What To Do in The Garden in July

Summer really starts to kick in at the beginning of July with the sound of sprinklers and children's voices echoing around the neighbourhood. We can relax more now and take time to smell the flowers, and sit outside on warm evenings and enjoy the night sky in our garden.

Alpine meadows in nearby mountains are in their peak in July with the beauty of hundreds of species of wildflowers. Time to take a hike into nature's summer garden.

Back home in our gardens, roses, clematis, jasmine & sweet peas are or will be blooming. Many Annuals & perennials are at their peak such as bellflowers, coneflowers, shasta daisies, petunias & marigolds. Containers and windows boxes planted in May are in full bloom...don't forget to water often.

July brings early crops of vegetables & herbs ready for picking such as radishes, green onions & lettuce...makings for your fresh garden salads. Raspberries are ripening by the buckets which are ideal for making flavoured vinegars, jams & baked goods, and for sharing with family & friends.

Perennials & Tubers

Water deep and fertalize throughout the summer.

Cut back early blooming perennials after flowering for repeat blooming.

Treat powdery mildew on plant such as phlox or hollyhocks with a baking sode solution.

When delphiniums fade, cut to ground to stimulate second bloom.

Make sure tall plants have support.

Perennial Garden Plant Selector Tool

Annuals

Water container plants daily!

Regularily deadhead finished blooms to encourage flowering. A plant will stop blooming if allowed to go to seed.

Annuals - Plant Selector Tool

Vegetables, Fruit & Herbs

Harvest vegetables and continue to sow lettuce, peas, kale, leeks, Swiss chard, bush beans, carrots, green onions.

Continue feeding, and water regularily in the mornings so the garden dries by evening to reduce slug & fungal problems.

Never water tomato foliage! Make a clear plastic tent which can be opened on hot sunny days or closed to keep away rain & water spray. This will significantly reduce blight.

Stop cutting rhubard so the plant can store energy.

Harvest raspberries & strawberries, and remove runners.

Check potato leaves for bugs. Good leaves make good potatoes.

Keep cucumbers well watered to avoid bitterness.

Cut herbs for freezing & drying.

Bulbs

Later in July, plant autumn bulbs such as colchicum and autumn crocus

Order your spring flowering bulbs to plant when fall arrives.

Trees & Shrubs

Prune deciduous shrubs such as weigela, mock orange & deutzia after flowering.

Give hedges a light pruning to keep tidy looking.

Watch for aphids & pear slugs. Spray them off with the garden hose.

Deadhead roses and feed with rose food.

Shear ground cover roses in late July to renew flowering. Lightly prune ramblers to control size and shape.

Lawns

Keep newly turfed or sown lawns well watered.

To help reduce watering, mow lawns at high setting.

This is a good time to re-evaluate the size of your lawn. Another water saving consideration is to replace your lawn with more bedding areas containing drought tolerant perennials, shrubs & grasses.

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