Jobs to do in your garden in July
July gardening jobs in Gloucestershire can be done at a gentler pace. The work you did earlier on in the year will be paying dividends in the beds, borders and vegetables. As always, there is always plenty of work to be done, but make the most of the long summer evenings, relax and enjoy long evenings in the garden.
July gardening – Watering wisely
July gardening jobs in Gloucestershire this year have to involve watering the garden! At this time of year work in the garden can be done at a slower pace and if the weather is hot you will probably need to water some of your plants, particularly trees and shrubs that were planted last autumn and winter. The best time of day to water is in the evening or early morning. Really soak the ground so that the water gets into the roots of your plant, a good soaking two or three times a week is much more beneficial than a little sprinkling every day. You need to take particular care of plants in pots and hanging baskets. Baskets in particular may need watering twice a day and fed with a suitable plant food once every two weeks. If you’re going on holiday this month, please take precautions so that your garden isn’t a complete wilderness when you return. Ensure that your garden is weeded well before your departure and make friends with your neighbour for help with watering!
Lawn care for your July garden
Unless your lawn is very brown mow your grass regularly during this month to encourage good growth. This is the best way to ensure you have a good lawn because it keeps down the weeds. Once a week is fine in July – the grass doesn’t grow as quickly as in spring – raise the blades of the mower and mow less often. The grass is best left a little longer during dry periods because it will not be growing as vigorously. When it is very dry leave the clippings on the lawn to act as a mulch and help reduce moisture loss. Don’t water established lawns unless absolutely necessary. If you have to water, soak it once a week, rather than a sprinkling every day. Established lawns will turn brown in hot weather but it’s not worth wasting water on them, the grass will recover once we have some rain. Give the lawn a liquid feed unless you did so in June. Most lawns will benefit from a quick boost and there are many types of product on the market. New lawns (laid or seeded earlier on in the year) will require watering in dry weather. This is vitally important; if it shrinks when it dries it’s very difficult to undo the damage.
Can I plant in July in the UK?
Absolutely July gardening jobs should include planting! Lettuce, rocket, spinach, spring onions – yes, you can still sow them. In fact, you must. Succession sowing is the name of the game if you don’t want a salad drought in August. Choose quick-growing varieties and don’t forget to give them a bit of shade during the hottest parts of the day. If you’ve never tried homegrown beetroot now is your chance to give it a go. It tastes nothing like supermarket beetroot and is very easy to grow from seed. It is still possible to get in a crop of carrots too. Choose a fast-maturing variety like ‘Early Nantes’ or ‘Amsterdam Forcing’. Sow them now and you’ll squeeze in a harvest before the first frosts. For a bulletproof plant sow kale seeds now for planting out next month, cavolo nero or curly kale will keep you in greens throughout the winter.
Pruning wisterias
One of the main July gardening jobs in Gloucestershire should include pruning wisterias. Cut back the whippy growths made during the summer so they are within five or six buds of the main stem. This encourages the formation of flower buds for next year. The second prune should be done in February.
Looking after roses in the July garden
Deadheading roses is an easy job which just involves taking off the spent flower head. This encourages the display last longer. Don’t just take off the flower head. If you want to continue the display into autumn, you must prune down to a bud in a leaf axil lower down the stem to encourage strong new shoots. Prune to an outward facing leaf to keep the centre of the rose bushes as an open shape. Don’t deadhead Rosa Rugosa as they produce attractive hips in the autumn which help to feed birds in winter. Roses are greedy plants so after deadheading give them a feed using a fertiliser specific to roses.
Can I cut my garden hedge in July in Gloucestershire?
This is a good month to trim conifer hedges to keep them under control. Conifer hedges have received a bad press recently mainly because of the notorious Leyland Cypress. It can grow very tall very quickly and is too vigorous for a small garden; if neglected it can quickly become a large that can be a nuisance. As with all conifer hedges it needs trimming at least once a year, preferably twice to keep them in check. If you start doing this while they are small, long before they reach the height and width you eventually require, you will have built up a good thick layer of leafy growth over the surface of the hedge.
Deciduous hedges should only be trimmed during the growing season, in Gloucestershire this is usually from April to September. It’s good practice not to trim your hedge more than twice a year to allow the hedge to recover.
Looking ahead to autumn
While you’re sitting in the shade enjoying your July garden you might browse through the bulb catalogues for planting out later in the year. You can get ahead of the crowd by ordering spring-flowering bulbs online. There are some great bargains to be had. Look for a selection that will give you colour from the earliest snowdrops all the way through to dazzling alliums and lilies ready for planting in autumn. For more ideas on tulip planting see our article here.
