GARDENING TIPS FOR JULY
With July comes one of the most beautiful times of the year for your garden. Summer colour is in full bloom and your borders, patio containers and hanging baskets are filled with vibrant displays of foliage and fragrance
It’s time to fully bask in your garden’s greatness and make the most of the height of the summer. There are also a few maintenance jobs you can do to keep your garden in tip-top condition, encourage your flowers to continue blooming beautifully, and invite whimsical wildlife to pay your garden a visit
Watch the weather carefully this month in case a heatwave is forecast, as your plants will need some extra care if so! Keep reading to find out exactly the steps you need to take to ensure your plants, flowers, and the rest of your garden is well-looked after this July
THIS MONTH IS ALL ABOUT: CARING FOR YOUR FLOWERS
While we have our fingers crossed for a warm July, the hotter weather can cause your flowers to struggle, so it’s important to take extra care of those flowering plants you’ve worked hard on growing in the spring
Keep an eye on the weather this month. If there are any hot spells, check your beds, borders, pots and baskets regularly to see if the soil has dried out, and if so, water your plants at once. Some smaller container plants might even need watered twice a day
Deadhead bedding, container and basket plants and any other repeat-flowering perennials in your garden to make sure they continue to bloom not just this year, but in the following year too. This is also a wonderful way to keep your garden looking attractive for the summer months, as it gets rid of any wilted or dying flower heads and makes way for new ones. Use a sharp pair of secateurs to cut above the first set of healthy leaves
Finally, your flowers may benefit from a liquid feed, particularly container plants, roses, and our outdoor plant of the month, the dahlia. This encourages them to bloom, as well as makes them more resistant to pests and diseases
SEEDS TO SOW IN JULY
It’s good to start thinking ahead to all the vegetables you might want to start growing in time for fresh produce to use in your favourite autumn and winter dishes – particularly Christmas dinner! This month is the perfect time to start sowing many autumn vegetables which you can harvest and use later in the year
Fruit & vegetables
Main crop carrots
Beetroot
Leek
Dwarf French beans
Early peas
Turnips
Lettuce
Radishes
Spinach
Spring cabbage
JULY LAWN CARE
During dry, hot spells, cut back on your water usage and keep your grass looking green by raising the cutting height of your lawn mower blades when trimming your grass
After cutting your lawn, don't forget to finish it off by trimming the edges with a grass trimmer or edging shears to keep it looking neat and orderly
FLOWERS TO PLANT AND GROW IN JULY
Roses are the perfect plants for beautifying your flower beds or sprucing up pots on the balcony or patio. Our own brand top-quality roses feature over 100 varieties that have been selected for their fantastic flowers, scent, and disease resistance. Our classic collection of David Austin Roses is also a must-have for any summer garden. Don't forget that July is an excellent time to give your roses an extra boost with rose fertiliser and mulch afterwards with Bloomin Amazing, which retains moisture and cuts down on weeding
If you miss planting flowers and want to stay organised for next year, start planning what spring flowering bulbs you’d like to plant in the next year – we get lots of stock in late July and August, so it's good to stay ahead of the game and make sure you get exactly the bulbs you’re after before they sell out!
WHAT TO DO WITH BEDS & BORDERS
If you’re looking to inject some colour into your beds and borders for the height of summer then dahlias and fuchsias are great options, as well as vibrant sunflowers that are always sure to brighten up your garden
Encourage fresh growth of your herbaceous plants such as Delphinium, Lupin and Hardy Geranium by cutting them back after their first bloom of flowers. For tall herbaceous perennials such as Delphiniums and Gladioli make sure to put supports in place to prevent any damage from the wind and rain
WHAT TO PLANT IN POTS & CONTAINERS
Once again, cut back and feed any basket or container plants to encourage new growth
For a lower maintenance option why not pick up one of our pre-planted hanging baskets for some instant colour on your walls, fences or doorways. All you need to do is decide where to place them!
JULY FRUIT & VEG
With Wimbledon in full swing this month, there’s never been a better time to grow your own strawberries. As well as eating them in the classic way with strawberries and cream, enjoy your strawberries outside in the garden by themselves, make your very own strawberry tarts or jam, have chocolate fondue with the kids, or make a fresh fruit salad - the possibilities are endless!
Stone fruit trees such as cherry and plum can be pruned this month – these types of fruit trees are susceptible to fungal diseases through open wounds if they are pruned in winter, so pruning during the summer months helps to reduce the risk of infection
If you live in the north of the UK, then you might need to nip out your tomatoes. Use your finger and thumb to nip out the very tip of the plant to stop its stem growing longer. This allows for the plant’s energy to be used to develop ripe and tasty fruit. For bush and trailing varieties no pinching out is needed
Your vegetable crops such as tomato, pepper and cucumbers still need regular feeding with a high potash tomato fertiliser, such as our own brand essentials Tomato Feed
BBQs taste better with a side salad, especially if it’s one you’ve grown in your own garden! If you want to add some homegrown crops to your summer salads, then late sowings of beetroot, radishes, lettuce, and salad crops grow quickly in the warm soil
This is the month in which cherries, currants, apricots, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants, spinach, courgettes, peas and beans, carrots, potatoes, beets, salads, spring garlic and onions should all be ready to harvest
MAINTAIN TREES & SHRUBS
Prune any fast-growing hedges in your garden, like Leyland cypress. Make sure to tie-in any ramblers too as they continue to grow
Ensure newly planted trees and shrubs don't dry out by regularly checking their soil and watering when it feels dry
INDOOR GARDENING
Going on holiday? Make sure your houseplants are cared for. Most can tolerate a few days of neglect without suffering, but if you’re away for longer than a week then you’ll need to provide them with some care. Thoroughly watering them before you leave can sometimes be enough, or you can display them in a self-watering plant pot
Alternatively, don’t worry if you're not going somewhere tropical on holiday this summer! Recreate the look in your home with our houseplant of the month - the popular Monstera deliciosa. With large, lush, evergreen leaves, it’s the perfect fit for that tropical atmosphere
GENERAL MAINTENANCE
There are several ways you can address pests in the garden. For a more natural method try barrier granules against slugs and snails, copper tape, or for resistance against a wide range of pests, you can give companion planting a go – it's an organic method of planting where a strongly scented herb or flower is planted next to your fruit or vegetables to confuse the best with its smell, while at the same time beneficially attracting insects such as ladybirds and lacewings which prey on aphids
Weeds thrive in warm, dry weather, so continue hoeing any weeds around your beds or vegetable patches in dry weather as this gives you the best chance of not allowing them to re-root
LOOK AFTER WILDLIFE
If you have a bird bath in your garden, keep it topped up with fresh water and make sure to clean it whenever it starts looking grubby
During this time of year, many birds will be in competition for food, so keep your bird feeders full and consider having multiple feeders on display in your garden
If you have a garden pond, keep an eye out for frogs and toads which might start to appear this month! Plant foliage around your ponds to keep these critters safe from predators
We would love to see what you get up to in the garden this July - take a picture and tag us on socials with @dobbiesgardencentres for your chance to be featured on our social media channels