Flowers and small plants are often the first affected by heavy rains; stems can break and flower petals can be damaged. Once flowers have been battered by heavy rain it can often be hard to bring them back to life. Even hardy perennials can be affected by heavy rain fall; they can collapse and cause great damage to surrounding plants. Water logged soil can also lead to damaged plants and irreversible damage.

Classic British Weather!

When soil is waterlogged it can cause great damage to plants. When heavy rain falls water can clog up the air pockets found naturally in soil. Oxygen then struggles to reach roots; without oxygen soil stagnates and roots cannot grow properly.

Spotting the symptoms of water logged soil can be the first step to battling wet weather. The soil will look wet and will have puddles on its surface; this shows water is not draining and that soil is waterlogged. Plants in waterlogged soil may show similar symptoms to when they need watering like yellowing leaves, leaves falling off and drooping stems. This is due to water not reaching the roots; when soil is waterlogged roots become clogged and oxygen cannot reach the roots.

When heavy rain falls it starts to seep into soil and fills in all the natural air gaps. If heavy rain persists then water starts soil starts to compact and this is where problems start. If the soil is clogged oxygen cannot reach roots and they start to rot. When dying plants are lifted the roots will be a black colour, they will be soft and will smell rotten.

An great example of mulch used to protect a flower bed.

If you’re soil is already waterlogged you can take steps to help prevent further damage. Avoid walking on waterlogged soil; this can lead to the soil becoming more compact. Remove any dying plants as they can carry disease which can easily spread. Place them in a bin and not into your compost heap; disease can spread through a compost heap.

If there are plants still in waterlogged soil you can remove them and try to save them. You can remove the plant for the ground gently and place them in another part of your garden which is less waterlogged or in a separate plant pot. Make sure you place the moved plant in fresh compost and soil with good drainage.

If your garden lawn is waterlogged you can help by spiking the surface of your lawn; this will help ventilate the soil and help excess water drain. You can also help by adding lime free sand to improve draining.

As with most of gardening prevention is the best way to combat wet weather. By preparing your garden you can help prevent damage from heavy rain fall.

Mulch is a great tool for combating excess water. Mulch is a term used to describe any material spread or put over the surface of soil as a covering. It is used to help absorb moisture in soil and suppress weeds. Mulch can be bought from garden centres or can be made from organic materials like straw, grass clippings, tree bark or chipped wood.

Adding mulch to the surface of flower beds helps stop water clogging soil. The mulch can help absorb some of the water helping prevent large puddles. Generously add mulch to your flower beds paying close attention to the bottom of plants.

Roots are very important to plants; they absorb water and also help absorb nutrients from the soil. Feed your plants during spring and early summer to help promote root growth. This will help roots stay healthy and grow so they can absorb enough water and nutrients for the plant.

Raised beds are perfect for protecting against heavy rain.

Making sure plants are placed in good draining soil is the best preparation for avoiding water clogged soil. When placing plants in soil ensure the soil is well aerated by using a fork to fluff up the soil. If your garden has clay type soil then adds organic matter and horticultural grit before planting to help improve draining.

Installing raised beds in your garden can be a great way of ensuring the plants in your garden aren’t damaged by heavy rain. Raised beds are wooden frames that protrude out of the soil and make it easier to work on a flower bed. Raised beds should have good drainage if installed properly; you can fill a raised bed with good top soil and compost so it is the ideal solution if you live in an area of thick clay soil!

Applying these preventative measures to your garden could help protect plants against heavy rain downpours. UK weather is very unpredictable and can cause chaos for gardeners. So why not save yourself the heartache of dying plants and start to protect your plants from heavy rain! Hopefully the weather will improve and the sun will come out soon but until then we shall be out in our wellies tending to soggy plants!

If you’re looking for high quality gardening products try Walton’s Garden Buildings. 

Making your own compost is also great for the environment. Not only are you making good use of the waste food from your kitchen but you are also not buying harmful compost like peat compost. Peat compost is common among gardeners but it damages natural peat environments around the world.

Peat is an ingredient used in some garden compost because it contains a large amount of beneficial nutrients. Peat is found in Moor like environments; it takes millions of years to form and supplies of peat are diminishing! Gardeners should always try and avoid peat composts; making your own is a great way of not using peat compost!

Making your own compost can save you money!

Many people worry about the safety of making your own compost; will it fester with bad bacteria?! Will it smell? The simple answer is no; if you build the right kind of compost heap it should be safe. A compost heap needs to have heat; heat helps kill harmful bacteria. Gardeners also worry about spreading weeds around their gardens with home made compost. Again if you’re compost heap has the right temperature and you are careful of what you compost this shouldn’t be a problem.

Making your own compost is a great educational project; it’s a great way of teaching children how food decomposes and feeds new plants. By having great compost you can also reduce the amount of chemicals used in your gardens. Harsh garden chemicals can help plants grow and deter pests but they can cause great damage to the surrounding environment. Rain water can cause chemicals to run off into surrounding water systems and farm land.

You cannot compost all kitchen waste; you should never compost cooked or raw meat. Common compost materials include egg shells, coffee grounds, grass clipping, leaves, nut shells, shredded new paper, raw fruit and vegetables and fireplace ash. These foods and materials are perfect for composting and will produce high quality compost!

Using home made compost can reduce the amount of chemicals you need to use in your garden.

To compost you will need a compost area/bin. Composting needs to be contained so the compost material can reach a high temperature. You can buy many different types of composting bins made from timber, metal or plastic. Many compost bins are layered so the compost you get at the bottom is ready to put through a garden.

Place a compost bin out of sight in your garden; a compost bin should not smell but it’s not usually something found on display in a garden. Placing near your kitchen door will also encourage more use of the compost.

Making your own compost is a great way of helping your garden, helping the environment and will also save you money. So why not do something different with the waste from your kitchen and make good use from the waste you don’t need.

If you’re looking for high quality garden products try Walton’s Garden Buildings. 

Walton’s is proud to introduce our guest blog writer Dave Sharpe. Dave lives in Nottingham and recently took on a large allotment plot. Dave will be writing for the Walton’s blog every month and will update readers on the crops he grows. I’ll let Dave introduce himself and his allotment…

An Introduction to the Allotment….

Growing is something that has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. As a child I often helped out with small gardening jobs and as an adult I had a few small gardens and even a small allotment once but my interest in growing really started in my retirement.

I applied for an allotment late last year and didn’t really think the council would get back to me as soon as they did. 4 months after applying I was offered a plot! I didn’t know much about the allotment but went down to meet the council worker to take a look. The plot was in complete disarray! There was building waste and a lot of rubbish around the plot. The soil was not in great condition and the ground was full of weeds! Although I knew it was going to be a massive challenge I turned around and took the plot off his hands!

Before starting work on my allotment I decided that I should take photos. By taking photos I could track the progress of the area and also show what a bad state the allotment was in. You can see in the photos how overgrown the plot was! Under the overgrown plants there was also a lot of hidden rubbish which needed to be removed before I could build any raised beds. As you can see there was also a small shed on the plot. The shed was in bad condition but after sprucing it up a bit it is now being used to grow young plants in and of course house the kettle!

Before Pictures…..

Once I cut back the overgrown plants, dug out the weeds and cleared the rubbish the plot really started to take shape. The pictures show what a difference removing the weeds and overgrown plants really made. I’m no gardening expert so didn’t really have a plan for the plot. I placed growing beds where they looked right and tried to follow the line of the old path. I know many gardeners have detailed, drawn out growing plans but I just followed my natural instinct!

As you can see from the photos my allotment really started to take shape and I soon moved on to deciding what I was going to grow! This was one of the most exciting parts of planting in my plot. My wife and I love to eat what we grow so most of the vegetable we decided to grow are kitchen staples like potatoes, lettuce, courgettes and onions. We also planted radishes, cucumber, rhubarb and many other easy to grow vegetables!

After Pictures…

The other allotment holders have been a great help to me since I took on the plot. They helped me work the plot and gave me handy hints and tips! The other allotment holders around my plot were also kind enough to give me a few young plants to get started. I received some pepper plants and some smaller courgette plants too! Being part of an allotment is a great way to learn; all my fellow allotment holders are always keen to help and I learn something new every day.

I hope you have enjoyed this short introduction to my allotment; next month I will be writing about what I have added to my plot and will update you on how each of my crops are growing. In the meantime I hope fellow gardeners enjoy the sunshine and get growing!

This blog post was brought to you by Walton’s. If you’re looking for high quality garden products try Walton’s Garden Buildings.

Slug pellets are often sprinkled on a garden but did you know slug pellets can often attract more slugs than they kill! Companion planting is a great way of reducing the amount of chemicals used in your garden and is nature’s way of protecting plants.

Planting fennel around buildings like garden sheds and summerhouses can also help stop pests entering. Fennel is perfect for keeping fleas out of homes if you have pet dogs or cats. Fennel has a strong odour and its large leaves help trap fleas.

Pests can cause a lot of damage to plants.

Scientific studies have proved that some combinations of plants can have symbiotic benefits! This blog posts will go through a simple combinations which will help reduce the pests in your garden and help protect the plants you grow. Just as some plants help other grow; some plants can harm another plant if next to each other.

Plants with strong scents are ideal for companion planting. The strong odour of some plants can help disguise the smell of plants which are plagued by pests. Onions or spring onions are perfect for protecting against the dreaded carrot fly! The strong smell of onions helps deter carrot flies! When planting in your vegetable patch place onions next to carrots.

The herb Summer Savoury is another strong smelling plant used in gardens to help protect against black bean aphids. The strong herb can be placed near broad beans to help deter this harmful pest. Beans are often attacked by pests but you can also place them near potatoes to help protect against them. Bean plants also grow well near lettuce and carrots too.

Companion Planting can help protect plants against pests.

Asparagus is a plant seen as difficult to grow among many gardeners. Tomatoes are perfect for helping to grow asparagus; tomatoes release a special chemical which repels the dreaded asparagus beetle. Plant a tomato plants around your asparagus bed to help repel the harmful beetle.

If you have roses in your garden and you are worried about aphids feasting on them then plant garlic. It may seem like an odd combination but garlic can help deter aphid flies away from vulnerable rose bushes! Garlic has a strong smell and will distract the fly from sweet smelling roses.

Companion planting is a great way of reducing the amount of pesticides and chemicals used in your garden. Companion planting can help plants grow in a more natural way reducing the need for strong chemicals. So why not give it a go and give your plants some friends!

If you’re looking for high quality garden buildings or products try Walton’s Garden Buildings.

Many gardeners worry about a messy garden; will growing fruit and vegetables make my garden unruly? The simple answer is NO! You can grow in any garden; you don’t have to give your whole garden to growing vegetables. You can section off a part of your garden and dedicate it just to gardening.

Raised beds and cold frames are perfect for growing edible plants!

Raised beds are perfect for growing; they can be added to a garden and are perfect for sectioning off vegetables and fruit from the rest of your garden. Raised beds are easy to install and will make plants easier to tend to.

Many people often forget about how beautiful vegetable plants can be. A fennel plant is a great example of a pretty vegetable plant; the bottom of the plant will magically transform into a tasty fennel while the bushy green leaves would add to any flower bed. 

Another decorative edible plant is Freckles Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa). This lettuce plant features bright green leaves which are decorated with bright crimson red speckles! This unusual plant would look great in any garden and grows up to 12 inches high! The lettuce has a buttery taste and is perfect for adding to any salad.  

Courgettes are also great plants which create stunning flowers and tasty courgettes too! Courgette plants come in many varieties and produce large, yellow flowers. The yellow flowers are also edible! Fill the flowers with cream cheese and fry in oil for a tasty treat.

Edible flowers are very popular among bakers; they are perfect for adding to cakes and cupcakes. Edible flowers come in many shapes and sizes! Flowers from the viola family and popular; they have a bright purple colour and work well on cakes or in salads! Elderflower is also a popular edible flower. It can be grown easily and can be added to drinks or salads!

If you’re looking for raised beds or quality gardening products take a look at Walton’s Garden Buildings! 

If you’re looking for a basic, fuss free shed with a low cost price then choose a garden shed made from overlap cladding. Overlap cladding has a rustic, traditional look. It is made by overlapping cuts of timber over a strong wooden frame. This overlapping technique gives the cladding its name and traditional look.

A windowless shed is very secure and keeps your tools out of sight!

Overlap garden sheds are inexpensive and perfect if you’re looking for a budget garden storage option. Overlap sheds usually feature an OSB floor; this also helps keep the cost low for this type of shed. If you want to increase security on your overlap shed choose a windowless building. This will prevent anyone from seeing what you store in your shed.

If you’re looking for a more high quality, secure shed then choose a tongue and groove garden shed. A tongue and groove shed is made from interlocking  timbers; the timber is specially shaped so each piece interlocks with another. This technique makes tongue and groove sheds supremely strong and durable. Tongue and groove sheds also have a very high quality!

Tongue and groove sheds usually feature a tongue and groove or OSB floor and roof. A tongue and groove floor and roof will make the shed very strong but will also increase the price. A tongue and groove floor is essential if you’re looking to store heavy items or machinery! If you’re looking to store normal garden items an OSB floor should be sufficient.

Tongue and Groove Sheds are supreme garden buildings!

Another type of cladding used to construct garden buildings is shiplap tongue and groove cladding. Shiplap tongue and groove cladding is similar to tongue and groove but it is usually thicker and features a unique groove. The unique groove on Shiplap tongue and groove timbers helps funnel water away from a shed in heavy rain conditions. Shiplap tongue and groove is often found on larger garden buildings like summerhouses or log cabins.

Choosing the right garden building can be a confusing and overwhelming experience but by understand the different types of cladding used you can easily find the right building for your needs. A garden building is an investment and by choosing the right one you can ensure your garden building will be part of your home for many years to come!

If you’re looking for high quality garden buildings try Walton’s Garden Buildings. They stock an extensive range of garden sheds, summerhouses, log cabins and greenhouses.

Submit a photo of yourself in your garden to be in with a chance of WINNING £125.00!

Got to the Walton’s Facebook Page to Enter!

Pick your favourite spot in your garden and take a picture of yourself enjoying it! It could be your garden flower bed, your garden shed, your vegetable patch or garden summerhouse!

Submit your photo with a short caption of why you love your garden and want to WIN!

You will have 2 weeks to submit your photos! After this the Top 10 photos will be chosen by the Walton’s team.

The Top 10 will be placed on the Walton’s Facebook for a public vote. The photo with the most votes after a week will WIN!

What kind of garden photos are we looking for?

  We want to see a picture of you in your garden!

Your garden does not have to resemble a Chelsea Flower Show Garden; just show us the best bits of your garden whether that be your flower bed, garden shed, summerhouse or barbecue!

Get your whole family in the picture! Why not take a picture during the long bank holiday weekend!?

Why not get your pets involved? We’d love to see photos of pets running around enjoying a garden.

If you’re looking for high quality garden products or garden buildings take a look at Walton’s Garden Buildings.

Terms and Conditions

1. There is no purchase or payment necessary to enter this competition.
2. You must be over 18 to enter this competition and live in the UK.
3. Photos can be submitted to enter this competition from the 24.05.2013 to the 07.06.2013. After this date no more photos can be entered to this competition.
4. At 14:00 on 07.05.2013 10 photos will be picked by Walton’s Garden Buildings. These 10 photos will then be put up for a public vote on Facebook. The photo with the most votes by the 14.06.2013 will win the competition.
5. Competition entries must be submitted by 12:00 on the 07.06.2013.
6. The prize for this competition is £125.00 Cash; this prize cannot be transferred to any other person than the winner. The cash prize will be given to the competition winner via a cheque to a bank account. Cash cannot be posted or transferred any other way.
7. Walton’s reserves the right to choose the ‘Top 10 Photos’ for the second part of this competition.
8. You can enter this competition via Twitter using #WaltonsPhotoComp.
9. All photo submitted must be original and not taken from another source. Any photos taken from another source will not be a valid entrant.
10. By submitting your photo, you represent that the Photo is your own and that you have the full rights to submit the Photo for the contest. By submitting a Photo, you grant to Walton’s Web Ltd and affiliates (collectively the “Company”), a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide license to (i) electronically publish and distribute the Photo in any Site including the right to translate and electronically publish and distribute the Photo to other Internet Sites under license, contract or common ownership with the Company; (ii) include the Photo in advertising and promotion; (iii) to include the Photo in print and non-print products.
11. Obscene, provocative or otherwise questionable content will not be considered. We retain sole discretion as to what constitutes inappropriate content.

One trend seen at the flower show this year is the incorporation of a garden building or garden ‘shack’! The garden building is not just a place to store your garden tools and lawn mower; it can easily be transformed into a garden feature with a simple slick of paint. There are many ways of transforming a garden shed.

The ‘shack’ trend is very important this year at the Chelsea Flower Show; buildings have a relaxed design with natural materials like bamboo. Adding a green roof to your garden building can be a great way of adding that relaxed, natural look to your own garden shed. You can find green roof kits on the internet or in most garden centres.

Painting your shed with shabby chic colours can also be a great way of adding a relaxed, chic look to your garden buildings. Off white and pale pastel colours are perfect for this; mix the paint with a little water to create a wash. The wash effect will give your garden shed a shabby chic style.

This year more gardens in the Flower Show are focussing on using native plants to help encourage native wildlife. Using native plants and trees will help make your garden more natural and suited to native insects and birds. A wildlife garden does not have to be wild and unruly; why not create a section in your garden just for natural plant species. Harsh chemicals and repellents can often kill important native species so try not to use too many in your own garden.

A garden shed is easy to decorate and transform.

This year’s Chelsea Show has also seen a trend for incorporating edible plants into decorative bedding. Many of us often forget how beautiful vegetable plants such as fennel can be. Edible climbers are also great for hiding unsightly walls or areas in the garden. Trellis panels are perfect for growing climbing plants edible or not.

Container gardening is ideal for smaller gardens and urban spaces. This year’s show has seen a continuing trend for large containers. Giant or large containers can be expensive but they do hold their value and are an investment for any garden. Instead of using lots and lots of pots use a large one and make it a feature in your garden. Raised beds are great alternatives and can be used for growing flowers of vegetable plants.

Raised Beds.

Water is always a big part of the Chelsea Flower Shows; a water feature is ideal for adding interest to your garden. A water feature is also a great way of adding depth to a garden; water reflects light and can make a small garden bigger. Stay away from more traditional water features and go for a modern style like a trough feature or small waterfall.

The Chelsea Flower Show is the perfect place to take inspiration for your own garden. You garden does not have to be an exact replica of a Chelsea garden but it can take specific features and add them to your home. Adding little features can transform a garden into something spectacular.

If you’re looking for garden accessories or buildings take a look at the Walton’s Garden Buildings.

Emptying your garden shed of valuable tools isn’t an option for most gardeners especially if your shed or building is on an allotment space. Removing tools and other items everyday is just too impractical. Adding security to your garden and building will help make your tools more secure and will ensure you have peace of mind when you lock it up at night.

Make sure you keep your garden shed secure!

Picking a secure garden shed in the first place is very important. Tongue and groove clad sheds are the perfect option for any gardener. The tongue and groove cladding timbers interlock and make the overall shed very strong and harder to break into. Metal sheds are also very secure and ideal if you’re storing valuable tools or expensive items. Metal sheds also do not feature windows helping to keep anything you do store out of sight.

Keeping tools or anything else kept in your shed out of sight is very important. If you’re shed features windows add curtains to the inside of your shed to block the view of any tools or storage items. Blinds also work well. Adding a fine mesh to your windows will also make it harder for thieves to break in. Cover any windows with stiff wire mesh stapled or nailed directly into the timber frame of your garden building.

A windowless shed is very secure and keeps your tools out of sight!

Adding security screws to your shed is another way of adding another layer of protection. Security screws have no head so they cannot be easily removed. Place security screws around your shed or garden building on weak points like hinges or door frames.

There are many different types of security alarms available from most DIY/Garden stores. These small alarm kits do not cost the earth and will help alert anyone to your shed being broken into. Security alarms are easy to fit and usually sound if the door to your shed is prized open. Shed alarms are perfect for adding extra security to your garden building especially if you’re building is on an allotment away from your home.

Adding an alarm to your shed will alert your to any intruders!

Adding locks to your garden building is another way you can add extra security. Locks and bolts come in many forms. The most popular type of shed lock is a shed door bar. Security bars fit across your shed door so even if the door is broken down the bar still give protection.

The best type of security is prevention; never leave anything in your garden shed which you cannot replace or if you have sentimental value to. You can add a lot of security to your garden shed but it could still be broken into. Try not to leave valuable machinery in your garden building if you can!

If you’re looking for a high quality shed check out the extensive range at Walton’s Garden Buildings! 

Wooden garden buildings can be made from two different types of cladding; overlap cladding or tongue and groove cladding. Overlap cladding is made from rough cut pieces of timber which are over laid onto a wooden frame to form a solid panel. Tongue and groove cladding is stronger and is made from specially shaped pieces of puzzle like timber. The timber fits together and forms a strong garden building.

Keep your garden in good condition with maintenance!

Timber needs to be maintained yearly to ensure it can withstand weather conditions and stay clear of damaging wood rot. Most wooden buildings require an annual timber paint once a year; this helps protect the wood from rot and can also be used to paint a building a different colour. A timber treatment should be applied to clean timber; if there are any patches of mould of dirt this should be washed away first.

Checking the roof of your garden building will help ensure the building is protected from rain and heavy weather. Most garden buildings are covered with roofing felt. Roofing felt can be damaged easily so you need to check it regularly to ensure it is still offering adequate protection! If your roofing felt is damaged you may need to patch it up with new felt of replace the felt completely.

Always check the roof of any garden building regularly!

Your building should be placed on a clean, level base. If you’re building is placed on an unsuitable base it can easily damage. The building can start to crack or become unstable. Always ensure the base of your building is still doing the job it should be. Sometimes decking or paving slabs can become decayed or unstable so always check it! Replacing a base can be very difficult so make sure the base if correct before installing a building.

Attaching guttering to your garden building can also help prevent damage from heavy rainfall. Rainwater and guttering kits are available from most building suppliers and DIY stores. Simple attach the guttering to your building and collect it in a water butt. This rainwater can then be used to water your garden.

Sometimes roofing felt needs to be replaced on garden buildings.

Keeping your garden building in good condition will help prolong its life and prevent unfixable problems. Spending a little time on your garden building can also improve the way a building looks. Many timber treatments can now be purchased in striking paint colours so you can give your garden buildings a unique look!

If you’re looking for high quality garden buildings take a look at the range found on Walton’s Garden Buildings! They stock a wide variety of buildings suitable for any garden.