YOUR GARDEN IN JULY

After the long hot dry July the start to July does not look much better, the water table is so low that many plants including large trees and shrubs are struggling and it will take several weeks of steady rain to restore levels to normal. Jobs for this month will be severely curtailed due to the dry conditions and water should be used only sparingly. The weather will dictate just what can be attempted this month – if at all.

Potatoes in pots seem all the rage this year but I think the bags pots or containers should be replanted in July and August to provide fresh potatoes for Christmas. I have revamped my old wooden raised beds replacing the timber with Link a Bord produced from old recycled UVPC window frames visit for more information. I am also advocating late sowings and plantings because of the longer seasons and milder winters. The use of Environmesh and Fleece to protect crops from pests and keep them warm respectively means we can grow more crops to harvest in the winter and early spring.

There are several big steps in new potato varieties for forcing along with Lettuce Winter hardy little Gem and loads of salad leaves in various mixtures for growing in pots or out of doors in sheltered positions. Try Dobies, Thompson and Morgan plus D T Brown for the best ideas but watch carefully latest ordering dates.

In theory, the flower border should be at its best and regular dead heading is a must to prevent plants from spending their energies in producing seed.  Weather permitting, July is another month in which it should be possible to enjoy eating, or simply sitting out of doors during the day and on into the long evenings.  July is also a month in which to visit some of the many flower shows up and down the country ‑ don't forget to take a pad and pencil to make a note of the varieties you may wish to order in time for next summer.  The following is a list of possible work for gardeners in the south Midlands; readers living elsewhere must make allowances for this and adjust their work programmes accordingly.
 
THE FLOWER GARDEN
 
July is a good month to start a compost heap, which, if properly made and managed will be ready for use in early winter.
 
Feed outdoor chrysanthemums with a fertilizer that is fairly high in potash. Make sure chrysanthemums are properly supported as their stems are brittle and easily broken by adverse weather conditions. Disbud early flowering single bloom varieties as they show buds.  Spray regularly to control pests.  
 
Pinks and perennial dianthus can be increased by taking cuttings or pipings.  Remove old flower stems from pinks, water if dry and give high potash fertilizer.  Continue disbudding border carnations.  Layer border carnations for new plants. On acid soils add ground limestone or chalk to raise the soil ph.
 
Keep geraniums and fuchsias well fed and watered, particularly any standard fuchsias which require plenty of food and water. Dead head in both cases to promote further flowering, never let fuchsias produce fruits unless you want seeds and no flowers.
 
Continue tying young dahlia stems to supports. Feed plants which are slow to grow with a liquid fertilizer fortnightly, taking care to keep the fertilizer away from the stem and top roots.  Watch out for earwig damage and spray accordingly. Because of the heavy rains keep them well staked and all side shoots tied in properly.
 
Sow biennials, including hollyhocks, if you have not already done so.  Prick out seedlings of wallflowers, sweet williams etc. into an open site with good soil for them to make good growth before removal to the flower beds in autumn.  Other hardy perennials sown earlier in the cold frame can be potted on or planted in their flowering positions, if space allows. Give a high nitrogen feed if seedlings are not growing rapidly.
 
Herbaceous beds and borders will benefit from a light dressing of general fertilizer.  Hoe lightly (if dry enough) and water in if necessary.  Continue to weed carefully, (especially after the rains) but thoroughly since many weeds act as alternatives hosts to common pests and diseases such as aphids, mildew and red spider mite.   An application of general fertilizer will benefit Michaelmas daisies.  They should also be sprayed regularly with an appropriate fungicide to prevent powdery mildew.
 
Pansies and violas can be propagated from young basal shoots. Sow pansy seed for spring flowering ensuring temperature does not go above 65f.
 
Stake and tie Gladioli before they become too tall, taking care not to damage the new corm.   

Continue cutting back and dead heading early flowering perennials. Dead head peonies by removing only the flower and seed heads, spray with a systemic fungicide against peony blight.  Cut lupins and delphiniums to ground level in mild areas to encourage a second flowering.  Spray hollyhocks with Dithane 945 (manufactured by Bayer Garden) to control hollyhock rust.
 
Spray sweet peas monthly against insect damage.  A liquid feed can be given every 12‑14 days.  Continue to pinch out tendrils and side shoots from cordon grown plants and layer when they reach 5 feet tall.
 
Continue weeding and trimming back alpines.  Any carpeting plants not showing new growth should be encourage to do so by incorporating soil and fertilizer around them.  Collect seeds of Aquilegias and Primulas.  Sow Primula seed as soon as it is ripe.  Store other seed in a cool dry place.  Aubrietia cuttings can now be taken and should root out of doors if given a partially shaded, well drained site.
 
Hardy cyclamen raised from seed can be planted into well prepared ground, by incorporating leaf-mould and/or damp peat and a dusting of bonemeal.

Spring flowering bulbs should have died down completely by now and can be lifted and stored if required.  Burn any damaged bulbs.  Prepare the ground for planting bulbs for spring flowers by weeding and applying a high potash fertilizer before the final cultivation.  Plant autumn flowering Colchicums in any deep well‑drained soil, where their vigorous foliage can be left unrestricted when it appears each spring. Nerine bowdenii can be planted in sheltered districts.
 
Lift and divide old clumps of bearded Iris as soon as flowering is finished.  Replant immediately into rich, moist soil, if weather is particularly dry do not move until autumn. Dwarf Irises can be lifted and divided towards the end of the month.
 
At this time of year, thrips can be a serious problem in the flower garden, use any proprietary insecticide approved to control thrips. .

Dead head roses regularly.  After first flowers fade feed with a rose fertilizer to encourage the second flush.  Continue to spray against aphids, mildew and black spot.  Tie in young shoots on wall roses and climbers.   Young shoots of climbing and rambling roses can be layered from now until early autumn. Make a slanting cut from a nodal bud halfway through a young branch and peg down in the soil.  By next spring new roots should have formed, ready for transplanting. Generally this is a poor year for roses.
 
Privet and other hedges will need clipping to retain a neat shape, but do not clip too closely in very dry spells.  Remember to vary the direction regularly.  Watch out for aphids, whitefly and other pests and spray accordingly.  Newly planted hedges will need careful watering and overhead spraying.  
 
Check tree ties and loosen as trees are growing very rapidly, replace or remove as necessary.
 
Prune early flowering shrubs such as Buddleia alternifolia, Kerria, Spiraea arguta and Deutzia.
 
Outdoor hydrangeas can be treated with a proprietary hydrangea colourant if blue flowers are required next year.
 
Take semi‑hardwood cuttings of Azaleas, Cytisus, Spiraea, Forsythia, Escallonia, flowering currant, Weigela and Deutzia.  All cuttings must be shaded from bright sunlight.
 
Layer Chaenomeles and Jasmine if required.
 
Lightly trim Clematis montana after flowering to keep the plant within bounds and to thin out overcrowded stems.  It is still possible to propagate C. montana
 
Spray rhododendrons and azaleas against Japanese lace‑wing fly and bud blast.  Safeguard these and other shallow rooting shrubs (magnolias, hydrangeas) by paying careful attention to watering and mulching.
 
Weed and mulch with peat around the heather bed.  
 
Any large leaves of the water lily which are hiding the flowers, should be removed well below the surface of the water.  Thin heavy oxygenating plants and regularly weed the bog garden.  
 
In hot weather, replace lost water from the pool using a hose fitted with a spray.  This will also help to aerate the pool.   In very hot weather, fish and plants in shallow pools may suffer.  Check the temperature of the water and shade part of the surface with a screen of hessian or opaque plastic sheeting.
 
THE LAWN
 
Water new and established lawns thoroughly in dry spells.
 
Most lawns will benefit from a summer feed.  If a fertilizer was applied in spring, apply a high nitrogen feed now and water in, Scott’s Lawn Builder is an ideal lawn fertilizer as it is slow release and thickens grass rather than causing rapid growth over a relatively short time, this fertilizer can last up to 16 weeks.
 
Aerate the lawn surface.
 
Fusarium, dollar spot and corticium can be major lawn diseases, today we as home gardeners do not have access to fungicides that are allowed on turf to control these diseases. Therefore we need to use the best cultural practices to prevent problems by careful use of nitrogen, maintaining a healthy ph and controlling thatch etc. Treat patches of clover with Verdone improved lawn herbicide.  Even difficult to control lawn weed like the speedwells and trefoils can now be controlled with the new and improved formulation of Verdone.
 
Continue to mow (but without shaving the surface) and edge regularly.  During dry spells (if ever) do not collect up the mowings.
 
THE VEGETABLE GARDEN
 
Continue to hoe and weed the vegetable plot whenever possible.
 
Complete planting of leeks if not already carried out.  
 
Lift garlic bulbs as the leaves start to turn yellow and dry off in the sum
 
To produce larger onion bulbs, hoe in a little fertilizer between the rows

Pinch out side shoots on tomatoes, except the bush varieties.  Water regularly to prevent blossom end rot and split fruits.  Feed outdoor tomatoes once a week with a tomato fertilizer.
 
Complete planting of winter cabbages, Brussels sprouts and broccoli.  Sow Chinese cabbage for an autumn crop.  Watch for cabbage white butterfly caterpillars and pick off where possible.  Large numbers will have to be controlled with an insecticide such as derris.  Alternatively try a biological control by introducing Bacillus thunbergiensis.  About six weeks after planting, members of the cabbage family will benefit from a nitrogenous fertilizer.  Draw a little soil up around the stems of Brussels sprout plants to reduce wind rock.
 
Protect cauliflower curds by folding outer leaves over the heads.
 
Keep celery well watered and start to blanch trench celery.
 
Thin out beetroot, lettuce and other crops sown earlier in the year.
 
Continue to make successional sowings of lettuce, radish and salad onions.
 
Lift early potatoes.  Water maincrop potatoes in dry weather and finish earthing up.  Spray with Bordeaux mixture or a copper fungicide as a precaution against potato blight.
 
Mulch along each side of the runner bean rows with lawn mowings, compost or straw to conserve moisture.
 
Sow turnips and winter radishes.
 
Spinach beet sown in July should provide an ample crop to cut next spring.
 
It is still possible to sow more beetroot, French beans, kohl‑rabi and peas (but choose a dwarf early variety of peas).
Make further sowings of parsley.  Any flower heads appearing on spring sown parsley should be removed.  Gather herbs just before they come into full bloom and dry in a cool airy place, or microwave oven.
 
FRUIT
 
Complete final thinning of apples.  Summer prune cordon and trained apple trees to keep a neat shape. Spray apples against codling moth.  
 
Remove any plum branches showing signs of silver leaf disease and burn.  Paint wound with a suitable sealant.  This can also attack cherry and apple trees and shrubs such as thorns, laurels and ornamental cherries and peaches.
 
Spray gooseberries to control pests.
 
Give blackcurrants a high nitrogen fertilizer, and prune immediately after harvesting.
 
Protect all soft fruit against bird damage. Pigeons are causing havoc this summer.
 
Ensure that fruit trees trained against walls are adequately watered in dry spells.
 
Prepare new strawberry beds if necessary by digging and manuring thoroughly adding a sprinkling of bonemeal.  Remove unwanted runners and remove straw.  Runners can be pegged down into pots if new plants are required.  Pick off ripe fruits each day.  Remove any grey or mouldy berries and burn.
 
Prune raspberries as they finish fruiting.  
 
Tie in new blackberry and loganberry canes.  Propagate new growth by bending canes over and covering the tips with about 6 inches of soil.  By autumn they should have formed roots and can be detached and replanted.
 
GLASSHOUSES
 
Continue to keep the greenhouse shaded and well ventilated.  Frequent damping down will be necessary to prevent the dry atmosphere which encourages the development of red spider mite and whitefly. Take care not to create such a humid atmosphere that botrytis attacks tomato and begonia plants in the greenhouse.
 
Sow seeds of pot plants such as Bowallias, Calceolarias, Cinerarias, Primula obconica, P. malacoides, P. sinensis.  (Remember that Primula obconica is not a suitable plant to be grown by anyone with a sensitive skin).
 
Sow Schizanthus for flowering in April and May.  Antirrhinums and sweet scented stock are two other plants suited for growing in pots to provide colour and scent in the greenhouse.  Seeds of Nicotiana x sanderae and N.suaveolens can also be grown as half‑hardy annuals for a scented display indoors during  November and December.

Place regal pelargoniums out of doors for a few weeks.  The Winter Cherry (Solanum capsicastrum) will also benefit from a spell outside and regular misting each day to encourage the fruit set.
 
Feed pot plants regularly, particularly those in flower.  Do not allow coleus to flower.
 
Top dress lilies grown in pots.
 
Late flowering chrysanthemums should by now have been potted into their final 8,9 or 10 inch pots and stood outside the greenhouse.  The plants must be supported with a stake which should be tied to wires to prevent the pots from being blown over.  Pay careful attention to watering and starting six weeks after final potting, a weekly feed of any of the proprietary chrysanthemum fertilizers should be given to each plant.  Watch out for pests and diseases and take immediate action to prevent infestations.
 
Pot up young plants of cyclamen, primroses and greenhouse Primulas for winter flowering.
 
Disbud tuberous rooted begonias.
 
Take cuttings of fuchsias, regal pelargoniums and hydrangeas. Leaf cuttings of Streptocarpus, Begonia rex and gloxinia can also be taken. Take semi ripe cuttings of abutilon, Passiflora caerulea, Plumbago, Nerium Oleander and Datura.  Please bear in mind that the two underlined plants in the above list are poisonous.  
 
Pick ripe capsicums and cucumbers.  Remove male flower buds on cucumber plants, unless you are growing an all female variety.
 
Pollinate melons using the male flowers.
 
Thin out non‑fruiting laterals of fan trained figs.
 
Remove side shoots and yellow leaves from tomatoes.  Spray with a suitable fungicide as a precaution against botrytis.  
 
Grapes will be swelling and further thinning may be necessary.



© Howard Drury July 2010 This material is copyright protected but maybe downloaded and printed for personal use only, it must not be used in any form or reproduced in any way for commercial gain.