July garden advice

July garden advice and maintenance

july-this-month-gardening-advice

General gardening

  • Give the lawn a quick acting summer feed, especially if a spring feed was not done
  • Give woodwork a lick of paint or preserver, while the weather is dry
  • Mow lawn once a week. In late summer, lawn growth slows down, so raise the cutting height slightly to allow your lawn to resist wear better
  • Feeding your lawn with fertilizer such as Aftercut or Evergreen, will help to keep it in good condition
  • For a green lawn, use a sprinkler once a week during dry weather. When watering the lawn, soak it to get the water down under the roots
  • Containers and hanging baskets will need regular watering – make sure the compost is thoroughly soaked
  • Feed container plants and hanging baskets with a liquid fertiliser such as Miracle-Gro every week
  • Place plants from Conservatory outside in a sunny area
  • Keep tubs and new plants watered regularly in the heat
  • To ensure continuous flowering over the summer, deadhead bedding plants and any repeat-flowering perennials
  • Roses should be deadheaded. Look out for black spot. Lightly prune back and apply fertilisers to encourage a second flowering
  • Tie in the long growths of climbing roses, honeysuckles and vines
  • Plant your spring crops of cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower (brassicas)
  • Pick beans regularly and keep them well-watered
  • Prune apple and pear trees to allow more light to the ripening fruit and encourage new growth
  • Feed perennials and shrubs with a granular fertiliser such as Organic Chicken Manure Pellets or Growmore and hoe into the soil

In the greenhouse

  • Use biological control where pests are a problem
  • Ensure all vents are working and close them on cool evenings
  • Remove faded flowers

Wildlife gardening

  • Top up bird feeders and put out food on the ground and bird tables
  • Keep the bird bath topped up
  • Plant marigolds around the vegetable patch to attract hoverflies
  • Watch out for adult frogs and toads leaving the pond this month
  • Plant annuals and perennials to attract insects
  • Trim hedges less frequently to allow wildlife to shelter and feed in them
  • Leave nesting birds undisturbed in garden shrubs and hedges
  • Leave roses that produce hips without dead-heading