July
July is often one of the hottest months of the year and a great time to sit out and enjoy your garden in full bloom whilst tucking into some of your home-grown fruits and vegetables. There are lots of gardening jobs to keep you busy this month, here are some of our tips and hints to keep your garden thriving!
Visit us at Haddenham to pick up everything you need for July’s jobs and our knowledgeable team can offer further expert advice and personalised recommendations in-store.
- To keep your plants looking their best and extend their blooming period, regularly deadhead them. You can remove spent flowers from many plants by pinching them off with your fingers
- Ensure new plants are well-watered, using grey water when possible. Greywater comes from non-toilet plumbing systems like sinks, washing machines, showers, and baths. If treated correctly, it can be safely reused in the garden. Avoid reusing water from toilets, washing nappies, or the kitchen
- Commit to a weeding schedule and regularly hoe off weeds so they do not have time to set as they thrive in sunny conditions
- Watering is essential when growing plants in containers. To promote healthy root growth, it’s important to maintain a balance of air and water, which is achievable with high-quality compost or soil. John Innes No.3 has a richer mix for mature plants and we recommend John Innes No.1 for young plants as it contains a good balance of all the needed nutrients. We also have multi-purpose compost available
- Keep an eye out for pests like lily beetles, snails, aphids, and vine weevils, and remove them before they cause significant damage
- Watch for signs of Clematis wilt, a fungal disease that causes leaves to wilt and develop black blotches. The only treatment is to cut out the affected parts
- Cut lavender for drying, choosing newly opened flowers for the best fragrance, then hang up in a cool, dark place
- Sow biennials, such as foxgloves, honesty, forget-me-nots and wallflowers, ready for blooms next year
- Compost your kitchen and garden waste by chopping and mixing the contents to accelerate decomposition
- Set up an automatic watering system to care for your greenhouse crops, pots, and baskets while you’re on holiday. Hozelock have a selection of watering tools to help, such as the Sensor Controller Water Timer simple to use, battery-powered water timer that automatically adjusts the watering schedule for sunrise and sunset with a daylight sensor
- Continue mowing your lawn, except during drought conditions. In hot weather, set the mower blades slightly higher than usual to prevent the lawn from drying out
- Use a liquid feed on your lawn, especially if you have not done so in spring. We recommend Miracle Grow Evergreen Complete 4 in 1 to green and thicken lawns, control weeds and moss
- If you have a pond this is a great time to clear it of all the debris that may be lurking in the depths. This will improve the water quality
- Thin out heavy crops of apples, pears and plums, and remove any malformed, damaged or undersized fruits
- Sow small batches of fast maturing salad leaves, rocket and radishes every few weeks for continuous pickings
- Water tomatoes daily to prevent drying out, which can lead to split fruits and blossom end rot
- Water your house plants more regularly as the temperatures warm and light levels increase, check the soil before watering so you are not at risk of over watering and harming the plant
- Take advantage of the dry weather to catch up on painting & preserving jobs – sheds, fences & garden furniture are all regularly in need of a new coat! We recommend using a Ronseal product to enhance and extend the life of your wood such as Fence Life +. The Ronseal Garden Paint range offers beautiful pastel shades that not only look great but also protect against weathering