Summer is in full swing, and to keep your garden looking lovely there are a few things to do this month.
Dead head regularly to maintain flowering, cut back perennials that have collapsed. Continue to summer prune wisteria. Rambling roses can be pruned after flowering. Cut back lavender shrubs after they have flowered by removing flower stalks and about 2.5cm of the current year’s growth.
Keep Camellias and Rhododendrons well watered to ensure good flower bud formation next spring. Water plants thoroughly when needed instead of every day.
Thorough watering can support plants for up 14 days, while just wetting the surface wastes water, encourages weeds and can lead to surface rooting making the plants more vulnerable. Trees and shrubs planted less than five years ago have increased water requirements and may suffer drought-stress without watering.
Newly sown or newly planted areas are very vulnerable to water-stress, and watering these should be high priority.
Collect seeds from annuals and perennials that you would like to sow next year. To store, place in an envelope, in an airtight container, in the fridge. If plants have powdery mildew, spray with a fungicide and keep them well watered. Feed containers and tired perennial borders with a liquid tomato food each week to encourage them into early autumn.
Lift and store onions, shallots and garlic when the tops have gone brown and bent over. Continue to pick fast maturing vegetables such as beans, peas and courgettes to encourage further cropping.
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