This Month in the garden

By Ronnie Ogier

Ronnie is a passionate gardener and now loves sharing her years of experience of success and failures in her own garden and sharing it with you. Also a keen runner, having been bitten by the ‘Couch to 5K’ bug!

We’ve had some good weather already, and judging by the forecasts, it’s going to be another hot summer. July is still a busy month with all the watering (hoping you have your water containers in use!) and dead-heading to be done. But do make time to sit back and relax so that you can enjoy all the hard work you’ve put in to achieve such a beautiful display!

Although this is a busy month find time to look at your garden, and congratulate yourself on your successes. When you walk round your garden take your camera and a notebook and make a note of your garden’s pros and cons to remind you of changes you

In the flower garden

● Cut back hardy perennials to encourage new growth and more flowers.

● Dead-head bedding plants, sweet peas and roses to encourage further flowering.

● Inspect lilies for the scarlet lily beetle whose larvae can strip plants in days.

● Mulch borders to retain moisture and keep down weeds. A really thick layer of mulch (5-7.5cm/2-3in) works best.

● Baskets and containers may need watering twice a day during hot weather. Remove faded flowers and feed regularly to promote flowering.

● Divide clumps of Bearded Iris so they will form roots and flowers buds for next year.

● Prune wisteria by removing the whippy side-shoots.

In the vegetable garden

● Keep tomatoes watered and fed. Pinch out side shoots regularly. If leaves look pale and yellow, feed with Epson salts.

● Apply a high-potash fertiliser on peppers, cucumber, aubergines, courgettes and tomatoes.

● Pinch out the growing tips of aubergines, squashes and courgettes.

● Young, small vegetables are much tastier then large old ones so pick them regularly, they’ll go on giving more vegetables.

want to make for next year. The garden year never stops and now is the time to order perennial plants for autumn delivery and bulbs for next spring.

Take the opportunity to visit other gardens to get ideas. There are so many beautiful gardens under the Open Gardens Scheme (www.opengardens.eu) and all the money raised goes to wonderful causes, so it’s a win-win!

Happy Gardening !

● Thin out the fruits on your fruit trees to produce good sized crops.

● Prune gooseberries, redcurrants and white currants.

● Maximise your fig crop by pinching out the tips of side shoots when they have five leaves.

● Check tree ties as tree trunk girth increases.

Looking after your lawn

● Reduce the cutting of your lawn but keep the edges tidy.

● Do not allow new lawns to dry out. However, you need to adhere to local water restrictions in your area. Check with your mairie if you are unsure.

● If your lawn is infested by ants, brush out the nests on a dry day. (Although the woodpeckers love them!)

In the greenhouse

● Open vents and doors daily to provide adequate ventilation and damp down the floor to increase humidity.

● Check plants daily, particularly those in Grow Bags. Water first thing in the morning or in the evening to reduce water loss through evaporation.

● Use blinds or shade paint to prevent over-heating.

● Hang sticky traps to catch flying pests.