July

General

Continue weeding.

Continue deadheading.

Continue watering in the dry spells, just before your holiday give plants a thorough watering not during the heat of the day.

Continue to tie in new shoots of climbers; train horizontally to encourage new flower buds.

Give hanging baskets, patio pots a liquid feed unless you mixed in a slow release fertiliser to the compost.

When going on holiday move your pots to a shadier place to prevent drying out too quickly and ask a neighbour to help water - offer to reciprocate.

Planting and Pruning

Lift and divide May and June flowering irises if congested. Prise the rhizomes into smaller sections. Trim leaves to 15cm to reduce water loss. Replant bearded irises with the rhizomes exposed and bearded iris 2.5 – 5cm deep.

Cut back Alchemilla mollis including flowers and tatty leaves, the foliage will rejuvenate providing the ground is kept moist.

Cut back new shoots of pyracantha do not remove flowers or emerging fruit.

Cut back euphorbias, when flowers have gone over. Cut stems back to the first side shoot that has not flowered. Avoid the sap as it can be an irritant.

Keep all hedges in shape particularly fast growing species, Leyland cypress and Lonicera nitida.

Lawn

Lawn maintenance;

Cut the grass before you go away.

During dry spells raise the height of mower blades so grass is cut no shorter than 2.5cm.