Hampton Hack

Hampton Hack

Fans of alliteration will enjoy recent posts from the Genus garden.  Last time The Chelsea Chop.  This week The Hampton Hack!!   Quite where that name originated we don’t know but it has morphed from The Hampton Court Hack to the simpler more alliterate Hampton Hack.

Gardeners enjoy using memorable dates to act as aid-memoires.  Derby Day, usually around the start of July is the traditional time to clip box hedges while Good Friday, though a moveable date, was always the time to plant your potatoes.

Now we have Hampton Court to remind us that some of our perennials need cutting back around early to mid July.  At a time when some perennials are starting to look dusty and dreary we cut them down to the ground and all spent flowers and foliage is removed. Followed by a generous feed and watering, new growth soon erupts to give a fresher look and often more flowers that will take us right through into the autumn.  Geraniums and Alchemilla are good subjects for this while shrubby salvias can benefit from a lighter trim.  Go on Give It a Go!!

Clothes in action today: Women's 3-Season Gardening Trousers in Iron Grey


Wildlife in the garden - the tawny owl

The tawny owl (Strix aluco), is a medium-sized owl species widely distributed across Europe and western Siberia.  It’s a common sight in woodlands and has successfully adapted to urban environments...
Read More

Gardeners' notes - what to do in November

Clearing Borders   With many plants now beyond their best it’s time to consider clearing your borders.  Although an operation that many are choosing to leave until the spring, we...
Read More

Plant folklore - blackthorn

The blackthorn or sloe, scientifically known as Prunus spinosa, is a well known countryside plant and appears frequently in Celtic folklore and mythology.  This thorny shrub is intrinsically linked with...
Read More