Garden Maintenance- Deadhead Daffodils

Now that Daffodils are starting to go over ,it is time to deadhead them. Snap the flower heads off from just behind the swollen part, the stem can be left intact. If dead flowers are left on, the plants energy will go into regenerating plant seeds. However if you remove the head the plants energy is diverted into next years bud within the bulb. It used to be thought that you had to leave the foliage on the plant and let it die back completely to give the plant a good time to build up energy for next year. However research has now shown that the foliage can be cut down six weeks after the foliage has died. Either method is fine to use but dead flower heads can look messy.

Cleaning out your pond

Cleaning out your pond does not need to be done every year, however if the plants are getting bigger and making your pond crowded now is the time to do it. To start cleaning out your pond lift all plants and their baskets out. Now may be a good time to remove fish using a net. Put the removed fish in a temporary home with pond water and not tap water. Pump out the water and gently scoop out mud from the bottom being careful not to damage any liners. Hose and wash the liner using a soft brush and them remove the murky water left as residue. You can now begin to refill your pond, refill with your plants and divide them up and replace unhealthy plants. Lastly put the fish back into the pond along with the water they have been sitting in. After the pond is refilled, the water may go green but this will soon sort itself out when the plants re- establish.