In a week time it will be July. Midsummer weather will bring plenty more sunshine with long sunny days and balmy evenings. July is a month of plenty in the garden: plenty summer bloom, plenty to grow and harvest and plenty more to do !

Flowers 

During July, some late spring and early summer flowering plants start to look a little bit rough around the edges with fading flowers and flopping stems. This month is all about tidying and revamping your pots and borders, especially after the very dry and hot weather we had over the last 2 months. Weekly deadheading and feeding will help to maintain healthy growth and encourage more flowers. Also cutting certain perennials back in early July, will reward you with fresh new growth and maybe a second flush of late flowers.

• Cut lavender for drying

A great way to keep shrubs neat and compact. Choosing flowers just as they mature, when they are the most fragrant. The best time is late morning – after the dew has dried but before the sun draws out the essential oil. Hang bunches upside down in a well-ventilated, warm dark spot.

• Care for sweet peas

1. Pick often
2. Water regularly: they are thirsty plants so check the soil at the base to see if they need water.
3. Feed regularly: every 10-14 days with tomato fertiliser, seaweed or homemade liquid comfrey. 

• Provide extra support for dahlias

Heavy rain and gusty winds can be disastrous for dahlias. Add extra support and stakes if summer storms and strong winds are forecasted. Place bamboo canes around the plants with twine around them to hold them in place.

• Prune and tidy summer shrubs

July is the time to prune back early-flowering shrubs, wisteria, philadelphus, weigela. It will allow next year’s flowering wood to develop.

• Harvest cut flowers 

Early mornings or evenings are the best time when the stems are full of water and less likely to wilt.

• Collect and store seeds 

From ripe seed-heads from aquilegias, nigellas, poppies. Ensure that your seeds are dry before storing them in paper envelopes in a dark, cool and dry location.

• Begin sowing next year’s flowers 

Make a head start by sowing pots and trays of early-flowering perennials and biennials. This will give them time to germinate and become substantial plants before winter. Try aquilegia, scabiosa, echinacea, delphinium, lupin, sweet williams, foxgloves. Transplant the seedlings when large enough to handle, avoiding hot weather and opting for cooler days or early morning/late afternoon hours.

Fruit and veg

• Water thirsty plants such as celery, beans, peas courgettes, pumpkins and tomatoes regularly during dry weather. Water only in the early morning or evening to reduce evaporation.
• Make the last pickings of rhubarb and and leave the stems in place; this will allow the plant to build up reserves for next year. Remove any flower spikes that start to form, cutting right down at the base. 
• Thin out heavy crops of apples, pears and plums by removing malformed, damaged or undersized fruits.
• Sow a last batch of beetroots, peas and dwarf beans  before mid-July for an autumn crop.
• Sow veg to harvest during the winter months. Kale, winter cabbage spinach, radicchio, carrots.
• Sow small batches of fast-maturing salad leaves and radishes every few weeks for continuous pickings.
• Cover brassica with fine netting to prevent cabbage white butterflies laying their eggs on the leaves.
• Continue pinching out any side shoots growing from the leaf joints of cordon tomatoes, also known as vine tomatoes. This will encourage the plants to put their energies into producing flowers and therefore fruits. 
• Peg down strawberry runners into pots of compost to root new plants.

Tackle summer pests and diseases 

Pests and diseases can thrive in warm weather. 

• Keep watch for pests such as lily beetles, snails, aphids and vine weevils and remove before they do too much harm.
• Look out for clematis wilt. Symptoms are wilting leaves and black discolouration on the leaves and the stem. Cut out all affected material and dispose of it in your household waste. 
• Stop rust damaging hollyhocks by pruning out affected leaves and dispose of them in your household waste.
• Watch out for blight. In warm damp weather check for dark edges on the leaves of potatoes and tomatoes. Cut out affected leaves and dispose of it in your household waste.

Don’t forget 

• Clear weeds regularly around your crops as they can deprive your plants of water, nutrients and light.
• Continue slug hunting.
• Mulch with compost: a thick layer of well rooted compost, grass clippings or chipped bark around plants, will reduce moisture loss from soil.
• Deadhead flowering plants (unless you want to keep and store seeds): to ensure the plant keeps producing more flowers rather than putting its energy into forming seeds.
• Cool down the greenhouse:  In hot weather,  temperatures inside can rise to extremes, causing plants to become stressed and to dry out. Make sure that vents are open on sunny days. Drape shade nettings over the outside of the greenhouse. Damp down in the morning, wetting hard surfaces inside the greenhouse (floor and shelves) to help plants cope with the heat.
• Prevent powdery mildew.  This fungal disease tends to affect plants in dry spells. Give plenty of moisture in summer and mulch after watering with a compost layer. 
• Prune wisteria. Cut whip stems back to five or six leaves after flowering for healthy growth and to control the overall size. Don’t cut the woody framework. 
• Continue to tie and train new growth on climbing plants.
• Top up birds baths : providing a source of water for birds is crucial in summer, for drinking and feather cleaning.

With the weather getting warmer and the risk of frost having passed, there is a lot that can be planted in both the flower and vegetable garden in April and May. 

Weather watch:

Although the risk of frost is diminishing, it is still a possibility as warm, cloudless days can be followed by cold nights. Keep an eye on the forecast and don’t be tempted to plant out tender plants until the first weeks in May.

Toughen up tender plants 

Seedlings nurtured indoors cannot be planted outside straight away. Instead toughen them up by placing them outside in a sheltered spot for a few hours during the day then bring them inside. Gradually increase the amount of time they spend outdoors . Do this for a period of one or two weeks before planting directly into the ground. 

Divide Primroses

These spring plants can become congested over time . To reinvigorate them  and keep them producing blooms in future years, divide after they finished flowering:

1. Dig them up: choose a cool day when the ground is moist
2. Separate the plants: Using a spade pull apart the clump or slice into sections.
3. Replant your divisions: backfilling the planting hole with compost or leaf mould. 
4. Water well. 

Prune spring-flowering shrubs 

Flowering shrubs such as forsythia, ornamental currants, viburnums, chaenomeles (flowering quince) need to be pruned straight after flowering towards the end of May, so there is plenty of time for new growth to develop and produce flowers next spring. 

1. Use sharp, clean secateurs or loppers for thicker stems and remove any dead or damaged growth to a healthy bud or to the base of the stem.
2. Prune out any stem growing in the wrong direction and spoiling the shape of the plant
3. If the shrub is very congested, thin out the stems by removing a couple from the centre of the plant right down to the base. 

Plant out summer bedding and sweet peas 

Towards the end of May, plant out begonias, tender salvias, pelargoniums, lobelias, sweet peas… Acclimatise plants to outdoor conditions  by putting them outside during the day and bringing them in at night for a week or two. Put the necessary support in place for climbing and trailing. 

Plant up baskets and window boxes with tender plug plants 

For long lasting summer colours it’s the right time to plant up hanging baskets and pots. If it becomes too cold for these plants to stay outside, keep your baskets and containers in a porch or greenhouse for a couple of weeks. 

Sow beans 

1. Sow dwarf, French and runner beans:  5 cm deep into deep pots of peat-free compost and germinate on a sunny windowsill. 
2. Set up supports ready for climbing types:  simply place three to four bamboo canes into the ground and tie to gather at the top. 
3. Plant the beans outside once they have established, from late May. 

Earth up potatoes

Once the stems are 20cm tall, draw soil up to form a ridge along the row. 

This protect shoots from frosty and excludes light, which turns potatoes green and inedible.

Grow salads

Ensure a continuous supply of fresh leaves by sowing a small amount of seed every two to three weeks. 

Plan for a winter harvest

Sow slower-growing vegetables such as cabbages, broccoli and kale for harvesting in winter. Sow seeds in module tray or seedbed for transplanting to final position later. 

Don’t forget 

• Keep on top of weeds: regularly hoe off or pull out annual weeds to prevent them establishing  and setting seeds.
• Get slug hunting: watch plants closely for signs of slug damage.
• Train climbers: tie in soft new shoots of climbing clematis and honeysuckle to their support. 
• Apply a mulch:  to retain moisture: late spring is the perfect time to apply mulch. Adding a 5-7cm layer will help to retain moisture before drier summer conditions arrive.
• Set up plant supports: put plant support in place before perennials get too big.
• Water wisely during dry spells: focus watering on newly planted specimens. Do your watering in the early morning or early evening to minimise water loss from evaporation. 

March is the month of spring but don’t forget that the weather can also have a more wintry feel. Stick to sowing indoors on a bright windowsill or in the greenhouse. March is also the month of longer days with plenty more time to get a head start in the garden.

Keep your flower garden sparkling

• Tidy tatty plants: cut back old stems and foliage to just above the ground, taking care not to snip off new growth. 
• Refresh containers:  check over planters, window-boxes and hanging baskets. Pick off dead or damaged leaves and flowers. Scrape away around 2.5 cm of compost from the top and replace with fresh compost. 
• Prune roses: March is your last chance to prune roses, but avoid days when frost is forecasted because the pruned stem may split. Prune to produce an open-centred plant for good air circulation and to encourage new growth.
• Prune fuchsias: cut back to one or two buds on each shoot to encourage a bushy growth.
• Cut back buddleias: cut back last year’s growth to short stubs, just above healthy buds or new shoots, to encourage strong and floriferous regrowth.
• Deadhead daffodils: snip developing seed-heads off so the plant directs its energy and nutrients back into replenishing the bulb. Leave the foliage in place as it will also feed the bulbs. 
• Cut back cornus: and other shrubs grown for their colourful winter stems to encourage new stem for next winter. Cut them right back to their base. 
• Penstemon: pruning back hard annually is recommended to avoid them becoming woody and leggy. It is best to wait until towards the end of the month or the beginning of April when there is no risk of frost. 

Preparing for colourful and wildlife-friendly plants

Fertilise and mulch your borders: mulch the surface with a 3 to 5 cm  layer of organic matter. It will improve the soil help to suppress weeds and trap moisture in the soil. 

Sow half-hardy annuals: zinnias, cosmos, nicotiana, marigolds, wildflowers….sown indoors in seed trays or plug modules by March or April will start flowering in June. 

• Use peat-free, seeding compost. Fill the seed tray with compost and level the surface by running a piece of wood over it to scrape off the excess. 
• Depending on the size of the seeds, either sprinkle then in a very thin layer or push the seeds one by one. 
• Sieve compost over the seeds and label your trays so you know what is growing.
• Using a watering can with a very thin rose head, gently water the seeds. An alternative, known as bottom watering, is to stand your tray in a shallow tray of water to properly saturate the compost. If using this method, pay close attention to how the tray feels, in terms of weight, once saturated (when the surface of the soil is moist) and use this as a reliable gauge for future watering.
• Cover the tray or plug modules with a clear piece of plastic, to maintain an even temperature and to keep the soil moist. Or use a bespoke propagator that has its own plastic lid. Place in a warm place indoors but not in direct sunlight.
• Remove the plastic cover as soon as the seeds have germinated. The young plants are ready to be “pricked” out when the second pair of leaves emerges. 
• Pricking out seedlings: handle them only by their leaves, not the stem. Fill a new tray or small pots with compost and plant seedlings about 5 cm apart, burying the seedling up to the base of the first set of leaves. 
• Pot individually: after 2 to 3 weeks the young plants will be large enough to be moved individually into pots or planted outside in well-prepared soil. Don’t allow the soil or compost to dry out and if you are planting outside watch out for slugs and snails. 

Divide perennials and ornamental grasses: early spring is the time to refresh herbaceous perennials and to propagate them. Large mature clumps of geraniums, astrantias or hostas can be split now to make more. Some ornamental grasses need division because they die out in the centre. They should be dug up with the outer vigorous sections replanted and the central dead part discarded.  

• Split plants into clumps that are small enough to handle but big enough to make an impact. Discard any old woody centres. 
• Dig up the clump using a spade an ensuring that you get all the roots. 
• Separate the clumps using and old knife, trowel or spade and replant small sections into their new positions immediately. Water them well. 

Transplant foxgloves: Many foxgloves self-seed around the garden and seedlings often appear near the parent plant. These can easily be transplanted to other areas where they have more space to develop. Try to get as big a root ball as possible. Most foxgloves are biennial and you might not get flowers in the same year that you plant the plants. If you want biennial foxgloves to self-seed around the garden and flower reliably every year, you will need to sow or plant them two years in a row. 

Get dahlias under way:  in the greenhouse or in a frost-free growing space, pot up tubers in peat-free multipurpose composts, with the buds facing upwards. Keep moist and place in a bright location until they are ready to plant out at the end of May.

In the vegetable garden

Dig in green manure grown over the winter. Do this while stems are still soft. Chop up leaves and stems with a sharp spade before burying them in the soil.

Weed vegetable seed beds. As the soil starts to warm up and days get longer, weeds will thrive. Keep on top of them before they have a chance to set seeds and spread. 

Dig compost and well rotted manure into your vegetable beds to prepare for the growing season ahead.

First outdoor sowings: cabbages, broccoli, cauliflowers, kale, corn salad, peas, broad beans, parsnip and turnips, beetroots, carrots, Swiss chard can all be sown from mid-March, directly outdoor. 

Sow seeds indoors: using the technique described above for half-hardy annuals, in seed trays or plug modules, sow, sweet peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, aubergines and salads. 

Asparagus: Weed and mulch asparagus beds. Asparagus has shallow roots so weed by hand to prevent damage. March is also the time to plant new crowns. 

Potatoes: are mainly planted in spring, over several weeks, according to the variety. Seed potatoes chitted in February are ready to be planted  from mid-March when the soil temperature has warmed up to 6-10 degrees. Potatoes like rich, fertile soil, so dig in plenty of garden compost or well-rotted manure.

Rhubarb: mulch with a thick layer of well-rotted manure to keep it healthy and to reduce moisture loss. Take care not to cover the crown.

Raspberry: 

• autumn-fruiting raspberry canes: cut to the ground to stimulate new canes, which will fruit in the autumn.
• Summer-fruiting raspberry: cut the tips of the canes that have grown beyond the top of their supports, cut just above a bud.

Fruit trees: mulch with well-rotted manure or garden compost, taking care not to mound mulch up around the trunk.