WHAT TO DO THIS MONTH?

Summer has really kicked in and everything is growing in leaps and bounds. There may still be gaps in the borders that can be filled with a new perennial or shrub. Or it could all be full and looking wonderful. Now is the time to really enjoy your garden but there is always something to be done. Here’s our tips on what to do this July.

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General Maintenance

1. Continue to mow the lawn weekly, in hot dry weather don’t cut it too short or you may stress it.

2. Trim hedges but always check for nesting birds first. Leave well alone if they are present and wait until the chicks have flown the nest.

3. Keep on top of weeds, as well as plants bursting into life the weeds are growing too and doing their best to spread.

4. With summer temperatures increasing water is becoming a precious resource so water wisely. Prioritise the plants that need watering the most. Container plants will need regular watering. Even when it rains the new leafy growth often stops the rain reaching the compost. Feed fortnightly with a general-purpose feed. Plants in the ground need to find their own water, and often will, so water sparingly.

 

Flowers & Shrubs

1. Cut back faded perennials such as hardy geraniums and delphiniums to encourage fresh new leaves and a second flush of flowers.

2. Now is the time to summer prune your Wisteria. Cut back the long whippy new shoots to 5-6 leaves back from the main woody stems.

3. Other plants to prune are Deutzia, Rhododendrons, Weigela, Rambling Roses (after they have flowered) and any other summer flowering shrub once they have finished flowering.

4. Collect seeds from early flowering plants like Aquilegia, Foxgloves and Knautia. You can sow later in the season or store for next spring.

5. Deadhead flowers that are fading. A few minutes each day wandering around your garden removing the faded flowers will make a big difference. Even summer bedding will do better and last longer if you spend a few minutes deadheading them.

 

Fruit & Vegetables

1. Pinch out (remove) side-shoots on cordon tomatoes. These are the small leafy shoots that appear in the fork between the main stem and the side stems. Pinch them out by hand to concentrate the plant’s energy.

2. Once two trusses of flowers are showing feed pot-grown tomatoes fortnightly with a high potash liquid feed to promote the development of flowers and fruit. For other plants such as Peppers and Courgettes once the flowers are showing feed fortnightly as well.

3. Pinch out the tips of broad bean plants once the first pods appear to encourage bushy growth and lots of beans. This will also reduce the risk of blackfly infestations.

4. Harvest some of your early crops. Leafy salads, herbs and Spinach should be cut then watered. If they dry out they will bolt and make the remaining leaves unusable. If you already have Tomatoes and Courgettes pick them so they will bear new fruit. Harvest Peas and Beans daily as this stimulates new flowers and then fresh pods.

5. Thin Apples by reducing the number of small fruits per cluster down to one or two. This will improve the size and quality of the Apple. Sometimes Apple trees will do this themselves by dropping immature fruits. Don’t be alarmed this is a natural process.

  

Whether perennials, vegetable plants, compost, tools or pots you need or whatever you plan to do in your garden this July why not come and see us at Thorp Perrow Garden Centre and see how we can help. We look forward to seeing you. 

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