By July, your garden will be looking beautiful and vibrant, full of colourful blooms and greenery. This month, your flowers will be needing some extra TLC due to the hotter weather, while you can start looking ahead to the later seasons by planting autumn flowering bulbs. Plants will need to be maintained and a lot of vegetables will now be ready for harvest. Apply your suncream, keep hydrated and wear a wide brimmed hat; the summer weather will make these jobs a little more demanding than usual!
The best time of day to water flowers is either in the early morning or in the evening as the temperature is cooler. With the lack of rain, you will need to be clever with your water usage this month. It is a good idea to conserve water as a backup, as it is best practice to soak your flowers instead of simply sprinkling them with water. Therefore, you will need all the water you can get! Soaking flowers and plants means that the moisture goes right down to the roots, keeping them hydrated and strong during these hotter days.
The lawn may be looking browner in some areas due to the heat. Don't be alarmed! Save water for your plant and flowers and use fertilizer instead to treat brown lawns.
Soil may also be suffering from the hotter days. You can use mulch to encourage moisture and keep soil hydrated.
Your garden will be demanding more attention and upkeep this month so get ready to dig up more weeds and tidy up flowers and plants. Deadheading flowers, such as roses, will prolong their display into the Autumn months and keep them strong and healthy.
To further maintain your roses, Westland Rose Food promotes more vibrant blooms while soil structure is improved by the horse manure that is contained within the formulation. The feed also helps roses to fight against disease so you can be sure that your roses will remain in beautiful condition.
Hedges will need to be trimmed regularly, especially if you have conifer hedges. These hedges grow very tall and are best trimmed when they are smaller and easier to control. Before pruning, make sure there are no nesting birds settled within.
Many of your vegetables will now be ready to be harvested. Onions should have grown beautifully by now and salad leaves, such as rocket, will also be ready. If you are growing potatoes, they will need to be watered to keep them growing strong, as will young seedlings and new plants that are still vulnerable.
Keep vegetables that are growing in your greenhouse healthy by making sure the greenhouse is well ventilated during the day; windows should be closed at night to keep out the cooler air.
Out in the garden, you can start planting autumn flowering bulbs such as crocuses, which produce colourful blooms and will add some more depth and colour to your garden in the later months.
Growing tomatoes? Use Levington Tomorite, a liquid plant feed that is enriched with seaweed extract to encourage healthy tomatoes and a higher yield. Tomorite is a multipurpose feed too, suitable for use on other vegetables and flowers.
July is a full-on and hectic month for your gardening to-do list but carrying out maintenance ensures that you will be able to enjoy your garden in the longer and balmier evenings.