Time To Enjoy Summer In The Garden

Cut lavender for drying, choosing newly opened flowers for the best fragrance, then hang up in a cool, dark place.

Give dahlias a liquid feed, keep them well watered and tie the shoots of tall varieties to sturdy stakes as they grow.

Hoe and hand-weed borders often, so weeds don’t have time to set seed.

Water and feed sweet peas regularly, pick the flowers every few days, and remove seed pods to prolong 

flowering.

Plant autumn bulbs, including nerines, colchicums and sternbergia, in pots and borders.

Feed, water and deadhead summer bedding regularly, in pots, borders and hanging baskets.

Cut back early summer perennials, such as hardy geraniums and delphiniums, after flowering for 

a second flush.

Take softwood cuttings from shrubs such as pyracantha, cotinus,hydrangeas and spiraea.

Feed and deadhead roses to keep them flowering strongly.

Keep watch for pests such as lily beetles, snails, aphids and vine weevils, and remove before they do too much harm.

Sow biennials, such as foxgloves, honesty, forget-me-nots and  wall flowers, for blooms next year.

Top up bird baths, ponds and water features during hot weather

Water new trees, shrubs and perennials planted in spring, to help them through dry spells

Keep mowing lawns regularly, but raise the cutting height to leave the grass longer during dry weather

Water hanging baskets and patio containers daily, in the morning or evening.

Deadhead bedding plants, sweet peas and annuals every few days to encourage more flowers