WE SAID IT WAS COMING. WE SAID IT WAS COMING.
What a gorgeous summer we’re having, mainly because it’s going on for more than a couple of weeks (unlike last year). With no signs of letting up yet, and a couple more heatwaves in store if you believe the weather messiahs on ITV, we need to curb our enthusiasm and practice some care in the garden.
July is normally pretty busy anyway, as warmth and light gets everything excited, but this one’s going to be bigger than usual.
Weedin’ ‘n’ Feedin’
No luck in the weed race yet, you still need to keep your wits and hoe sharp. Continue your crusade, as this weather puts both the good and bad greens into overdrive.
You can increase your feeding now, especially with seasonal patio displays and baskets. Give them a fertiliser shot each week, and make sure that you’re dead-headin’ bedding plants to invite more blossoms.
Water
The hottest day on record normally falls in July, despite what most think. Water is more important this month than any other, so make sure you’re being generous. If you’ve followed our advice and used water butts to catch that slightly acidic delicious rainfalls, here’s where it’ll all go. Bedding plants, leafy veg, seedlings and young buds are the ones you need to keep a close eye on. They’re going to want to dry out unless you have your way, so make sure you’re out there first or last thing to make sure your water soaks deep into the soil. Watering during the hottest part of the day might be pleasant for you, and seem like a cooling kindness for the plants, but that water is just evaporating before it gets chance to penetrate.
Pesky Pests
There’s a whole bunch of pests which are at their most active during a warm summer. Your roses are going to be particularly under fire (blackspot, mildew, rust) this month, along with other susceptible blooms which give you a sore back year round. Make daily sweeps of the garden and check both sides of leaves for pests and eggs.
To Mow, or Not To Mow?
From weekly mowing in June, to not mowing at all in July. What’s going on?
There’s a big difference between warm, and hot/dry. It doesn’t look like we’re not going to see much rainfall this month, so let the lawn grow another inch to give it some protection from the sun. If you can’t resist, at least raise the height of the cut on your mower. Don’t worry when you see brown patches, it’s going to be happen and it’s going to recover. Sit on your hands and keep the hosepipe coiled. We’re watching…
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