July in the garden

by Graham Mitchell

July, the culmination of all your hard work, but not a time to completely relax. There is still plenty to do.

Deadheading can be a time-consuming task but can be quite an enjoyable as it gives you time to look at the plants closely, enjoying them but also looking for signs of pests. Removing spent flowers will divert the energy used to produce seedheads into general plant growth and encourage more flowers. Deadhead just under the flower, leaving the stalk. Most of the time you can just snap them off, no pruning required. Do remember though that seeds provide food for wildlife, so it is worth leaving some for them, especially the sunflower heads. Keep those birdbaths filled up for them too.

On these hot summer days, watering is a priority, especially with containers. Regular watering is essential but avoid the heat of the day. The water will just evaporate and can cause scorching to delicate leaves. Use rainwater wherever possible and remember that compost only has feed for a limited time, so a feeding regime needs to be in place. Even on hot days you can kill plants with over-watering, so check that drainage holes are clear, and pots don’t get waterlogged. If you go on holiday, remember to arrange a waterer, and it is a good idea to move pots into a shadier area. Your vegetable plot should be producing now. Regular picking of Runner and French Beans, Cucumbers and Courgettes is essential as this will encourage more to grow. Early picking means you get tasty young produce, so don’t leave your broad beans until they get large and tough. Look carefully at your Courgettes, it is amazing how quickly they turn into Marrows! Check the fruit and vegetable plants for pests like White Butterfly eggs and caterpillars on Brassicas and sawfly larvae on Gooseberries, before they do damage.

But most of all, enjoy your garden!

What do we mean by exotic plants?

It’s not unusual for those who love gardens to yearn for something that looks tropical or exotic. These plants remind us of holidays and help with a contemporary feel.

Tropical gardens

Bold foliage and dazzling flower colours can create a lush, dramatic oasis. Tropical plants can be used to create a framework for your garden and the spaces between can be filled with plants that provide complementary shapes and colours. Grasses such as carex and miscanthus work well, as do large-leafed evergreens including Fatsia japonica and ferns. Hostas can pop up during spring and summer, together with shade-dwelling brunneras, brightly-flowering crocosmia and day lilies in the sunnier areas. Japanese anemones are partial-shade lovers that fit in well for some latesummer flowers combined with interesting foliage.

It is possible to grow bananas (Musa) here in the UK, although they might need some winter protection. They can form huge statement plants up to three metres high and their tropical leaves can reach a length of two metres. It is rare for them to form fruit in the UK, but it is possible! Then there are the much- coveted tree ferns, Dicksonia antarctica, which are said to be some of the oldest plants in the world.

The iconic tropical forest trees are palms, such as Trachycarpus fortunei and wagnerianus, also known as windmill or chusan palms, Phoenix canariensis, the Canary Island date palm and Chamaerops humilis, the dwarf fan palm. These varieties have proved to be fairly hardy here in the UK, although they often sustain damage that needs to be tidied up in the spring.

Go for a lush, full appearance and consider using bamboo to screen out the constraints of your boundaries. Clumping varieties including fargesias are easier to maintain, but use a root barrier to be sure your bamboo won’t invade further afield.

Desert gardens

It’s not easy to create a desert garden within a country with high rainfall. However, if you have a south-facing, sheltered site and you prepare the ground adequately, it is not impossible. Desertdwellers need very free-draining soil of almost pure grit or sand. Plants will be those that store water, such as cacti, agaves and aloes.

You can use desert as your inspiration and be inspired by the Sahara, Gobi and Kalahari, creating a garden that has the atmosphere of this unique type of ecosystem. Ornamental grasses are a must for the desert vibe, with their sandy-coloured seed heads and narrow leaves. Yuccas are well-adapted to desert life and you can include perennials such as salvias, cistus, sedum and creeping thyme. Drought-tolerant plants often have silvery foliage and fine hairs on the leaves that help them conserve moisture. You will definitely not see a lush lawn in a desert!

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