Short back and sides

I showed you some photos of my lovely fluffy border a couple of days ago - all four of them were something like that at that time.  Eventually they start to 'go over' and look untidy and some plants bully out the others so this is a good time to give it a judicious chop.

letting the corner breath again

Two corners have eight feet high thalictrum in them which is fabulous when it is in full flood but they had finished flowering and even though they have pretty seed heads they always swamp out other things around them so it was time for them to go.

neat and tidy again

all these plants only went in a couple of months ago so there is some growing to do yet but it is promising

I cut back all the thalictrum (meadow-rue), oriental poppies, granny bonnets and dead-headed the roses by cutting them back quite a few inches.  I then lightly fed the garden with some 7:7:7 national Growmore.  These are granules and easy to chuck a handful here and there a couple of times in the growing season - once in late Spring and once in late summer.

If you are lucky with this chop and feed and weather permitting we often get a second flush of most things.

I also did my usual mid month slug pelleting - a bit late I know but I wasn't here to do it on time.  I tied in some bits and bobs and basically did a close inspection of this and that to check all is well.  This hour or so is time well spent if you can give yourself up to it round about this time of year.