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Open today 9:00 - 17:00
July brings vigorous growth, abundant flowering and plenty to harvest in UK gardens. Warm weather can quickly dry out containers and productive crops, while regular deadheading, pruning and picking help keep plants performing. It is also an important sowing month, with opportunities to start biennials for next year and vegetables for autumn and winter harvests.
Remove faded flowers from repeat-flowering roses, dahlias, cosmos, sweet peas and other summer-flowering plants to encourage further blooms. Leave flowers where you want decorative seedheads, rose hips or seeds for wildlife.
Hardy geraniums and delphiniums that have finished their first flush can be cut back to encourage fresh foliage and, in many cases, more flowers. Water and feed after cutting back if conditions are dry.
Lift and divide congested bearded irises after flowering, particularly where flowering has started to decline. Replant healthy sections in a sunny position with the rhizomes at or just above the soil surface.
Sow biennials such as foxgloves, wallflowers, honesty and sweet rocket for flowers next year. Keep seedlings watered during dry weather and grow them on ready for planting into their final positions later in the year.
Plant autumn-flowering bulbs and corms such as colchicums, autumn crocuses and sternbergias. Choose a position suited to the plant and make sure the soil drains freely.
Wisteria can receive its summer prune in July or August. Shorten the long, whippy shoots produced this year to around five or six leaves from the main framework to control growth and encourage flower bud formation.
Warm summer conditions can encourage pests and some plant diseases, so check vulnerable plants regularly for early signs of trouble. A few pests can be tolerated in a healthy garden, but identifying developing problems early makes them easier to manage.
Pick courgettes, French and runner beans, salad crops and other productive vegetables as they become ready. Frequent harvesting keeps crops at their best and encourages beans and courgettes to continue producing.
Continue sowing quick-growing crops such as lettuce and radish for summer harvests, keeping seedbeds moist during hot weather. July is also a useful time to sow crops including spring cabbage, turnips, chicory, pak choi, mizuna and other oriental greens for harvesting later in the year.
Plant out leeks and young brassicas being grown for autumn and winter harvests if they are ready. Water them in thoroughly and keep them watered while they establish during dry weather.
Keep tomatoes, courgettes, beans and other fruiting crops evenly watered while they are flowering and developing their crop. Container-grown tomatoes and other fruiting plants may also need regular feeding with a suitable high-potash fertiliser.
Check fruit trees as their crops develop and support branches that are bending heavily under the weight of fruit. A suitable prop can help prevent overloaded branches from splitting or breaking.
Pots and hanging baskets can dry rapidly in warm or windy July weather, so check the compost frequently and water thoroughly when needed. Small containers and baskets may need daily watering during hot spells, while larger pots can retain moisture for longer.
Regular feeding can help summer bedding and other flowering container plants continue performing once nutrients in the compost begin to run low. Follow the needs of the plants and the instructions on the fertiliser.
Deadhead regularly and trim back suitable bedding plants that have become straggly or stopped flowering well. Cutting back followed by watering and feeding can encourage fresh growth and another flush of flowers.
Open greenhouse doors and vents on warm days to prevent temperatures rising excessively around plants. Shading can provide additional protection during prolonged periods of strong sunshine.
Check tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other greenhouse crops frequently as compost and greenhouse borders can dry quickly in summer. Aim for consistent moisture rather than allowing plants to become very dry between waterings.
Inspect greenhouse plants regularly for pests such as glasshouse whitefly and red spider mite. Pay particular attention to the undersides of leaves, where early infestations can easily go unnoticed.
Prioritise newly planted plants, containers, fruit and vegetables, and anything showing signs of drought stress rather than routinely watering the whole garden. Water thoroughly around the roots when needed, preferably in the morning or evening during hot weather, and use collected rainwater where suitable.
Hoe annual weeds during dry weather so they shrivel on the soil surface, and remove larger weeds before they flower and set seed. Keeping weeds down also reduces competition for moisture during dry spells.
Raise the mower cutting height and mow less frequently if conditions become hot and dry. Established lawns generally do not need watering during drought and will usually recover when wetter weather returns.
Keep bird baths and other garden water sources clean and topped up during warm weather. Shallow water with an easy way in and out also provides a useful drinking source for insects and other small garden wildlife.
Visit us in Kington. Find plants, seeds, tools and garden care products for July, along with seasonal advice for keeping your garden healthy and productive through summer.
