Action for JulyBorders
Jobs that give instant results
Fill gaps in your border
Fill spaces in borders
If there are spaces in your border where early flowers have finished, fill them now to keep your displays looking good for another couple of months.Canna, fuchsia, cosmos, pelargonium and Verbena bonariensis are all good options
Or sow some quick-growing hardy annuals – they’ll flower where they are sown. Try cosmos, nigella, amaranthus or California poppies (Eschscholzia).
Fill next year’s borders for free
Collect foxglove, poppy and hollyhock seeds from ripe seed pods. Sow them now, in pots or trays in the greenhouse, for planting out next spring.
Do these jobs now; reap the rewards later
Keep deadheading
This encourages plants to produce more flowers instead of seeds, and keeps your plants looking their best.
Tie in climbers
Clematis and roses will have put on plenty of new growth that will need to be tied to trellis, arches, fences and walls. Train the new growth diagonally or horizontally to encourage more flower buds.
Trim hedges
Collect seeds from plants such as hollyhocks
Now's the time to trim hedges of the following:
- beech
- Berberis darwinii
- blackthorn
- box
- laurel (cherry, Portugal and spotted)
- elaeagnus,
- hawthorn
- hazel
- sea buckthorn
- hornbeam
- holly
- Lawson’s and Leyland cypress
- Lonicera nitida
- philadelphus
- privet
- weigela.
Use secateurs instead of shears on elaeagnus and laurels, as their cut leaves will turn brown and look unsightly.
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