AUGUST BLOG

August has seen all of our new build sites progressing at a rapid pace. House builds are going well on our client sites and the ground maintenance teams have been actively working to keep show homes and communal areas on all our sites looking tidy and fresh. Ground Maintenance teams have also been keeping busy, winning a considerable amount of new work in different types of sites from Industrial and...

August has seen all of our new build sites progressing at a rapid pace. House builds are going well on our client sites and the ground maintenance teams have been actively working to keep show homes and communal areas on all our sites looking tidy and fresh. Ground Maintenance teams have also been keeping busy, winning a considerable amount of new work in different types of sites from Industrial and Commercial to New Build and large private estates. The last two weeks of August have shown considerable rainfall, so grass and weeds were growing much quicker. Our website is continuing to be updated, the social responsibility section was the latest page to be completed this month. Have a look over the new content and images if you haven’t already; https://www.elmtreegarden.co.uk/social-responsibility/ We have also been busy at Strawberry Gardens, a new care home in Yatton, throughout August. Strawberry Gardens provides much needed accommodation for local people over the age of 55. The development offers 60 two-bedroom apartments for affordable rent and shared ownership. Strawberry Gardens has been designed to promote independent living in a community setting, with a care team on-site 24/7 to deliver planned care packages if needed. We are excited to be able to now send our photographer to the site and get some images to show you all. Keep a lookout on our social media pages for further updates of the project and across our website too. For more information on the Carehome follow the link. As August draws to a close we anticipate a much cooler month ahead and the start of late summer turns into Autumn. Throughout September we will see the rich autumn colours developing. Already there is a distinct chill in the air. One of the things we love most about Autumn is the crisp mornings and low sun and making the most of the warmth while we can! While there’s not as much to do in the garden at this time of the year, fruit and vegetable patches will be developed and crops will be ripening now ready to harvest. Apples and pears in a particular flourish at this time. Top Tips for September:

• Start cleaning autumn debris to prevent pest and diseases over winter
• Plant spring flowering bulbs
• Harvest the last of the courgettes and potatoes
• Plant out spring cabbages and sow winter lettuce
• Plant bulbs for colour at Christmas
• Dead head roses
• Rake lawn, aerate and apply autumn fertiliser
• Sow new lawns
• Reduce watering

  Tips for sowing and planting outdoors during the month ahead:

• Sow a variety of winter lettuces in shallow drills and cover with clothes. Seeds will germinate quickly, when the seedlings are large enough to handle, thin them out to about 6 inches apart. Harvest from January onwards.
• Plant garlic: Autumn is the traditional time for planting garlic and it need a good period of cold weather to grow well too. To get good quality crops buy bulbs that are specially cultivated for planting. Plant in a sunny spot in well drained soil. Break each bulb into individual cloves and plant 3 inches apart. Ensure the tips of the cloves are just below soil level.
• Plant out autumn onion sets: The sooner these go in and get growing before winter sets in the better. Look for ‘Rader’ and ‘Swift’ varieties. Apply a general organic fertiliser to boost growth.