Hydration is key with the weather being hot and dry
What a summer we’ve had! Not only has the weather actually been warm, but our gardens have been spectacular. Roses, Philadelphus and hardy geraniums, along with many other popular plants, have flowered their socks off, and crops of soft fruit have been enormous. Some of this is thanks to the lack of rain, which so often flattens flowering herbaceous plants and allows rot to set into sodden blowsy blooms. Of course this unusually dry spell has had its drawbacks too, causing hydrangeas to wilt, lawns to shrivel to a sandy brown and some disappointing yields in the vegetable plot, but I must admit that I’m happy to put up with the extra watering.
Should the weather remain warm and dry, then watering will obviously remain top priority. Evening is the best time to give plants a soak and those in pots and under cover will likely need daily attention. Anything in the soil that has been planted this year, or that you expect to produce a harvest, will need a really good soak regularly – how often will depend on the weather and your soil. Moisture loving plants, such as ligularias and hydrangeas, could also be in desperate need of watering, as will shrubs initiating their flower buds for next year now, such as rhododendrons and camellias. Keep a close eye on your plants and water anything that looks in distress before lasting damage is done: anything that is except the grass. Its dishevelled appearance may not please you, but I like to call its current shade “African savannah”, safe in the knowledge that here, as there, green will quickly return along with the rain.
I must admit that I’m happy to put up with the extra watering
Deadhead roses, penstemons, dahlias, bedding plants, and as many other plants as you can, to prolong their displays. Hebes and lavenders can also be trimmed back after flowering to keep them tidy and compact. Prune climbing and rambling roses when their blooms are over, unless they repeat or produce ornamental hips. This is also the time to prune the long, gangly shoots of wisteria back to about six leaves, to help keep their growth in check and encourage flower formation.
Harvest plums, tomatoes, courgettes, sweetcorn and perhaps peppers and chillies from the kitchen garden this month, while remembering to finish pruning walltrained apple, pear and plum trees. Raspberry canes that have finished fruiting should also be cut back to the base. Strawberry runners can be transplanted now, or new plants introduced, if you’re expanding or moving your strawberry patch. Just be sure to keep everything that is newly planted well watered.n