I’m not going to say time flies when you’re having fun, but it rockets by when you’re busy.
I was going to achieve so much the last few weeks. And I have, just not necessarily what I was planning to…
But here we are, end of the first week of July: So I guess I need to run down those jobs that need to be done.
From June:
- Divide mossy saxifrage plants. Especially if they are going brown in the middles. Just cut them apart and place them down on loose, damp soil. Keep them watered, and they will bed in quite quickly.
- Lift and divide June-flowering Flag Irises. It doesn’t need to be done every year, but those clumps which are over crowded will benefit. Get rid of rhizome from the centre of clumps with no growth, but replant the rest.
Now we get to July:
- Dead-head faded flowers. In many cases, it may extend flowering season.
- Trim privet/evergreen hedges on 6-8 weekly rotation to keep them tidy.
- Feed plants in active growth.
- Treat for fungal infections, such as mildew, black spot and rust.
- Lift the cut on your lawn mower if you’re in an area where you can’t rely on regular rainfall. Short lawns will turn brown in dry weather.
As an aside, I watched some of the Tour de France today on TV, as it started in Leeds. The commentator made reference that he couldn’t believe how good the weather was after how bad it was yesterday: I’ve seen it those extreme changes happen in a day, so overnight is not that hard to believe. Here in Yorkshire we are blessed with a healthy mix of wet and sun, commonly both at the same time!
- If you do cut your grass weekly and keep it very short, remove the grass box and let the clippings mulch the garden for the dry periods .
- If you have leek seedlings from March sowings, plant them out into deep holes about 1″ wide. Use something like an old wooden fork handle to make the holes. Drop in the seedlings then fill the hole with water (Don’t back fill with soil). As the leek grows it will fill the hole and self-blanch, giving you the white bit at the bottom without having to earth-up.
- Lift and store tulip and hyacinth bulbs. Store them in a cool, dry place until it’s time to plant again (around October). To be honest, I tend to treat most tulips as annuals, as the flowering gets more erratic and weaker after the 1st year.
- Sow carrots.
- Begin to summer-prune cherries, plums and other stoned fruit.
- Prune Philadelphus (mock orange) and Weigela. Both should have finished flowering. Cut off all the flowered stems, and leave the young stems to flower next year.
- Remove branches from plum trees that are affected by silver leaf curl.
Now, I think that brings us up to date and a week in front… Ready for me to be 2 weeks behind again… I love summer, I just wish I didn’t have to sleep; or I could save my sleep for winter when I have less work? To paraphrase Elvis, “Viva Las Garden-as!!”
Enjoy your garden folks!