Removing Pond Weeds

Your pond should be cleaned out early to prevent weeds taking over. Blanket weed and Duckweed are two major pond weeds that should be cleaned out. Duckweed is particularly difficult to get rid of if it becomes established. It can be easily be removed using a net and scooping it out of the pond.
Blanket weed is an algae which looks a bit like candy floss. Again it is easily removed, all you need to do is twist it around a garden cane or old broom handle. Once it has been removed leave it at the side of the pond with an end trailing into the pond so that pond creatures can easily go back into the pond. After that it can be added to the compost bin. To reduce the likelihood of these weeds try adding Oxygenating plants to the pond as they help to reduce the growth of algae.

Gardening Tips for May

-Protect your plants from Slugs

-Use water fertiliser on aquatic plants

-Take care of your lawn by feeding, weeding and mowing regularly

-Prune spring flowering shrubs that have finished flowering

-Finish planting evergreen shrubs

-Protect your crops from carrot fly

-Continue sowing vegetable plants

-Plant Dahlias near the end of the month.

Setting Up a Tropical Fish Tank

Its not just plants we offer at Whitehall. We have a fantastic aquatic and reptile centre and here are some tips they have given us when setting up a tropical fish tank.

If you are new to keeping fish it is a good idea to talk to the people in an aquatics centre. The first thing you need to do is buy a tank and decide what fish you would like to keep. The size of the tank will determine how many fish you can keep depending on their size. You should also find out how big the fish grow to, to make sure you have room for them as they get bigger. When you have your tank, the position you put it in is rather important. It should be quiet, away from sources of hot and cold, easily accessed to water for when you are changing the water, away from direct sunlight and away from any hazards.

Once you have got a good position for your tank it is time to buy the right equipment for it. There are three main items of equipment that you should buy, these are: filter, heater and light system. The Filter removes toxic ammonia and solid waste from the aquarium making it a healthy environment. The heater controls the temperature in the tank which is important to the well being of fish. The light system can promote plant growth and lets you see in!

Once you have all of the above in place you can add decoration to your tank, this will give the fish things to hide and swim in and make it astatically pleasing. Also the bottom of the tank should be covered in a layer of gravel or aquarium sand.

Now everything is in position it is time to fill your tank up! Never use mineral water, rainwater or water from a household softener to fill in your tank. Tap water is usually fine however it will have to be neutralised to get rid of chlorine and heavy metals. Tetra Aquasafe can be added to the tap water and be added every time a water change is done. Once it is filled up your filter and heater should be turned on and the thermometer added.

When it is stable Tetra Bactozym should be added to the tank to promote the development of good filter bacteria. After about 2 days the first fish can be added. The tank should be stocked slowly to allow the filter bacteria to cope with the amount of ammonia.

Three Top Shrubs

Acer Palmatum- This foliage is a deep reddish purple and turns a bright crimson in the autumn. It brings life and colour to any garden.
Hydrangea Endless Summer- This bouquet of pinks, blues and lavender hues makes this shrub and outstanding addition to any garden.
Choisya Sundance- The sundance has evergreen light green yellowish leaves with the added bonus of small white flowers that cover the plants from late spring to early summer.
All of these shrubs are easy to care for and will bring delight into your garden all year round.

Whitehalls plant of the month- Lavender

Lavender

This plant is loved for its relaxing scent and providing deep shades of violet, blue, deep pink and mauve. A very popular Lavender is the English Lavender Hidcote. This is perfect for any garden and can go in a container, the ground or even a hedge. Another popular Lavender is the French Stoechas Mixed. This is an attractive and unusual Lavender and loves the sun.

Grow your Own Tomatoes Outdoors

Outdoor Tomatoes are tender plants and prefer to be in a warm spot preferably on a south facing wall. During winter, dig the area that you will use for planting thoroughly and incorpate garden compost plus peat. Before you plant the Tomato plants it is a good idea to rake some general fertiliser through the soil eg Growmore. If you are short of space in your garden you can grow Tomatoes in containers or bags for a patio or balcony. The plants will need more water if you decide to grow them this way. The time to sow the plants is between May-June. To care for the Tomato plant it is important that you remove dead or yellowing leaves, water regularly in dry weather. Do not over water or let dry out as this will cause the blossom to end or rot the fruit. Feed regularly with Tomato fertlisier eg Tomorite. When the small Tomatoes have developed on the 4th truss ( fruting stem) remove the tip at 2 leaves above this truss.

Beautiful Spring Plants

Euphorbia Euphorbia polychroma- This is a bushy herbaceous perennial, which forms a thick mound of deep dark green sometimes purple tinted leaves. From mid spring to mid summer it has long lasting bright yellow flowers. These flowers are very bright even in the shade. This plant can grow upto 40cm in height and 60cm wide. It grows best in full sun but is tolerant of shade. It likes well drained soil with organic matter.