July has been a hot, sunny month and gardens are looking a little dry, but just a few tasks will keep it looking good with enough time left over to enjoy it all.
Mulch:
Plants will be very grateful for a thick mulch spread over damp soil, it locks moisture in the soil for longer so plants have a chance to soak it up. Not only will plants look better for this, they’ll be stronger and healthier too, ready to shrug off diseases. This mulch could be:
- well-rotted horse manure
- home-made compost or
- shredded bark.
Dead-head flowers
to encourage the plant to produce more, cutting flowers to take inside is a variation of this and you get to enjoy them at close range:
Prune conifer hedges
be sure to check that there aren’t any nesting birds in there first.
Weeding
needs doing regularly through the month, both in the garden and at the allotment.
Prune Wisteria:
Cut off the long side-shoots from the main stem, the side shoot should only have three pairs of leaves or buds left on them. All the cuttings can be put on the compost bin.
Water container plants
every day, rain probably won’t reach the soil of big leafy plants, so don’t rely on it to do the job.
There’s a recent post here about how to look after container plants before you go on holiday.
The allotment
mulch as much as possible, brown cardboard works well and eventually breaks down into the soil, just make sure it goes onto damp soil.
Have a wonderful August and enjoy your garden.
Jill
all images: Jill Anderson.
