Gardening Tips for July
Summer’s here at last. This probably means lots of watering, but fi rst, think about what you are watering. Most established shrubs will be fi ne without water – especially if you have mulched them earlier in the year.
Plants grown in tubs and baskets will need watering very regularly. It helps if you add water retaining crystals to summer containers when planting. Feed weekly when you water. Many vegetables are mainly water, things like cucumber, tomatoes, courgettes and the squash family, so will need a lot of water. Most other veg will also need water to help them grow. Beans will not set seed pods if they are dry. If lawns look brown they will soon recover when it rains. Make sure you save as much water as possible when it rains by installing water butts. Use grey water such as washing up water on things like hydrangea, which can look limp when it is very hot.
In the fl ower borders try to keep weeds under control. Bindweed will fi nd its way up by winding round stems. Try to unwind it, crush lightly and put into a polythene bag, spray inside with a systemic weedkiller and tuck it out of sight. The weedkiller will go back to the roots and hopefully kill it.
If you grow bearded Iris (the type that grows from a large rhizome) they should be cut back now. Cut the foliage down by half and older plants can be divided. The rhizomes should be planted in a sunny spot on the surface of the soil. Pinks and carnations can sometimes get rather leggy. Cuttings can be taken by removing new shoots and rooting them in a pot or they can be layered by pinning shoots down and covering with soil.
Prune June fl owering shrubs like philadelphus and weigela now. If bamboos develop fl owering shoots, remove them as they will weaken the plant. If you fi nd suckers at the base of roses or trees (they usually look slightly different to the main plant), remove them
by pulling them away from the stem, not by cutting as they will then regrow. Some
plants such as hardy geraniums
and delphiniums will benefi t from being cut back after they fl ower and may then produce a second fl ush.
In the greenhouse keep side shoots between the leaves of tomatoes pinched out or they will take over. When watering, feed them regularly. Once the plants reach the top of the roof, pinch out the top. If you are growing cucumbers, pick them before they get too big and the same goes for courgettes.
Berries such as gooseberries, blueberries and blackberries need water to fi ll them out and it will soon be time to harvest them. The fi rst potatoes can be harvested and carrots can be thinned out to let the others grow. Keep sowing small amounts of salad crops. Mixed salad leaf seeds can be sown in trays so that you can cut a little as you need them.
If you would like to see a good display of fruit, vegetables and fl owers come along to The Broadstone Horticultural Society’s Summer Show on August 11th in the War Memorial Hall, Tudor Road. There are also classes for cookery, fl oral art, photography and craft, so, if you would like to enter, schedules are available from the show secretary bhs-show@
outlook.com or 01202 697241.
Denise Hill Broadstone in Bloom 01202 951985
07711114537 l Fully Accredited NCFE Locksmith Engineer l No Call Out Charge l Competitive Rates (call for a free quote)
l 24 Hour Emergency Contact and Rapid Response
l New Locks Supplied and Fitted
matthewsparkes74@gmail.com www.landmarklocksmiths.com
26 To advertise, please contact 01202 657317 or email
karen@broadstonelink.co.uk Landmark
Locksmiths.indd 1 01/03/2016 17:03
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