This month in your Garden - July

In July the pace of growth slows a little, giving us more time to enjoy what we hope will be the long, hot days of high summer in the garden. That, at least, is the theory!

July is a good month to apply a balanced fertilizer like Vitax Q4 or Fish, Blood and Bone, particularly if this was not done earlier in the season. Light soils lose nutrients much more quickly than clay or soils containing a lot of organic matter, so additional feeding is likely to be particularly beneficial for those of us who garden on Henfield’s sandy ridges.

Continue to deadhead roses, bedding plants and perennials. Plants that collapse untidily after flowering - hardy geraniums, perennial cornflowers (Centaurea montana) and lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis), for example - may be cut back to the ground. Fresh leaves and a second crop of flowers will soon emerge.

Container plants should be watered frequently, with fortnightly doses of liquid feed. Don't rely on the rain to water your containers, particularly those near buildings, walls or fences.

Unless we have an exceptionally wet month, some watering of plants growing in the ground is also likely to be necessary. Prioritise new planting, including summer bedding, and moisture-lovers like astilbe, ferns and hostas.

Pests to keep an eye out for this month include berberis sawfly larvae, which quickly defoliate deciduous berberis, and capsid bugs, which leave tiny holes and distorted leaves at the tips of dahlias, fuschias and many other garden plants. Damage may be tolerable, but if not sprays containing the insecticide bifenthrin are effective against both pests.

Hoe regularly in dry weather to control weeds!

Sow French beans, turnips, spring cabbage, carrots and salads to be harvested in autumn and winter.

Harvest vegetables and fruit regularly to avoid waste and prolong cropping. This particularly important for beans, which will stop producing flowers if the pods are allowed to mature.

Water crops regularly during dry spells.

Prune cherries and plums as soon as fruiting has finished. Fruit trained into a fan, cordon or other restricted form may also be pruned this month, but leave untrained apple and pear trees until the winter.

Glasshouse

Continue to take softwood cuttings from shrubs including lavender, rosemary, fuchsia and hydrangea. Pot up the cuttings as soon as they have rooted, growing them on in the greenhouse or an open cold frame outside.

Plant growth tends to decline at temperatures above 27°C, so do everything you can to keep your greenhouse cool and your plants well watered.

• Good ventilation, ideally from vents in the roof, is critical. Many domestic greenhouses do not have enough vents, but this is easily overcome by leaving the door open or temporarily removing a pane or two of glass.
• Blinds or shade fabric arranged on the outside of the glass are the most effective means of providing shade, and can be drawn aside on dull days. Shade paint applied directly to the glass is a cheaper and easier alternative.
• Damping down the greenhouse by sprinkling water over the floor and staging helps reduce moisture loss from the leaves of the plants and counter pests like red spider mite, which thrive in hot, dry conditions.
• Placing pots in large trays lined with soaked capillary matting makes watering much easier.

Lawns

Mow and edge regularly. Little and often is best - at least once a week for high quality turf, or every 10-14 days for general purpose lawns. Raise the height of the cut a little in dry spells.

Water new lawns during dry weather. Always give an occasional thorough soaking - frequent light sprinkles encourage the roots to remain close to the surface and therefore more vulnerable to drought.

A second application of summer lawn feed may be made this month, but only if the soil is moist.