July in the Garden
The summer bedding plants have put on rapid growth, and are colourful already. Many of our herbaceous plants that started to flower last month are still going strong too, as are our David Austin Roses. These shrub roses flower continuously all summer especially if deadheaded.Deadheading is important for many plants during the summer to ensure constant flowering. Some early flowering perennials can be cut down to ground level immediately after flowering, and will produce fresh new growth and some extra flowers too. Alchemilla mollis and Geranium are two that we find respond particularly well. We also give the same treatment to the Chives in our herb beds.
The main emphasis in July is more on weeding, watering and feeding, especially if the weather is dry and hot. It is also the correct time now to take softwood cuttings - scented leaf pelargoniums, deciduous shrubs and half hardy perennials all root quickly for us at this time of year, and give us a few extra plants to pass on to Hotel residents.