Using a pair of sharp, clean secateurs, snip off the old heads back to a pair of leaves. This will encourage the plants to branch out and produce more blooms.
While daeadheading improves zinnias in the border or a pot, be sure to snip a few stemaas for the house, too, they look lovely in a vase.
PLANT dwarf iris in pots.
Flowering early next spring, dwarf iris (Iris reticulata) come in shades from pale to dark blue and have pretty markings on the petals.
They stand about 15cm high, so are best with plants that won’t swamp them: for example, around the edges of winter and spring-flowering pots.
Loosen the compost and make holes three times the depth of the bulbs. Put the bulbs point up into the holes, cover and firm the surface. Water the pot and place it somewhere close to where you’ll enjoy the lovely scent of these pretty little flowers
CONTROL brambles in hedges
Start dealing with brambles in hedges now before the stems arch over and root in.
Wear gloves to hold the stems as you trim them back as far as you can – cutting back the stems from the top isn’t enough to control them. Once you’ve done that, go in at the base to find their rooting point and drag them out.
They often originate along boundaries, so ask permission from your neighbour to get at them or team up for a two-sided attack!
Author: Jonny
Author of Gardening Life!