Gardening Calendar - July to September
July
· Wooly Aphids may be visible on apple and pear trees as a white fluffy coating. Treat early with insecticide.
· A lot to harvest in the vegetable patch, spinach, peas, beets, carrots, salads and potatoes etc.
· Pick courgettes before they become marrows.
· Sow spring cabbage, turnips, chicory, fennel and Autumn/ Winter salads.
· Stop tomatoes leaving 4 or 5 trusses
· Prop up tall perennials such as Lupins, Delphiniums and Gladiolus if not staked earlier in the season.
· Liquid feed containerised plants and keep well watered in dry spells.
· Autumn flowering bulbs such as Autumn crocus colchicum can be planted now.
· Dead head flower borders regularly to prolong flowering.
· Most perennial weeds are best dealt with in the summer when they are in active growth. Dig out or spray with glyphosate taking care to protect plants you want to keep.
· Water and feed house plants as necessary feeding every one or two weeks.
· Ensure newly planted trees and shrubs do not dry out.
· Mow lawn regularly except during drought, raising cutter height as the month progresses.
· Remove dead foliage and blooms fro aquatic plants.
August
· You can still sow quick maturing salad crops such as summer lettuce, radish, rocket, sorrel chicory and fennel.
· Water tomatoes regularly to prevent splitting.
· Don’t neglect hanging baskets, dead heading watering and feeding will help them last till Autumn.
· Cut back foliage and stems of herbaceous plants that have already died back eg Dicentra.
· Don’t cut flower heads off ornamental grasses, they will provide winter interest.
· Prune climbing and rambling roses that do not repeat flower or produce attractive hips, once the flowers have finished.
· Water houseplants freely when in growth.
· Powdery mildew can be prevalent at this time of year treat with suitable fungicide.
· Hyacinth and paper white daffodil bulbs can be planted now to flower at x-mas.
· Prune wisteria and shrubs such as Pyracantha after flowering.
· Hebes and Lavenders can be given a light prune after flowering.
· Browning of the lawn is very common at this time of year, don’t water the grass unless absolutely necessary it will green up when the · Autumn rain arrives.
September
· Pick apples and blackberries for use in pies and desserts.
· Remaining outdoor tomatoes should be picked by the end of the month and ripened indoors.
· When asparagus foliage turns brown it is time to cut it down, watch out for the spines.
· Buy spring flowering bulbs, for the best results try to plant daffodils by mid September . Tulips are best left until mid November. Remember there are many bulbs to choose from, Muscari (grape hyacinth) Chionodoxa (glory of the snow) Scilla and crocuses are all possibilities.
· Continue cutting back perennials that are fading and dying back.
· Buy and plant primulas and wallflowers.
· Plant up containers with Amaryllis bulbs and prepared hyacinths for a x-mas display.
· Start to reduce watering on houseplants.
· Keep early flowering shrubs such as camellia and Rhododendron well watered during dry periods to ensure good flower buds next spring.
· Climbing roses can be pruned once they have finished flowering.
· Clear all dead leaves from the garden as rotting leaves can be a source of disease in the garden.
· Think about Autumn lawn care including scarifying, aerating, and top dressing. Apply an autumn lawn feed high in potassium, do this after scarifying and aerating but before applying the top dressing.
· Cover the surface of ponds with netting to collect falling leaves. Clean up patios and hard surfaces to get rid of moss and algae. Doing this job now will prevent them becoming slippery during winter.
