Barbeques, sunbathing and reading your book all come to mind as key July jobs. It is very important to make sure you enjoy your hard work and think about how you want your garden to look this time next year. Take note of what has and hasn’t worked and plan accordingly and if you need a little help or inspiration contact Greengage at enquiries@greengage.org.uk
Make sure you are keeping hanging baskets, beds, borders and planters looking their best by cutting back to encourage new growth, dead heading and removing any dead leaves or foliage and feeding and watering regularly.
Cutting flowers such as sweet peas for an indoor display will not only look and smell beautiful but will keep new flowers coming. If you want to prevent self seeding you need to deadhead plants such as Poppies, Aquilegia and Verbena, harvest the seeds and then use or store as you wish.
Regular work on your vegetable patches and fruit gardens will pay off with healthier and more abundant crops. In addition to daily watering the soil around your vegetable plants and fruit bushes and trees, you will need to keep a close eye for insects and disease. Particular plants will need different attention e.g. tomato plants benefit from regular feeding, pinching out side shoots and removing the leaves from below the lowest fruit to get the best crop. Apple, pear and plum trees will benefit from taking out some of the smaller or damaged fruit so they can concentrate their efforts on the other fruit.
When you are harvesting your fruit and vegetables, make you sure you check for slugs and snails amongst the other plants, get rid of any dead leaves and sacrifice some of the weaker plants if they are overcrowded. Make sure you are harvesting regularly to prevent runner beans going stringy or courgettes turning into marrows! Use mulches to retain water, even grass cuttings will help around fruit trees.
If you can keep your lawn watered it will thank you by retaining its lovely colour and continuing to grow and you must water newly laid turf or seeded areas. Make sure you don’t continue to mow too close if it does start to dry out and don’t forget the edges. Use a strimmer to keep the grass you can’t mow tidy and either turn edges over with a spade or use an edge cutter to keep the lawn looking tidy.
Have you ordered your spring bulbs for autumn planting?
Have you booked in any landscaping jobs? Gardeners are very busy around this time of the year so get in those free no obligation quotes now and book in landscaping time for the ongoing months.
Don’t forget if your garden is looking spectacular, so will other peoples. Enjoy the fine weather and go to your nearest RHS or National Trust gardens or try this website to find local gardens you may have missed.
https://www.greatbritishgardens.co.uk
Words: Jude Eastick, Company Director & Head Gardener