Dress up the garden for your Christmas celebrations

If you’re entertaining over the festive season it’s great to have the garden looking full of colour and lawns a bright green colour. There are many fast growing annuals that can be planted at the beginning of December and deliver a great show for Christmas. Some of the best varieties include petunia, vinca, portulacca, geranium marigold, and salvia and for shaded spots begonia and impatiens.

To ensure a spectacular display buy advanced seedlings, which can already be in flower when you plant out.

As far as getting the lawn greened up in a hurry I would recommend raking out a thin layer of lawn reviver type compost, or if not easily available, planting compost. Apply a small amount and then use the back of a steel rake to spread thinly. Once you have watered this in you should be able to see more than 50% green grass. Within a few days the lawn will grow through the layer and give you a green sward. Lawn foods with added iron are available from most manufacturers. The active ingredient iron sulphate can turn your grass green almost overnight. Just be careful to apply to grass only and not paving as it can stain badly.