July ; Holding your nerve - a gardener's Waterloo.

It's a tough, merciless world out there in the garden.

"Hold your nerve" came the deep voice from behind me. I thought I was in a battle of Waterloo scene from one of the many recent documentaries.

"Don't spray, don't interfere and don't fret". 

I couldn't argue with the seasoned gardener whose own veg patch was a testimony to years of virtuous gardening. "Let the ladybirds deal with the aphids and the frogs deal with the slugs..."

I also noticed rows of Calendula and Marigolds adorning beds where pesky pests might chomp their way through tasty produce to distract them from their dinner. Clever.

To my astonishment and delight I have begun seeing ladybirds in action all over the place though another friend tells me in disappointed tones that her frogs "don't like the slugs in her garden". Maybe they are the French ones. My friend is also going to build a pond to nurture different frog's spawn and some "insect houses" to provide shelter for overwintering insects. A sort of Holiday Inn for homeless bugs. 

But when not getting down to a bug's life there are other ways to spend your time in the garden this month;

• Trimming evergreen hedges (including conifers). Don't use hedge trimmers on broad leaf hedges such as Prunus Laurocerasus as you will end up cutting the leaves in half often leaving the remainder to die back in a rather ugly manner.
• To get the best out of your fruit trees and bushes try to water them regularly. If you can add mulch around the base ( straw or chippings or similar) and water outside sunshine hours the moisture will last a lot longer.
• Dead-head roses. This will encourage new blooms later in the season. Cut back to the next "node" or joint.
• Compost heaps benefit from being "turned". This increases the oxygen levels thereby encouraging bacterial activity. Some moisture helps too; I add a watering can or two in very dry weather.
• Use liquid fertilisers with a high potassium content on fruits and flowers to get the best out of them. Tomatoes, showy plants such as Dahlais and roses all respond surprisingly well to this.

And finally - if you have ever despaired of ladybirds taking a liking to your garden (and your aphids) you can always resort to using soapy water or old washing-up water. A squirt of washing -up liquid into your watering can is all you need. The soap and detergent clogs up the aphids "breathing" holes in their bodies so they suffocate. 

I told you it was a tough, merciless world out there. Better have un petit bier.