July - keeping it all on track

July - keeping it all on-track.

You may have had enough of watching the national sides slide out of competitions........I certainly have !

So - turning to more predictable sources of inspiration, July is a month for keeping everything that has shot in to life as happy as possible.

Watering; Apart from simply getting enough moisture to new and existing plants you may well have plants that have not flowered or shown any vitality for years. A client asked me over recently to look at his rather sad looking Wisterias; a simple watering with a soluble plant-feed was enough to prompt the Wisterias into new life .......and bring a smile to the owner.

Soluble fertiliser acts so much faster than other forms as it goes directly into the plants "system" with the plant having to do less work to make it usable. It is a bit like an intravenous drip.

Try this with plants that have not done much for years and if you add mulch around the base this will help keep the moisture in and the weeds out. Weeds will not only take moisture but will use up valuable nutrients too. (By the way - if you make a habit of putting down slow-release fertiliser at the base of every plant every spring your efforts will be well rewarded. Even better if you can add a mulch such as well-rotted manure).

Lawns; can start to look very brown over the next few months but when you water them or any plants, try to avoid doing so in direct sunlight. Leaves and lawns can end up looking "burnt" as the water drops act as a magnifying glass to the sunlight. Apart from this, the soil and plants retain the moisture better in the cooler hours. And remember the tips about setting the mower at the right height......! (See the June blog)

Dead-heading; There is no great science to dead-heading your roses. Doing so will encourage a second flush later in the season as the energy of the plant is going into producing new flowers rather than swelling rose-hips. The trick is to dead-head the rose back to a strong nodal point - in other words - where several leaves are shooting from. This will ensure good growth.

Climbers; Vines, Roses and all other climbers can go a bit wild and crazy in this weather. Cutting off excessive lateral (side) growth will, again, re-direct the energy of the plant into producing better fruit or flowers rather than more foliage. More on that at a later blog...........

If the TV sport has become unbearable (.... or those watching it have!) then step outside and take a deep breath. It is quite amazing how, even in a suburban situation just how much fragrance there is in the air at the moment.

Honeysuckle, Mock Orange, Jasmine, Roses................who cares about the sport?!