Fling the doors open to the garden and head outside! Summer is here and if you’ve been making your outside space work for you while you’ve been at home then you should now be enjoying your beautiful, flower filled garden in July. Keep plants looking good by regularly deadheading and you’ll enjoy a longer display of blooms. Make sure you keep new plants well watered to get them through those long, hot days and hoe off those pesky weeds, which can thrive in the sunshine. Although this can still be a busy time in the garden, don’t forget to find the time to sit back and relax so that you can enjoy all the hard work you’ve put in to achieve your beautiful display.
Looking Good This Month: Salvia
A member of the sage family, Salvias are a diverse group of plants ranging from annuals to herbaceous perennials and herbs.
Why should you plant them?
With flowers that are popular with wildlife, they not only deliver colour and fragrance but are also great at attracting bees and butterflies.
Salvias are long flowering with the potential to put on a great show from June through much of the summer and into autumn.
How should you plant them?
Plant in full sun, with very well drained soil, and water well when it’s dry. Trim in the spring to maintain shape and deadhead once the flowers start to fade.
3 Essential Gardening Jobs for July
Feed, Weed & Deadhead
Adding a liquid feed to your weekly watering regime will give a much needed boost to hanging baskets, containers and borders helping them to produce more flowers and, in some cases, encouraging a second flush of flowers later in the season. Bedding plants, roses and many other perennials will also benefit from regular deadheading. This will prolong the flowering period, making the garden more attractive, and will also prevent the plants from putting their energy into seed heads. Simply pinch off the fading flowers, or for tougher branches use secateurs. Don’t forget to keep weeds down – they steal vital moisture and nutrients. Kill them by regularly hoeing borders and vegetable patches. Larger weeds should be dug out or pulled up by hand.
Water
There’s no science to watering! If you’ve got containers or plants in hanging baskets a bit of common sense goes a long way. Try lifting a container or basket, does it feel light or under watered? How does the compost look? Is it pale and shrunken away from the sides? Dig into the compost with your fingers. Does it feel dry? It should be moist but not dripping wet. During prolonged dry spells, water at least once a day.
Spend Some Lazy Hours in the Garden
After all your hard work, enjoy the sunshine and laze in your garden.
Enjoy your garden in July!
To read last month’s gardening article click here
