July 2006

Relax and enjoy the long warm evenings of July by wandering around the garden while taking in the sights and the scents of the flowers. The white flowers stay visible the longest as darkness falls with the scents at their strongest after sundown.

Many of the early-flowering herbaceous varieties are now looking a bit untidy as they produce their seed. Unless you want to start raising more plants from seed, you should cut back the growth to just above ground level. This is especially important for short-lived plants such as lupins, which last only a few years and even shorter if left to go to seed.

As soon as the last flower has faded, the spikes can be cut back and with the help of a general fertilizer and a good soak the plants will produce fresh young leaves. If it stays warm they may even produce a second crop of smaller flowers as a bonus.

Having carried out this drastic pruning method, bare patches may have appeared in the borders! This is where you would strategically place pots of tender perennials like dahlias or even pots of lilies or annuals as temporary fillers.

If you are unsure of which herbaceous to prune then look down into the crown of the plant to see whether there is a fresh growth of leaves, if so cut the old leaves back to the new growth. Plants with a single stem at the base such as penstemons should be lightly trimmed.

Another job to consider is dividing the clumps of daffodils. If you have noticed that some of your daffodils did not flower this year then it is because the bulbs have multiplied and become overcrowded. This has resulted in them competing with each other to the point where they go ‘blind’ and refuse to flower. Lift large groups and divide them into individual bulbs which can be dried and stored until the autumn, or replanted immediately.

Looking after clematis can be overwhelming because of the different types of pruning needed but here is the simple method. If the clematis flowers before the end of June then prune after flowering by shortening the side shoots back to 2-3 buds off the main framework of branches. If flowering occurs after June, then prune in the autumn (or February in colder areas) by cutting it back to a thick bud 15cm from the ground.

Keep cutting your lawn at a higher cutting setting to stop it looking brown in these dry times! Give the lawn an extra feed in the autumn just before the rain is forecast and it will soon green up again.

Keep harvesting your fruit and vegetables as they ripen as this will encourage further production to keep you in good supplies. While ambling around the garden, don’t forget to deadhead your perennials and roses as you go, your plants will reward you with a longer flowering period.

Plants for July are Lonicera ‘Dropmore Scarlet’, Phlox paniculata varieties and Lavatera species. Happy Gardening!

Contacts
The regular "In the Garden" features for Monkey Magazine are written and researched by Cat Wilkins. If you have a comment, or would like to make a suggestion for possible future topics, please feel free to email her by clicking on this link: Cat Wilkins