| AREA | PLANT | ADVICE |
| FLOWERS | FUSHIAS | Some very old hardy fushias can positively explode into flower at this time of year and grow to gigantic proportions, so do not be afraid of clipping back and taking some cuttings. Cuttings taken this year can be very good for filling in bare patches in hanging baskets or beds next year |
| CAPE PRIMROSE | Now is a good time to take leaf cuttings. | |
| POTTED PLANTS | Any plants in pots will need watering at least twice a day. So many beautiful flowers in pots end up dying because they are not watered enough. If this happens to you, you might consider giving your plant to someone with green fingers before it completely dies. | |
| DAFFODILS | Should have died back by now. As the last traces of the leaves can be seen, it can be a good time to divide, seperate, store or move them. | |
| IRIS | Propagate and harvest the violet smelling rhizomes. | |
| BEDDING PLANTS | Take some cuttings for next year. | |
| SWEET PEAS | Keep cutting the flowers to promote new ones but leave some flowers to turn to seed pods for next years plants. If you have grown your plants from seed very early it is possible in July to lie your plant down on the ground and new shoots will appear and prolong the flowering season. | |
| SUNFLOWERS | Keep an eye on your sunflowers to make sure they are securely tied. | |
| GLADIOLI | As soon as your gladioli are past there best and the flowers have faded, dead head them. Some people pull them up at this time of year and store them over winter. | |
| FLOWERS | Dead head to promote more flowers | |
| FRUIT | PEACHES | Train the new shoots of outside peaches now. |
| GOOSEBERRIES | At last you can start enjoying the fruits of your labours, keep an eye out for pests especially sawfly. | |
| RHUBARB | Keep well watered. If flowers appear cut them off. | |
| STRAWBERRIES | The runners will be ready to pot or press firmly into the ground. If you have a raised bed place pots under the runners where the shoot is appearing use a hair pin to hold the baby plant firmly in place. Hair roller pins(the old fashioned type) are very useful for holding the runners in the place of your choice. | |
| FIG | Once the new side shoots have reached their fifth new leave pinch out the tip, this will help the new branch to produce new side shoots next year, making your tree bushier. | |
| GENERAL | Check for slugs, weeds and other pests and diseases and deal with in the appropriate fashion, remember to check the underneath of pots as this is a favourite hiding place for slugs. If you are an organic gardener there is not much to be done except spray off greenfly with water(or a mix of water and washing-up liquid, collect up the slugs and take them on holiday to a desert island out of harms way. If you prefer to use chemicals then your local garden centre will surely have the right product to match your problem. | |
| Continue feeding all your fruit trees and bushes to ensure an abundant supply of fruit. Check for pests and diseases and treat quickly to prevent further damage. | ||
| GREENHOUSE | Go to our new Greenhouse section. | |
| HERBS | Go to our hugeHerb section for lots of interesting information. | |
| Keep all your herbs well watered and dont forget that herbs in terracotta pots dry out very quickly and will need watering twice a day. | ||
| Harvest the flowers of lavender, oregano,thyme, lemon balm and tarragon. | ||
| Most herbs can be propagated this month. | ||
| Sow angelica in sandy soil anytime from now until the end of September. | ||
| Trim back any overgrown herbs to encourage new growth, if you feel you cannot waste the trimmings then freeze to use whilst the new growth establishes. | ||
| HOUSEPLANTS | Go to the houseplant section for more information and care advice. Water twice a week and keep feeding. | |
| LATE SOWING | Salad leaves, spring cabbage, spinach and french beans can all be sown straight outside now. | |
| LAWNS | Lawns always need care and attention and now is the time to tackle weeds by eiher digging them out or using weed killer. Start mowing regularily. Sow some seeds if you have rather thin areas but use raised up netting otherwise the birds will enjoy the seeds you have sown. If you are laying a new lawn remember not to walk on it until it has rooted itself. Rake any moss that has grown. A fertiliser with a high nitrogen content will encourage good growth. Water late in the evening for your lawn to maximise the moisture over night. | |
| SHRUBS | Prune back after summer flowers have faded to promote new growth. If your shrub has become rather woody, now is a good time to prune hard so that new shoots this year will produce lots of flowers next year | |
| VEGETABLES | CARROTS | If you did not sow your carrots out thinly then you should have seperated them by now. If time has been a problem then tease them apart now making sure the ground is well watered. |
| PEAS | Make sure to tie up your peas on to canes to keep them tidy | |
| RUNNER & FRENCH BEAN | Keep an eye on new shoots that are sprouting and head them upwards towards the canes, either tie them in place or gently place them in between other stems. Dont forget to leave a few pods to mature on the plant so that you will have a good supply of seeds for next year. When the shoots reach above your canes nip them off to encourage all the plants energy into the flowers and newly forming beans | |
| SPINACH | You can still plant spinach seeds out from now until September. To prevent slugs from attacking them, start the seeds off in pots and plant out when they have some growth. | |
| CELERY | Can be planted out now but make sure they are about 23cm apart and water them well. |