Gardens are at their most colourful in mid-summer. After a busy time of growth, July will see plants show off their glorious foliage textures and flower displays, filling borders and patio containers with colour and fragrance.
Whatever your style of garden, from terraces to cottage gardens and greenhouses, the experts at Dobbies have made it super simple to keep your outdoor space looking its best, with a list of top tasks for the month ahead. Plus, they recommend using sustainable products wherever possible, including peat-free compost, Carbon Gold and Bloomin Amazing.
Whether you want to update your garden with ready-to-go colour for a picture-perfect backdrop for dining alfresco with friends or need some watering advice for summer plants in bloom, Dobbies has it covered.
Sharing his advice for July gardening, resident gardening expert and Horticultural Director at Dobbies, Marcus Eyles, said –
“July is the time to embrace all your earlier gardening efforts, enjoying plants and flowers, many of which will be putting on their best displays of the year this month. Make the most of the good weather, but don’t forget to regularly water and feed your plants, consistency is key! To make water go further, water thoroughly less frequently, rather than little and often – so a few times a week rather than every day, depending on rainfall of course. Place buckets under hanging baskets to catch excess water that can be used in other areas of your garden, little changes like this can make a big difference if we were all to do them.”
What to do in the garden this month, Marcus provides his top tasks for the month of July…
Terrace Garden
- Warm summer evenings are the perfect opportunity for entertaining in the garden. Fill your garden with instant summer colour with a selection of vibrant bedding or herbaceous perennial plants. At Dobbies, we have pots to suit all locations from country cottage to a contemporary town garden.
- Make sure you keep your show-stopping display of summer colour by regularly watering container plants and add a balanced liquid fertiliser every other week to encourage strong healthy growth and continual flowering. Remove dead flowers as soon as they go over to encourage more to follow.
Beds & Borders
- Prune spring and early summer flowering shrubs, such as Deutzia, Weigela and Philadelphus soon after flowering to prevent them becoming overgrown. Remove older branches with secateurs or loppers to allow new growth to mature that will carry next year’s display. Extend the season of colour in borders with high summer flowering shrubs such as Lavender, Hardy Fuchsias and Hydrangeas.
- Water newly planted shrubs and perennials in dry conditions until well established. Apply a thick layer of Bloomin Amazing mulch over the soil surface to help retain moisture. Dead-head flower borders on a regular basis to help prolong the season of flowering.
Cottage Garden
- Encourage fresh growth by cutting back herbaceous plants such as Delphinium, Lupin and hardy Geranium after their first flush of flower. Put supports in place around tall herbaceous perennials such as Delphiniums and Gladioli to prevent damage from wind and rain.
- Roses are perfect for beds or pots on the balcony or patio. At Dobbies, we stock a wide range of quality roses, including our new for 2021 own brand roses, which feature over 100 varieties including the edible collection which you can add to summer drinks, desserts and more. Take the time now to add a layer of mulch for an extra boost to support strong growth and feed with rose fertiliser.
- Summer prune Wisteria, cutting whippy side shoots back to around five leaves from the main stem. This will encourage new flower buds to form and improve your display next year.
- Protect Hostas, from slug damage with Slug Gone.
Kitchen Garden
- Tomato, pepper and cucumber crops require regular feeding with a high potash tomato fertiliser. Pinch out side-shoots of tomatoes to concentrate growing energy into trusses of fruit. Water regularly and consistently.
- Plant out leeks and brassicas for a winter supply.
- Late sowings of beetroot, radishes, lettuce and salad crops grow quickly in the warm soils for an extended season of fresh vegetables. Alternatively, chose from Dobbies wide selection of young vegetable plants grown to the perfect stage for planting out.
- Continue to earth up main-crop potatoes, to avoid tubers being exposed to the light and turning green. Early potatoes will be ready for harvesting, maturing around 10 weeks from planting.
- Prune stone fruit trees such as cherry and plum this month, removing any crossing branches to maintain an open framework. These fruit types are susceptible to certain fungal diseases through open wounds if pruned in the winter, whilst pruning at this time helps to avoid risk of infection.
Lawn
- Regular mowing is best for a manicured lawn, reducing the cutting height in hot weather to help prevent drying out. Keeping the blades slightly higher helps the grass resist the extra summer wear.
- To encourage more garden wildlife, allow your grass to grow and the wildflowers will bloom to support pollinating insects or leave some areas of grass to grow.
Greenhouse
- Harden off remaining bedding plants you have been growing from young plug plants. Acclimatise over a period of a few days before planting out in their final positions.
- Plant up any pots with tender vegetables or Mediterranean herbs that will appreciate the warmer and sheltered growing position.
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For more information on #sustainabledobbies visit https://www.dobbies.com/sustainability-policy
To find out more about seasonal gardening advice, visit: www.dobbies.com/ideas-advice
Listen to the Dobbies gardening podcast for more expert advice and trend insights, available on Apple Music and Spotify: www.dobbies.com/content/podcast.html
For information on virtual events hosted by Marcus Eyles, with his gardening tips and advice, visit: www.dobbies.com/content/events.html
All expert advice accredited to Marcus Eyles, Horticultural Director at Dobbies Garden Centres