The joy of
DIARMUID
AS the world’s eyes turn to Japan, host to the Toyko 2020 Olympics, we are enjoying the spectacle of great athletes competing for gold and diving duo Tom Daley and Matty Lee have already bagged gold for synchronised diving.
I had the honour of learning the basics about diving by Tom in a reality diving programme called Splash!
It’s definitely even harder than it looks and I was happy to retire from the diving boards and get back to my terra firma, the garden.
Japan is a country rich in art, culture, and tradition and they excel in design and style.
Nowhere is this more evident than the extraordinary gardens that you will find across Japan. It’s a unique garden style that is revered and there are many attempts to reproduce it outside of Japan. There’s nothing wrong with imitation once you remember that your version can only be a pastiche of the real thing.
Choose what is meaningful and enjoyable for you. In traditional Japanese gardens, natural materials such as stone and wood combine with predominantly green plants to form the basis of a landscape that is based on oriental principles, philosophy and religion.
The carefully selected planting is continually pruned and clipped while the placing of stone, gravel or ornamentation has hugely symbolic meaning and representation.
Though we might not grasp the deeper symbolism, this type of garden is perfect for small, enclosed plots or courtyards.
There are many elements of the classic Japanese garden that we
Raspberries and other summer-fruiting berries that have already fruited can be cut out and new shoots tied in for next year.
Dahlias and lilies may need staking as they reach full height this month.
Leatherjackets or lawn chafers a problem? Now’s a good time to treat the soil with nematodes. And keep an eye out for scarlet lily beetle – remove by hand.
Make sure azaleas and camellias don’t dry out as they are forming buds for next spring. Encourage another flush of flowering with fortnightly doses of high-potash feed.
Glasshouses will need damping down in the hot weather and plants can easily get scorched if it’s very sunny, so remember to provide shade where appropriate.
Keep an eye out for pests such as red spider mite, and order biological controls where necessary.