To Do List For July
RHS to do list for July
- Check clematis for signs of clematis wilt.
- Arrange care for house plants while on holiday.
- Keep tubs and pots watered, but be water wise.
- Dead head bedding plants and repeat flowering perennials.
- Pick courgettes before they become marrows.
- Treat apple scab.
- Clear algae and blanket weed from ponds.
- Order catalogues for next year’s Spring flowering bulbs.
- Give the lawn a quick acting Summer feed.
- Time to harvest apricots, nectarines and peaches.
To keep the garden full of colour we need to dead head regularly. Hardy geraniums can be cut back to ground level with a pair of shears. Delphiniums and other taller perennials should have their flower spikes cut back to encourage new shoots. Annuals like pansies and petunias can be cut back a little to stop them looking straggly. Give all the plants a feed and water and you should have new displays later in summer. After flowers have faded on irises they can be divided as larger clumps don’t tend to do so well. Smaller sections will give a better display If you still have gaps to fill in with summer bedding then this needs to be done promptly, to allow time for plants to flourish. When removing the spent blooms of roses make sure you prune back to a bud in a leaf axil lower down the stem to make sure they flower again this year. Bulbs that have been heeled in to allow foliage to die back can be dug up and dried out ready for planting in the autumn.
The RHS has some good advice on making sure your runner beans are successful. Add a small handful of hydrated lime to a full 10 litre watering can and apply this along the base of the row, it will help the flowers set and produce more pods. Always put on gloves and wear a face mask when using lime, but it will be well worth the effort.
Earlier in the year quite a few people had problems with their lawns. Mrs Harvey of Gwenfo drive set about making her lawn good again by improving the drainage and careful feeding, which has worked wonders. We now have a lawn expert in the village. Opposite Mrs Harvey are Mr & Mrs Cottle who are recognised for their rose garden, worth a look as you walk by.
Ponds at this time of year are covered in algae and blanket weed. This should be removed as it starves the water of oxygen. Peter Ferris of Old Market, a renowned amateur naturalist, says we should leave algae and blanket weed on the side of ponds to dry out so that any pond life can return to the water.
This month will see some Wenvoe gardens open to the public to help the ongoing commitment to keep the church looking its best. There will be quite a contrast of gardens on show from the cottage garden to modern design. One absentee this year will be Carol Whylie’s wildlife retreat. There are sections of this ladies garden that have been used to make nature programmes. As they will still have cameras set up we have been denied access this year. Carol herself will be present at the church on the day [20th July] handing out the passes and answering your queries on wildlife habitats.
Take care and happy gardening.