Temperatures are rising and many perennials are in full bloom. Blue delphiniums are in full bloom, sunny sunflowers follow their namesake on a journey across the sky, and elegant sweet peas fill the garden with rich fragrance. Outdoor dining on the porch is finally here, but there are some practical tasks to complete. Pruning dead flowers is a must to ensure plants continue to look their best, propagating strawberries, harvesting zucchini in the kitchen garden, and don’t forget to plant fall-blooming bulbs.
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Get the most out of lavender: It’s easy to see why lavender remains popular, even after centuries of cultivation, as it produces colorful flowers with fragrant evergreen foliage. It tolerates regular pruning and is pollinator-friendly and drought-tolerant.
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Fertilize sweet peas regularly and extend flowering time by removing seed pods.
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Rose care: Neil Miller, head gardener at Hever Castle & Gardens in Kent, shares his tips for caring for roses in summer for months of glorious blooms.
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Taking Semi-Ripe Cuttings and Growing More Shrubs and Climbers in Summer: When it comes to propagating many garden plants, shrubs and climbers, especially evergreens, a reliable method for many is to take semi-ripe cuttings. The time to take cuttings is from late summer to early fall.
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Give dying perennials a new lease of life with the Hampton Hack: Pruning some early season perennials after they have flowered can help them produce more flowers or at least a crop of beautiful foliage. This is a trick gardeners often use in early July – the time of the RHS Hampton Court Palace Gardening Festival.
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Sow Biennials: Sow biennials this summer and look forward to their beautiful blooms next spring and summer. Most are easy to grow and beautiful, so the wait is worth it.
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Plant fall-flowering bulbs, such as colchicum and autumn crocus.
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Caring for Your Greenhouse: Greenhouses need special attention in the summer, when the sun and warm weather can raise the temperature under the glass. Here’s how to care for your greenhouse and keep your plants healthy during the summer months.
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Tomato Planting: Start tomato plants in July for a bountiful harvest in late summer, removing side shoots and fertilizing and watering regularly.
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Check your plants for aphids: Perhaps the most common garden pest, the general term ‘aphids’ includes many species of greenflies and blackflies that attack a wide variety of plants.
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Make sure plants are well watered in hot weather: In many gardens, plants depend on us to provide what they need – and you’ll need the right watering kit to do it.
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Leaf lettuce and fast-growing crops such as radishes, bok choy and mizuna can still be planted at this time.
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Harvesting zucchini
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Strawberry Breeding
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Summer Lawn Care: Once summer has arrived, lawn care can become more difficult, especially if there is prolonged dry weather.
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Feed your lawn: You don’t have to aim for a lush green lawn for your grass to benefit from a spring feed. Even if you just have a ‘normal’ lawn – mowed but not over-fertilised – your grass will still benefit from a nutritional boost.
