Dahlia 'Walzing Matilda'
It's July and I can't quite believe where the past 3 months have gone, lock down is tentatively being eased and so we gently introduce ourselves into the new normal, whatever that will look like who knows, but for us it's baby steps and one day at a time.
But the gardens are flourishing with all this recent attention. July is a month for harvesting produce and cut flowers, a lovely antidote to the anxiety inducing thought of getting back to 'normal life'. Whether it's bringing the first sweet peas into the house to brighten up a table or seeing the children's joy at their now 8 foot tall sunflowers towering over them. It's these simple pleasures that mean the most and have such a direct benefit on our wellbeing.
So here are some ideas of what you could be doing in the garden this month.
Sow/plant:
Sow more salad, kale and chard for the autumn.
Plant out brassicas and leeks.
Harvest/pick:
Dahlias, roses, ammi, cosmos, cornflowers, sunflowers, salad, spinach, chard, radish, carrots, artichokes, potatoes, beans and berries galore.
Secature/lopper jobs:
Keep deadheading!
Cut back perennial herbs for a second growth.
Prune early flowering shrubs once blooms
have finished.
Tidy perennials.
Prune long wispy wisteria shoots.
Cut down fruited summer raspberry canes.
Stake/support:
Keep staking tall perennials and dahlias before they get too tall!
Tie in sweet peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, climbing beans.
Feed roses, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers.
Lawns, ponds and other:
Mow when required but allow it to grow a
little longer if it gets hot again!
Keep the greenhouse well ventilated.
There are no gardening mistakes, only
experiments. – Janet Kilburn Phillips
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