Garden Diary - July
Hopefully one of the hottest months of the year, July should be the time to enjoy
the garden, harvest some vegetables, have a barbecue and not be too adventurous
with new plantings.
Watering can be a huge problem especially if you are away on holiday. Growing plants
in containers has become very popular, especially in smaller gardens; even if the
weather is not particularly hot containers can quickly heat up and dry out the compost.
There are automatic watering devices on the market which will obviously help but
they can be expensive and may be impractical as they have been designed for use
in greenhouses and conservatories rather than large external areas.
Obviously you could bribe your neighbour or relative to keep an eye on things, but
be sure to promise you will not be too angry if your favourite plant bites the dust.
The least you should do is collect all the containers into a shaded area, stand
them in dishes of water if possible and even surround the pots with damp straw if
available. At least if they are all in the same area of the garden it will be easier
for your neighbour to damp things down every few days.
Some eight weeks or so after flowering it is necessary to think about pruning Wisteria.
This is best done in two parts – in the summer and again in late winter/early spring.
Any shoots that are not required for extending the coverage should be cut back to
six or seven buds from the base and to three buds later in the year. This will encourage
flower buds to form and may help to encourage flowering in plants that have traditionally
been unwilling. If you are considering buying a plant try and get a named variety,
it will cost you more but will be a better investment.
Regularly dead-head bedding plants and Geraniums to encourage more flowers. Feeding
will also help. Cut back old flowering stems of Roses, Foxgloves, Lupins and Delphiniums
which will prevent the plant expending energy into the production of seeds and encourage
another flush of flowers.
Lawns can be dressed with a quick acting summer feed especially if you missed a
spring feed. Try and do it when rain is due or you may have to water it in to prevent
scorching. Dig out any perennial weeds or spot treat with a herbicide. Keep the
mower blades high as this will help to preserve moisture and also help to prevent
a build up of moss.
Any shrubs that flowered in June, such as Philadelphus and Weigelia can now be pruned.
Next year’s flowers will be borne on the new growth produced this year. Look at
the shape of the plant and remove the old wood first from as low down as possible
to encourage new growth. In the vegetable garden sow small amounts of salad crops
at 14-day intervals to ensure a continuous supply. Side shoot tomatoes and keep
them trained in, outdoor plants should be stopped at three trusses both for quality
and to help them ripen.
© David
Browning is a garden designer based in Oundle Northamptonshire who specialises
in the use of trees & shrubs. He particularly enjoys advising the best way to
tackle existing, more mature gardens to get the best out of them. 1st July 2010