Jack Stooks has looked after the green spaces at the King’s Highgrove House residence in Gloucestershire for 20 years, and now he has shared his top tips with the public
King Charles’s top gardener has dished out his best advice for keeping your garden blooming this summer.
With two decades of experience tending to the lush grounds of Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, Jack Stooks ensures the gardens reflect the King’s “natural artistic ability”.
The Royal residence boasts a stunning array of flora, including a quaint cottage garden, a vibrant wildflower meadow, and a diverse selection of flowers, all cultivated with organic and sustainable methods in mind.
In an exclusive chat with Closer, Jack shared six essential tips to help you elevate your own garden during the sunny season.
Add a touch of colour
Firstly, he suggests adding a burst of colour with plants like dahlias, gladiolus, begonias, cosmos, and nicotiana, reports the Express.
Jack advises: “When you’re designing your garden, think of colour, the longevity of the plant and whether you want to use it as a cut flower in the house.”
He also recommends creating summer bouquets with blooms such as dahlias, cosmos, sweet peas, and larkspur, noting that cosmos can be easily grown from a wild seed mix or plug plants.
Set up a slug pub
He explains that a simple Brussel sprout leaf or kale piece, weighed down with a rock, will draw slugs in, allowing gardeners to dispose of them daily.
To make this – simply dig a straight-sided jar into the soil, so they are around 1cm off the ground, fill a quarter of it with beer and then put a rock loosely on top.
Overnight, the slugs will have a merry time and become trapped.
How to prune your roses
Jack says anyone wanting to use roses in their garden should use a reputable dealer.
He advises gardeners to follow Royal Horticultural Society guidelines when pruning, following how to trim each variety.
And, while most people say cut the stems down to the first leaflet with five leaves, Jack goes even lower.
Jack reveals his favourite rose type is called Olivia, and can be bought from specialist grower David Austin.
Look after your lawn
Getting that perfect lawn can be difficult and Jack admits he likes to leave a few weeks between mows if possible.
He says the way to get an ideal lawn is with a high cut in the spring, before gradually getting lower.
He then rakes to scarify it and get rid of dead leaves.
Jack says gardeners should feed their lawn every three months.
Stop the weeds
Jack’s approach to weed control is “little-and-often”.
He prefers to tackle weeds as soon as the weather dries up, opting for half-an-hour of hand-weeding each day, as opposed to “harmful” pesticides.
He said: “It really helps to keep on top of weeds because then they don’t sprout and spread. Pull them up from their roots so they don’t come back.”
Jack advises anyone battling with ground elder, a prevalent invasive weed, to deal with it before the white flowers bloom.
Spruce up your garden instantly
If you’re expecting guests or just want a quick-fix for your garden, Jack suggests mowing your lawn.
He added: “Even if that’s all you do, people will think your garden looks lovely.”
Edging your borders will also enhance your garden’s appearance, even if you only have time to do the first few feet all the way along.