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JULY
Encourage late-summer flowers !
To encourage and ensure continuous strong flowering , deadhead bedding plants , repeat-flowering perennials and roses . With some considering this therapeutic , most of the old heads can simply be pinched out , buying a good pair of dead-heading snips will make this task easier .
Some plants produce bird-friendly or decorative seeds and fruits which you may wish to leave . You may also wish to collect some seed to propagate for next year . Stake perennials with sturdy supports to tidy and prevent damage to foliage and flowers .
Be water-wise
In the hot weather , watering tubs , hanging baskets , new plants and thirsty veg ( especially tomatoes !) is essential . Here are a few handy tips to be water-wise :
• Check watering needs daily ( twice daily in hot and windy weather ), assessing the moisture in the soil / compost below the surface . Do check even if it has rained .
• Peat-free compost has a tendency to dry out quickly . If it does dry out completely , double water ( water , leave , then water again ) to reinvigorate .
• Most plants will tolerate if allowed to dry out between waterings and will adapt to using less water . Avoid getting to the wilting stage , most plants will bounce back , but later growth may be inhibited .
• Use stored rainwater whenever you can . It is better for the plants and soil ( and your pocket !). Water butts and watering cans are a sound investment .
• Group pots together to increase shade and time watering .
• Setting up an automatic watering system to look after pots , baskets and veg can be hugely beneficial , especially if you ’ re going on holiday . Some of the new gravity feed systems only supply the plants with the water they need .
Don ’ t forget to help the birds by topping up bird baths , ponds and water features during hot weather .
Care for the lawn
If not too dry , a summer lawn feed will be beneficial , especially if not already fed in the spring . Prepare for hot weather by raising the cutting height of the mower to leave the grass slightly longer . Remove unwanted weeds by hand in the first instance . Try and get all the weed roots up if possible , a daisy grubber tool is ideal for this . Doing this regularly with healthy grass growth will avoid having to use herbicides .
Keep a watch out for pests
Look for lily beetles , slugs and snails , aphids and vine weevils , and remove them before they do too much harm . Wherever possible use non-pesticide controls such as removing by hand or washing the pest off . Biological controls are now also widely available for specific pests .
Weeding
Removing weeds means less competition for water and nutrients for all your lovely plants ! Then again , “ One person ’ s weed is another person ’ s wildflower ”.
In the hot weather it is easy to keep on top of the weeds by hoeing them off and then leaving them to dry out in the sun . The weeds then don ’ t have time to set seed . Keep an eye on perennial weeds such as Horsetail and Bindweed . These have strong underground root systems that are very persistent and they will need to be dug out fully to completely get rid of them .
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