Mid summer and the garden is at its most colourful.
Flowers
- Prune late spring and early summer flowering shrubs immediately after flowering to promote new growth
- Dead head Sweet Peas to increase the flowering season
- Deadhead Roses and feed regularly
- Spray Roses to control black spot, mildew and aphids
- Water hanging baskets and containers at least once a day and feed once a week
- Feed perennials and shrubs with a granular fertiliser e.g. Rose Plus and hoe into the soil
- Remove faded flowers on Delphiniums and Lupins. This may encourage a second flowering
- Trim spring flowering heathers to remove flower heads and to keep in shape
- Tie in and train new growth on climbing and rambling Roses
- Water newly planted shrubs and perennials in dry conditions
- Semi-ripe cuttings can now be taken from shrubs and rooted in a cold frame
Fruit
- Check nets on fruit cages to make sure that they have not moved or been damaged
- Strawberry runners can be pegged down into soil or pots
- Train new growth on trained fruit trees removing side shoots
- Mulch Rhubarb plants and remove flower spikes
- Remove straw from under Strawberries that have finished fruiting
- Pick Raspberries regularly
Vegetables
- Harvest early potatoes
- Harvest globe artichokes
- Earth up main crop potatoes to give an increased yield
- Keep onions well watered to maximise yield
- Sow salad crops directly into the ground to continue getting fresh plants
- Feed all vegetable plants
Lawns
- Continue to mow grass raising the height of cut in dry weather
- Water in dry spells provided there is no hosepipe ban
Greenhouse
- Spray Peaches and Nectarines every day with tepid water
- Use biological control where pests are a problem
- Ensure that all vents are working and close them on cool evenings
- Soak the floor morning and evening to keep up humidity
- Remove faded flowers and dropped foliage to prevent the build up of fungal diseases
Ponds
- Continue to feed pond fish
- Remove any blanket weed by twirling it around on a stick
- Check filters on pumps to ensure that they are not blocked
- Remove any plant material that has fallen into the pond to prevent the build up of disease
General Tasks
- Top canes with cane caps to protect eyes
- Clean paving or slabs with an algicide
- Put pots of plants into gaps in the borders
- Use a Residual Current Device (RCD) when using any electrical equipment in the garden
- Feed the garden using granular fertilisers like Growmore or Rose Plus
Plants which are at their best in July
- Achillea (Yarrow)
- English Roses
- Clematis e.g. Marie Boisselot
- Erodium (Heron's Bill)
- Deschampsia (Hair Grass)
- Athyrium (Lady Fern)
- Digitalis (Foxglove)
- Hemerocallis (Day Lily)
- Tropaeolum speciosum (Flame Creeper)
- Penstemons
