Jolly July is a month of lazy afternoons in the sunshine pottering around the garden keeping things tip top for maximum enjoyment.  Days of deadheading, feeding, weeding and watering will be worthwhile at the end of the day when you can put your feet up and take in the beauty around you.

1. Feed your bedding in containers and hanging baskets.  They will be reaching their peak using up all the available nutrients, so weekly feeds are recommended for long lasting flowers.

      

2. Try layering Clematis shoots to form some new plants for free.

3. Deadhead Roses, except those varieties with showy hips.

      

4. Trim lavender flowers just as they open and create your own highly scented potpourii indoors.

5.  Cut back Lupins, Delphiniums and hardy Geraniums after flowering to encourage a second flush of flowers.

      

6. Fed up with watering?  Think about planting a border with drought-tolerant plants for next year.  They will need watering whilst their roots establish but will cope will harder, hotter summers once they are a year in.

          

7. Prune summering-flowering shrubs such as Kolkwitzia, Philadelphus, Weigela and Deutzia once the flowers have faded. Cut back all flowering shoots to strong buds, remove any old growth that no longer flowers and feed well after pruning.  This will all encourage strong new growth for even better flowers next year.

      

8. Be kind to the environment and beat pests the natural way.  Leave beer traps for slugs and snails and give nematodes a try to battle a variety of pests.  These can be watered on and are not harmful to wildlife.

9. Prevent powdery mildew in dry spells by keeping plants moist at the base.  Applying a mulch can help retain moisture in the soil.  Plants that suffer the most include Clematis, Asters, Honeysuckle, Phlox and Monarda.

      

10. Keep your feathery friends happy by regularly topping up birdbaths and keeping them clean.

11. Protect your Dahlias from earwig attacks.  Try inserting bamboo canes near your dahlias with an upturned pot filled with straw on the top.  Empty any earwigs in the morning and save your precious flowers from being munched!

          

12.  Now is a great time to divide your bearded irises selecting young portions of rhizomes with a fan of leaves, trimming back and replanting.

13. Keep your clematis and roses growing exactly where you want them by regularly tying in new shoots.

14. Keep your garden full of interest throughout the seasons by adding in some late flowering herbaceous perennials, such as Asters, Heleniums, Rudbeckias and Salvia and grasses for great colour and effects towards the end of the year.

      

15. Thin out fruit trees to ensure better quality harvests.

16.  Keep tomatoes moist to prevent splitting and blossom end rot.

17.  Plug in some gaps in the border or add to your patio displays with gorgeous lilies.  Keep well watered and fed once a week.

18. Keep your hedges looking fab by giving them a quick trim. Get some shiny new secateurs to cut back stems of large leaved hedges such as laurel or shears for topiary and box for neat cuts and healthy plants.

    

19.  Take semi-ripe cuttings of lavender, thyme and rosemary from healthy new growth. Cut with sharp secateurs and put into a bag to avoid drying out. Cut below a leaf node and remove lowest leaves and tips. Dip into rooting powder and insert into pots of cuttings compost. Water and place in a greenhouse away from direct sunlight.  

20.  A date for the diary! Make a note of our annual Open Weekend, which this year is on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September.