Gardening Delights

Whilst we look out onto our sodden, windswept gardens in this wet January winter is it any wonder that the possibility of a bright warm summer’s day pottering round the garden seems a long way off.

What can one do out in the garden during times like this, well not what you would like that’s for sure ? If you can manage to don enough wet weather gear to keep off the rain surges then you have to contend with the frequent gusts of wind which are quite likely to blow you off the lowest ladder ! Not ideal gardening conditions.

But wait there are things you can do ! Traditionally the leaves have all fallen although this autumn the leaf fall was later than usual mostly because of the generally mild conditions fooling the deciduous trees into keeping their foliage a little longer. Eventually they all fell of course and prior to the winds they dropped as they do straight on to the lawns and for all good grass lovers that was not good news.

One of the prime moves for any basic gardener with a reasonable lawn is to keep stray leaves off the grass. Once the leaves settle into a nice cosy spot on the lawn, collect a bit of water and sink gently into the green swathe they create a perfect little haven for most things except

grass. Many gardens suffer this fate and if the elements have contrived to keep the owners tucked warmly inside then after several weeks or indeed months of ignored leaf fall, what were charming lawns end up patchy and disease ridden.

It is then essential to get out and rake up the leaves as soon as possible to maintain a balanced healthy lawn. Quite a few people tend to look to the garden hoover technique to suck up the offending leaves, but most of these machines are not totally efficient especially when the leaves are

wet and virtually stuck to the ground. Hence the most proven method is the trusty rake.

I always think it is the best way to deal with this problem, firstly it keeps you in shape using your upper body and arms and pumping some oxygen in and out, plus if you use the plastic type rake they will comfortably deal with clearing all leaves providing you with a nice clean lawn .

Many people take a quick look at the weather and decide to stay indoors and ignore their poor old lawn and when it comes to enjoy it the disappointment of seeing a patchy unkempt stretch of grass can be quite frustrating.

But the simplest of jobs though time consuming depending on the lawn size is well worth the effort for a healthy looking sward.

The rake is a much maligned piece of garden equipment but put to good use is invaluable to maintain a healthy lawn with a minimum of effort.