July is a vibrant and colourful month in the garden. Ensure you make the most of it by regularly dead-heading bedding plants and cutting back repeat flowering perennials such as geranium and delphinium after the first flush of flowers to encourage a second flowering period. Prop up tall perennials such as lupins, delphiniums and gladioli if staking was neglected earlier in the season so that your garden can look at its best. If you are planting anything this month, the key to success is to water in well. We advise that you soak the rootball in a bucket until no air bubbles come to the surface, dig the planting hole, fill with water and allow to drain away. Place the plant in the hole, fill with soil, firm gently and water well with a watering can - this will give the plant a huge advantage over one planted with a dry rootball in a dry hole and watered only on the surface.
While plants thrive at this time of year, weeds do too. Ensure you hoe beds and borders regularly to get rid of annual weeds, like bitter cress and chickweed. Little and often is key!
Happy gardening.
Karen & Sue