Blog, Gardening Advice
July Gardening Jobs
The solstice has passed and it’s well and truly Summer. It may feel like you’re forever cutting the grass, but you need to get pruning your plants too, as this warm sunny weather plus low rainfall means everything can start to look a bit tired. Get out those shears or secateurs and get cutting!

PRUNING
Climbers and shrubs can be cut back into shape including early summer perennials such as hardy geraniums and delphiniums.
If you have Wisteria, cut off all the long stems. The fresh new growth that will come from this cut will now have time to toughen up before the first frost of Winter.
For those of you with shrub roses you need to keep these pruned and deadheaded regularly to encourage new growth. Cut back to a lead or flower bud, even if that means taking off a lot of the stem, this will give room for new shoots that will become new flowers.
However, there are some plants that will suffer from a prune this early on and you’ll miss their Winter colour. These include Shrubby Cornus, Willow, Parrotia and Autumn Raspberries.




The top jobs for the garden this month
Weeding, this warm weather means growth, which is great for all our plants and shrubs, but no so great for the weeds
Water and feed sweet peas regularly. To achieve long flowering, you will need to keep picking the flowers every few days as they quickly go to seed. So, it’s best to pick once a week and remove any seed pods that appear too!
Cut lavender for drying, choosing newly opened flowers for the best fragrance, then hang up in a cool, dark place
Give dahlias a liquid feed, keep them well watered and tie the shoots of tall varieties to sturdy stakes as they grow
Plant autumn bulbs, including nerines, colchicums and sternbergia, in pots and borders
Feed, water, and deadhead summer bedding regularly, in pots, borders and hanging baskets. We have a great range of plant feed that would give everything in your garden that extra boost, including organic feed from Westland.
Keep watch for pests such as lily beetles, snails, aphids, and vine weevils, and remove before they do too much harm
Pick off flowers on coleus plants to maintain their colourful leaves
Sow biennials, such as foxgloves, honesty, forget-me-nots and wallflowers, for blooms next year





TOP VEGETABLE CROPS FOR JULY
Beetroot – If you have been growing beetroot since March, it is time to harvest now, to enjoy in your salads, or whatever your tastebuds desire!
Calabrese – Is quick to grow and can be harvested now until October! Perfect for salads and has loads of anti-inflammatory benefits.
Coriander – Harvest now and perfect in food to give extra flavour!
Spinach – Harvest now until November! The long harvest period guarantees a big crop, that can be used in every meal. Spinach has so many benefits, such as antioxidants.
You can also harvest, Chinese cabbages, Corn salad, Florence fennel, French beans, Swiss chard, and Turnips.
GREENHOUSE JOBS
As we are in Summer, make sure to keep ventilating your greenhouse by opening the doors and vents, so your plants are not suffocating.
Water your tomatoes daily to stop them from drying out.
If you have any houseplants that have large leaves, take them into the garden and hose them down to get rid of any dust.
Be cautious of any infestations on your plants.
If you are growing any cucumbers, chillies, and tomatoes, make sure to feed them weekly with high-potash tomato fertiliser to encourage fruiting.
Feed your houseplants weekly from now until autumn to make sure they are always in peak condition.
GARDEN MAINTENANCE
Make sure to compost waste from your kitchen and garden.
Top up bird baths, water features and ponds throughout the hot weather.
Water shrubbery to help them through any dry spells.
Mow your lawns regularly but keep it slightly long to help through any dry spells.
Water hanging baskets and patio containers daily.

OUR TOP FIVE PRODUCTS FOR THE MONTH
Boost All Purpose Liquid Plant Food
Kent & Stowe Eversharp Bypass Secateurs




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