Garden Notes for July 2023.
In order to keep the wonderful flowers going it is worth the trouble to go round and ‘dead-heading’ by taking out the flowers that have gone over. This will encourage new growth and keep a continuation of colour in your garden
July should be the time when everything starts catching up and roses will need feeding early on in the month, after they have finished their first flush. Outdoor chrysanthemums will also benefit from a feed, preferably one with a high potash level.
Multiply your strawberry plants by pegging down the runners, but only one plantlet per plant and remove the rest of the runner, if you want good new plants.
Fuchsias need a lot of water, don’t let them dry out too much. They will also benefit from a regular feed of a balanced fertiliser. Camellias need to be watered regularly and fed so that the emerging buds are sustained through autumn and winter.
Towards the middle of the month watch out for blight on your main crop potatoes. It used to be that you would spray them with a good fungicide designed for the job nowadays the principle is not to spray so if you can catch it early enough remove affected leaves as soon as possible. Early crops of new potatoes should be cleared away and the haulm disposed of to prevent spreading disease.
Any flower heads that appear on spring-sown parsley should be removed as soon as possible as they will prevent leaf production which is what you want.
Dahlias need to be disbudded if you want top quality blooms. Keep an eye on them and feed with a fertiliser, as they are very hungry feeders.
The best time for propagating many shrubs is at the back end of July. Cuttings of half ripened wood of shrubs like forsythia, ribes, escallonia and weigela can all be taken. Pull off the shoots with a heel of older wood, trim it neatly with a sharp knife and insert them into a box with sandy soil. Shade from bright sunshine, and next year you will have a whole lot more shrubs.
Do keep going with all your Show Day plants. Remember to look in your free Schedule to know what is required for the Judges to examine, and come along on Saturday 19th August for the best day of the year. Also do not forget that you have to register your entries by Wednesday 16 August.
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