THERE’S nothing quite like that relaxing scent of lavender during a warm spring and summer evening.
Although it is a quintessential product of Provence, the sturdy shrub has been a gardeners’ favourite all over the world and has been cultivated since Ancient Rome.
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May is the perfect time to cultivate this beautiful yet low-maintenance shrub in the garden – and now one expert has revealed how to make the plant double in size thanks to a 45p kitchen staple.
The whizz and YouTuber MIgardener explained that to make your lavender plants look fabulous this season you should fertilise it.
In the informative clip, the guru recommended liquid nitrogen which can be found in fertilizer.
But the amount of nitrogen varies significantly, typically ranging from 15% to 40%.
Coffee grounds also contain liquid nitrogen and are a cheaper alternative to fertilizer, costing you around 45p.
But coffee grounds typically contain around 1 to 2 percent nitrogen.
They also contain small amounts of phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients.
So while not a major source of nitrogen, they can contribute to plant nutrition, particularly when composted or added to soil as a soil amendment.
Make sure to dilute the coffee grounds with water before applying them to flowerbeds as otherwise they can be too acidic and harm your plants.
Another added bonus of using coffee as a fertiliser over synthetic ones is that it won’t damage your lawn.
If synthetic fertiliser is applied incorrectly it can reek havoc by burning the grass or contaminating the water, which coffee grounds won’t do.
On top of that, coffee acts as a slow-release fertiliser, the opposite of synthetic ones.
Worms also love coffee and will eat it up along with the soil which in return aerates the lawn to stimulate even more growth.
While fertilising your plants and flowers is a must for all gardeners and goes without saying, another key element is picking the right time, he added.
According to the green-fingered YouTuber, whose lavender had expanded twice in size, you should fertilise it twice a year.
May gardening jobs
The Sun’s Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine, has shared the tasks you need to crack on with in May.
GARDEN growth can go from nought to ninety in May, depending on the weather. The last UK frosts are generally seen at the beginning of the month, so all of a sudden there’s so much more to do and grow.
Plant out dahlia tubers
It’s a joy to finally plant out your dahlia tubers. Remember how big they can get – and space accordingly – anything up to half a metre apart.
It’s a good idea to put your support stakes in now instead of trying to work around them.
And make sure you include lots of well rotted manure or decent compost to feed it and then mulch to keep it moist and suppress weeds. They generally start blooming in July.
Final feed to Spring flowers
You can give a cheeky feed to all your remaining tulips and daffodils.
Although the majority of bulbs aren’t guaranteed to come back year after year any more, as long as you’ve left them to die back naturally there’s a good chance they’ll have stored enough energy to come back again. Tomato feed is fine.
Tie up climbers
Your clematis, honeysuckle and rambling roses should be well on their way by now – try to use plastic free string to tie them back into their support, or tuck them round each other to make sure they don’t sprout off in crazy directions.
Feed the lawn
It’s not too late to give your lawn a good feed.
Whether you use granular or liquid, it can give it a good boost to see it through the harsher summer months.
While mowing, don’t go too low with your cut length yet and never take more than a third off the grass height.
Get creative
It’s also time to get creative with hanging baskets and pots.
Trailing pelargoniums, which a lot of people call geraniums, and Begonias are a good, low cost way of getting lovely returning blooms throughout the summer in your baskets.
And pots can be planted with spring bulbs.
Don’t forget the greenhouse!
Give your greenhouse a good tidy and clean the glass inside and out.
The improved light will help plants grow quicker inside and tidying is good for the soul.
You can just use a household white wine vinegar and water solution – or even neat if you’re feeling spendy – which gives a really good shine.
Dropping his knowledge bombs online, the whizz explained that the first fertilising should take place in spring.
”The goal is to get the plant out of the dormancy, to get it growing very fast.
”And when it grows really fast, all of that new growth is what it’s going to flower on.
”We want to get lots of new growth to encourage lots of flowers.”
Once the flowers are gone and the lilac shrub is getting ready for winter, it’s time to follow up with the second fertilising about a month or two before the first frost date.
While during spring and summer the shrubs need more phosphorus, a winter fertilizer should be higher in potassium to ”help them set up better for spring”.
For this, he advised to apply the fertiliser a month or two before the first frost to the base of the plant.
”We pull the foliage up, we dig up a small little trench about an inch deep, sprinkle the fertiliser around the base of the plant.
”Then we simply scratch it in, we water it in well – and that’s all we do.
”Fertilising does make a huge difference.”
