Barbara Stockitt's Guide to Classic Gardening...

July

Continue to monitor your BUXUS plants and water in dry spells. Do the same for your TAXUSand be sure all Taxus and Buxus in pots are well watered and fed with a good liquid feed.

Cut down DELPHINIUMS after they have flowered- about 6” from the ground.  If kept moist they will  make new growth and produce more flowers in September.

Continue to dead-head other HERBACEOUS plants if you do not wish to save the seed.

SHRUBS and WALL plants that were cut back in the Spring will now be coming into flower.  New growth  on shrubs that flowered in the Spring will benefit from a high potash fertilizer.  Look out for pests and diseases and spray if necessary.  Water plants in prolonged dry spells.

Newly planted HEDGES will need a trim to make them thicken up. Slow growing hedges I.e. Buxus Sempervirens (box), Iles (holly) and Hornbeam can be cut this month.  This should be sufficient to keep them tidy for a year.

The first flush of the ROSES will be over by mid July, so continue to dead-head them.  Cut down the flowering stem by one third.  This acts as summer pruning.  Do not cut back the once flowering old roses as these will produce hips in the Autumn.  Feed the roses with rose fertilizer so that they will produce a good second crop. Do this before the third week of the month.  Watch for pests and diseases - continue to look for suckers and remove if necessary.  Consider if you  want to make any changes in your rose beds and make notes.  It will soon be time to order any new roses you may want.

Look out for LILY BEETLE.  This can be picked off by hand or can be sprayed with an insecticide.  Now is the time to plant CROCUSES.  Cover the corms with 2 - 3in of soil.  Naturalized bulbs will have finished growing, so that it will now be possible to mow the GRASS.

In the VEGETABLE GARDEN we are busy harvesting the crops.  These are gathered as soon as they are ready.  Continuous picking means that  the vegetable is young and more delicious and it helps continuous cropping. Sow parsley seed now for winter crops.

The SOFT FRUIT harvest is now in full swing and early peaches, plums, pears and apples will soon be ready.  Pick them carefully in order not to bruise them and freeze any surplus so that you will have them for the winter months.

Continue to mow the LAWNS regularly but not quite so frequently with the blades a little higher in dry spells.  The best time to sow new lawns is approaching.  So start preparing the new ground now, killing the perennial weeds.  Try to produce an even surface.  Final preparation of the soil should wait till just before sowing or turfing.