With high summer upon us and the weather heating up, fruit and vegetable plots are overflowing with ripening crops, and many plants will need regular watering during dry periods. July is a good time to cut back perennials that have finished flowering, such as Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii and Geranium phaeum, and add more plants to fill any gaps. Biennials can be sown this month and autumn-flowering bulbs planted in borders and containers. Keeping on top of deadheading helps displays to stay looking fresh and encourages more flowers.
Monty shares advice on jobs to do in the garden in July, in this collection of clips from BBC Gardeners’ World, including tips on looking after container veg, potting up fuchsias and adding agastache and gaura to the borders.
Cutting back the spring garden
The spring garden has now finished flowering, so Monty cuts back vigorous plants like Geranium phaeum and cow parsley, while taking care not to damage other plants, such as hellebores and tiarella, beneath the taller foliage. This leaves space to add more plants to the borders later in the summer.
Growing vegetables in pots
By July, Monty’s vegetables in containers are growing well. In this BBC Gardeners’ World video clip, he explains the difference between cut-and-come again and hearting lettuce. He also shares tips on growing courgettes and leeks in pots, and removing sideshoots from tomatoes.
Potting up fuchsias
Monty pots up a range of fuchsias to go in the greenhouse, in this BBC Gardeners’ World clip. He shares his tips on what conditions they prefer, what compost they require, and how best to look after these colourful plants when growing them in pots under cover.
Pruning euphorbia and planting perennials
Monty cuts back the Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii in the dry garden now that it has finished flowering, taking care not to damage the new shoots. He fills the gaps in the borders with perennials grown from seed like Agastache ‘Rose Mint’ and Gaura lindheimeri (now reclassified as Oenothera lindheimeri).
