of the whole lawn on the highest mower setting then another mow of the whole lawn on a much lower setting.

This is also a fantastic time to sow grass seed to patch dead areas of lawn. I just leave the grass around the patches, so it is a bit longer and the birds are less likely to see.

Bemoaning the existence of Jasmine (Jasminum Polyanthum)

Here is a part of one of our Wadestown properties-

The jasmine runners spread along the ground to find new targets. The client has been dealing with this for years, and the Jasmine has choked out a 4m tall pear tree!

In this situation we are cutting it down to about ankle heigh on the regular, and keeping it from spreading further… then working inwards. This Jasmine is worst case scenario in my mind- grows extremely quickly, spreads along the ground, and its rugged, deep roots are difficult to weed out.

Some good things!

Check out our tulips! In this bed we planted rows and rows of bulbs and different lavenders on a diagonal, and it’s really coming to life.

This buxus hedge, riddled with blight damage, which I cut right down in November has sprung back into life in the best way-

November 2024

October 2025

Remember not to trim your buxus until the weather dries right out and the new growth gets a chance to harden off a bit. We don’t tend to start trimming until late November.

Last but not least, I met this plant this week, I can’t ID it but am absolutely besotted. An absolute eye wrinkler of a plant.

I’m off camping (yes, in this weather, so I’m told) for the next 4 days! Yippee! The two newest staff have been given the ride on mower keys and told to do their worst so we shall see what I return to on Tuesday!

Have a fantastic week, everyone. Don’t plant your summer plants until your weather is stable!