JULY
July is time to HYDRATE, HARVEST, SOW and FEED.
CHECKLIST OF KEY TASKS FOR JULY:
PATIOS & BORDERS
Remove the dead flowers from tall perennials such as delphiniums, lupins and foxgloves. This will encourage them to flower again the same year.
Fill any gaps in your borders and pots. Stake sunflowers and other tall plants.
Trim back lady's mantle, catmint and hardy geraniums if they are getting scruffy. Within a very short time they will produce new, fresh looking leaves
and perhaps some flowers too.
After they have finished blooming, move lime-hating pot grown plants into a shady area of the garden.
They will enjoy the cool and you can bring something showier into the limelight for summer. Feed them now too
TREES & SHRUBS
Vigorous climbers such as clematis, honeysuckle and perennial sweet peas will need support and they may provide more blooms.
Check susceptible varieties of plants for vine weevil damage.
Half circle notches out of the edges of leaves are common at this time of year and are caused by the female adults.
Likely plants to show symptoms are viburnum, heuchera, busy lizzies, euonymus, camellias, rhododendrons and fuchsias.
Feed rose bushes. Remove dead flowers and the tip of each shoot to encourage a strong new shoot to grow.
PLANTING & PRUNING
It is time to sow winter flowering pansies, primrose and polyanthus.
All are best sown in seed compost in seed trays.
Cover the pansies with ¼" of compost but cover the others with cling film and put them in the refrigerator for 2-3weeks before bringing
them out into a cool place to germinate.
All these plants germinate best if kept cool.
It is also time to sow your wallflowers; these are sown thinly into a prepared seedbed outside, prior to lifting and planting out in the autumn.
Prune climbing and rambling roses by cutting out old shoots that have flowered, and weak ones that haven't.
Cut back hard to encourage new shoots to appear. These new shoots will carry next years' flowers.
Remove buddleia blooms as they fade.
Most will grow new smaller flowers further down the stem. Leave a few un-pruned to produce seeds for the birds in winter.
Check for briar suckers coming from the roots of roses and remove them flush with the roots to avoid getting more.
Vigorous shrubs such as pyracantha will benefit from having over long shoots pruned back and this will stop them hiding the attractive
berries which should have formed on old growth.
Carefully prune evergreen ceanothus and broom now that they have finished flowering. Trim out leading shoots to leave weaker side shoots.
FRUIT GARDEN
Check your fruit trees for the weight of crop they have.
If there is a heavy fruit set then it is wise to thin the fruit out now.
Thin apples and pears to just two fruits per cluster and, if plums have a heavy set, a drastic removal of excess fruits is
needed to prevent small fruit and branch breakage later.
Apple and pear trained as cordons or espaliers need summer pruning now; others should be pruned when 'dormant' between November and March.
Shorten main stems and laterals, when longer than 9", back to the third leaf and lateral side shoots to leave the basal cluster.
Gooseberries/red and white currants, prune new side shoots to reduce to 4-5 leaves.
Plums & cherries, now is the correct time to prune, never in the winter.
VEGETABLE GARDEN
Plant winter cauliflower, purple sprouts and leeks in the space created by digging early potatoes.
Trim herbs back, remove flowers and give them a good soaking with liquid feed to encourage new shoots. These are always the tastiest.
Onions and shallots and can be placed out in the sun to ripen. If you don't do this they may not store so well.
Sow seeds of spring cabbages. Sow in a seedbed outside for transplanting into the vegetable patch in autumn.
Stop harvesting rhubarb and asparagus now. This will give it a chance to build up strength for next year. Check asparagus for weevils
LAWNS, HEDGES & PATHS
Keep your lawn edges neat by regularly trimming. Inserting plastic or alloy edging support strips will stop the edges becoming ragged.
If you have the odd weed or two in the lawn, spot weeding with a selective lawn weed killer now can be very effective.
Get some colour back into your lawn with a high nitrogen, liquid fertiliser.
Trim evergreen hedges . They usually produce most growth at this time of the year so the cut ends are quickly hidden by fresh growth.
THE GREENHOUSE
If greenhouses are getting too hot, paint 'coolglass' on the outside to reflect the sun's heat.
This is easily wiped off in autumn. Wetting the floor regularly will also lower the temperature, but don't do it late in the day.
Ventilate your greenhouse on a regular basis. If it is still too hot inside, keep the doors open too.
It is usually at this time of year that whitefly and red spider mite populations in the greenhouse increase so before that happens,
order some natural predators to control these difficult pests the natural way.
INDOOR PLANTS
Mist over the tops of houseplants regularly.
Clean houseplant leaves with leaf shine.
Feed indoor plants monthly; but make sure the root ball is wet first.
Water carefully; it is better to let plants dry out between waterings and then give a thorough soak than a small amount regularly.
SOIL
This is the timr to tackle any bindweed that is strangling plants.
If it is growing up and through plants, pull it aside, shield your garden plants with some polythene and spray with weed killer.
Regular hoeing between plants in borders and in the vegetable patch will keep weeds under control and also reduce drying out of the soil.
Now is a good time to spray (with glyphosate) thistles, couch grass,
Japanese knotgrass, bindweed and other difficult to control perennial weeds.
PONDS
Check the water level in ponds and water features regularly.
A lot of water can be lost through evaporation.
WILDLIFE
Don't be in too much of a hurry to tidy up every part of the garden.
Wildlife will thrive in the odd corner that has a heap of logs, a few nettles and a pile of dead leaves.
Provide water for the birds to bathe and drink.
JULY GARDENING CHORES:
CHECKLIST OF KEY TASKS FOR JULY:
- Ensure plants have enough water.
- Sow wallflowers and autumn / winter flowering plants.
- Feed roses.
- Prune climbing and rambling roses.
- Feed indoor plants monthly.
- Beware of red spider mite and whitefly in the greenhouse.
- Plant winter vegetables.
- Prune summer fruit trees.
- Feed the lawn with a high nitrogen fertiliser.
- Turn the compost heap regularly.
PATIOS & BORDERS
Remove the dead flowers from tall perennials such as delphiniums, lupins and foxgloves. This will encourage them to flower again the same year.
Fill any gaps in your borders and pots. Stake sunflowers and other tall plants.
Trim back lady's mantle, catmint and hardy geraniums if they are getting scruffy. Within a very short time they will produce new, fresh looking leaves
and perhaps some flowers too.
After they have finished blooming, move lime-hating pot grown plants into a shady area of the garden.
They will enjoy the cool and you can bring something showier into the limelight for summer. Feed them now too
TREES & SHRUBS
Vigorous climbers such as clematis, honeysuckle and perennial sweet peas will need support and they may provide more blooms.
Check susceptible varieties of plants for vine weevil damage.
Half circle notches out of the edges of leaves are common at this time of year and are caused by the female adults.
Likely plants to show symptoms are viburnum, heuchera, busy lizzies, euonymus, camellias, rhododendrons and fuchsias.
Feed rose bushes. Remove dead flowers and the tip of each shoot to encourage a strong new shoot to grow.
PLANTING & PRUNING
It is time to sow winter flowering pansies, primrose and polyanthus.
All are best sown in seed compost in seed trays.
Cover the pansies with ¼" of compost but cover the others with cling film and put them in the refrigerator for 2-3weeks before bringing
them out into a cool place to germinate.
All these plants germinate best if kept cool.
It is also time to sow your wallflowers; these are sown thinly into a prepared seedbed outside, prior to lifting and planting out in the autumn.
Prune climbing and rambling roses by cutting out old shoots that have flowered, and weak ones that haven't.
Cut back hard to encourage new shoots to appear. These new shoots will carry next years' flowers.
Remove buddleia blooms as they fade.
Most will grow new smaller flowers further down the stem. Leave a few un-pruned to produce seeds for the birds in winter.
Check for briar suckers coming from the roots of roses and remove them flush with the roots to avoid getting more.
Vigorous shrubs such as pyracantha will benefit from having over long shoots pruned back and this will stop them hiding the attractive
berries which should have formed on old growth.
Carefully prune evergreen ceanothus and broom now that they have finished flowering. Trim out leading shoots to leave weaker side shoots.
FRUIT GARDEN
Check your fruit trees for the weight of crop they have.
If there is a heavy fruit set then it is wise to thin the fruit out now.
Thin apples and pears to just two fruits per cluster and, if plums have a heavy set, a drastic removal of excess fruits is
needed to prevent small fruit and branch breakage later.
Apple and pear trained as cordons or espaliers need summer pruning now; others should be pruned when 'dormant' between November and March.
Shorten main stems and laterals, when longer than 9", back to the third leaf and lateral side shoots to leave the basal cluster.
Gooseberries/red and white currants, prune new side shoots to reduce to 4-5 leaves.
Plums & cherries, now is the correct time to prune, never in the winter.
VEGETABLE GARDEN
Plant winter cauliflower, purple sprouts and leeks in the space created by digging early potatoes.
Trim herbs back, remove flowers and give them a good soaking with liquid feed to encourage new shoots. These are always the tastiest.
Onions and shallots and can be placed out in the sun to ripen. If you don't do this they may not store so well.
Sow seeds of spring cabbages. Sow in a seedbed outside for transplanting into the vegetable patch in autumn.
Stop harvesting rhubarb and asparagus now. This will give it a chance to build up strength for next year. Check asparagus for weevils
LAWNS, HEDGES & PATHS
Keep your lawn edges neat by regularly trimming. Inserting plastic or alloy edging support strips will stop the edges becoming ragged.
If you have the odd weed or two in the lawn, spot weeding with a selective lawn weed killer now can be very effective.
Get some colour back into your lawn with a high nitrogen, liquid fertiliser.
Trim evergreen hedges . They usually produce most growth at this time of the year so the cut ends are quickly hidden by fresh growth.
THE GREENHOUSE
If greenhouses are getting too hot, paint 'coolglass' on the outside to reflect the sun's heat.
This is easily wiped off in autumn. Wetting the floor regularly will also lower the temperature, but don't do it late in the day.
Ventilate your greenhouse on a regular basis. If it is still too hot inside, keep the doors open too.
It is usually at this time of year that whitefly and red spider mite populations in the greenhouse increase so before that happens,
order some natural predators to control these difficult pests the natural way.
INDOOR PLANTS
Mist over the tops of houseplants regularly.
Clean houseplant leaves with leaf shine.
Feed indoor plants monthly; but make sure the root ball is wet first.
Water carefully; it is better to let plants dry out between waterings and then give a thorough soak than a small amount regularly.
SOIL
This is the timr to tackle any bindweed that is strangling plants.
If it is growing up and through plants, pull it aside, shield your garden plants with some polythene and spray with weed killer.
Regular hoeing between plants in borders and in the vegetable patch will keep weeds under control and also reduce drying out of the soil.
Now is a good time to spray (with glyphosate) thistles, couch grass,
Japanese knotgrass, bindweed and other difficult to control perennial weeds.
PONDS
Check the water level in ponds and water features regularly.
A lot of water can be lost through evaporation.
WILDLIFE
Don't be in too much of a hurry to tidy up every part of the garden.
Wildlife will thrive in the odd corner that has a heap of logs, a few nettles and a pile of dead leaves.
Provide water for the birds to bathe and drink.
JULY GARDENING CHORES:
- Turn your compost heap regularly and water it if dry.
- Watch out for slow worms which love the heat generated in a well tended compost heap. They are harmless and a real gardeners ally.
- Watch out for pests and diseases.
- Aphids in all their colour forms can multiply alarmingly fast. Keep a look out for them on your climbing beans.
- Mildew and other diseases can also quickly get a hold so here preventative treatment is the best form of attack.
- If you water your garden now, remember that it is better to give it a thorough soaking less often than a splash over the top every night.
- Use washing up water and other "grey water", particularly if your water is metered.
- If you are going away, it is worth investing in an automatic watering system. Very good drip systems are now available to regularly water pots, hanging baskets and greenhouses.