Summer Gardening Quarterly Update
Whether your summer garden is a small haven or a larger landscaped space, it needs maintenance all year round. In the summer months, the warmer (and wetter) weather means that everything starts to grow and come alive. That means you need to stay on top of it.
But which jobs should be your priority? Here’s our guide to summer gardening.
Summer gardening jobs to do in June
May is the month when you’ll see your garden starting to flourish. The main job is to get your garden ready for the summer. After all, you want everything to look amazing for all those summer BBQs.
Maintain your lawn
Now is your chance to sow lawn seeds if you need to. If you have a healthy lawn already, you’ll need to mow it weekly and trim the edges to keep it looking neat and tidy.
Get planting
Plant summer bedding plants like Begonias and Geraniums to add a beautiful burst of colour to your garden. You should also re-pot any container plants in bigger pots so they have plenty of space to grow.
Watch out for pests
Birds and insects have not long been out of hibernation and they’ll be hungry. Your garden is full of tempting treats like seeds, fruit bushes, roots, and leaves. That’s why protecting your plants from pests is an important part of summer gardening. Use natural pesticides to keep insects at bay and protect fruit bushes with bird netting.
Prune shrubs
Prune any shrubs that flowered in the spring to keep your garden looking neat and full of life.
Give bulbs some nourishment
Put some organic fertiliser on any bulbs you’ve planted to help them flourish.
The weather usually heats up in June, so it’s all about looking after your plants. Let your mantra become ‘weed, water, feed’.
Feed your plants
Feed container plants, bedding plants, hanging baskets, and vegetables with fertiliser to help them thrive.
Bring indoor plants outdoors
If you have any summer flowering house plants, now is the time to take them outdoors and let them enjoy the sun. You won’t be missing out, it just means you’ll have more beautiful blooms to enjoy in your summer garden.
Summer gardening jobs to do in July
In July, you’ll need to manage all the beautiful growth that’s happened thanks to the sun and downpours.
Get weeding
You’ll need to weed your garden regularly now.
Carry on feeding
Give any container plants and hanging baskets some liquid fertiliser to help them stay healthy.
Cut back your summer garden plants
Cut back plants like geraniums after the first flowers have died to encourage them to flower again. Make sure to tie any climbing plants to a support so they grow healthily as they get taller.
Water everything
As the heat rises, one of the most important summer gardening jobs is watering the plants. Make sure you focus on plants like bedding plants, seedlings, and new plants that are at risk of drying out. Try to water your plants early in the morning or evening-avoid the hottest part of the day.
Be vigilant about pests
Managing pests can be one of the most challenging things about summer gardening. Check plants for signs of problems like blackspot, a fungal/bacterial disease that affects roses. Treat this with a combination of fungicide and insecticide.
Your summer gardening pond tip-tops
Rake overgrown plants and algae from ponds, and if it’s hot, top up the water level.
Look after your lawn
If your lawn is looking parched, don’t mow it. You don’t need to worry about watering it, dry patchy lawns tend to recover quickly.
Brighten up your garden
Summer gardening isn’t all about the plants and shrubs. Make your garden a true haven by giving your sheds, fences, and garden furniture a new lease of life too. A lick of paint or a good clean up can make all the difference.
Summer gardening jobs to do in August
August is the month to start tidying up your garden as summer plants start to die off.
Greenhouse summer gardening
Pick veg you’ve been growing in your greenhouse like tomatoes, peas, and marrows.
Prune back any plants that have finished flowering
Plants like Lavender will have finished flowering by now, so prune them to keep your garden looking neat and tidy.
Keep mowing and watering your summer garden
These two jobs are an important part of your summer gardening regime. Continue to mow your lawn at least once per week. If the weather is hot and dry, raise your mower and cut the lawn higher. This will protect the soil, help the lawn retain moisture, and keep pesky weeds at bay.
We hope we’ve inspired you to get out and help your garden thrive this summer. If you’d to read more tips and interesting articles, check out the rest of our blog.
