Two crucial gardening jobs to complete now for a ‘second flush of flowers’ before the end of the year

Gardening enthusiast Michael, who shares his pearls of wisdom on the TikTok page @themeditteraneangardener, detailed two jobs that need completing before the end of the month to prolong a beautiful display.

His first piece of advice to followers is to “raise the cutting height on your lawnmower to leave the grass longer in dry weather".

Keeping the mowing height as high as possible will help your lawn retain as much moisture in the event of heatwaves.

The long grass creates a barrier between the dry sun and the moist soil by maintaining a cool temperature in the ground, which in turn, reduces evaporation.

Experts at the Royal Horticultural Society explained: “Close cutting in dry weather can weaken the grass and make it more vulnerable.

“Also let the clippings fall back into the grass to act as a mulch and hold in moisture.”

Flowers:

“To get a second flush of flowers from your wisteria you give it a summer prune,” explained Michael. “Climbing hydrangea can also be pruned after flowering.”

Experts at the RHS confirm that it’s beneficial to cut back the whippy green shoots of the current year’s growth to five to six leaves.

They note: “This controls the size of the wisteria, preventing it from growing into guttering and windows, and encourages it to form flower buds rather than green growth."

In terms of hydrangeas, most varieties are pruned in early spring, but climbing hydrangeas are an exception.

When trimming back the plant, simply remove the faded flower heads and cut back the dead or straggly stems. Also, shorten any wayward shoots to maintain a good shape.

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To prolong a garden display into autumn, gardeners are advised to deadhead two varieties of blooms in the next week.

“Deadhead summer flowers and repeat flowering perennials to encourage continual flowering,” according to Garden World.

“Remove wilted blooms from roses and feed with Organic Liquid Rose Food to encourage further, healthy growth.”

Deadheading is the process of removing spent flowers from plants to encourage more blooms and prevent seed production.