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Five Garden Jobs for July

For many gardeners, July is the most lush and colourful month in our gardens.  It is probably also the month when we start harvesting our fruit and veg in earnest, too.  Depending on the weather, it tends to be a month of watering and deadheading to keep everything looking and producing its best.  Here’s to those long lazy days of summer – a few at least! – and here are some jobs for the days when you’re not feeling quite so lazy.

In the flower garden

colourful flower bed

Plants that are flowering now will appreciate regular water and perhaps a liquid feed to keep them looking good. And keep deadheading to ensure the plant puts effort into producing new flowers rather than seeds.  For example, sweet peas will reward you with more flowers the more you cut; if you missed a few blooms that are now turning into seed pods, snip them off to ensure more flowers.

If you are lucky enough to have lavender in your garden, now is the time to pick some of the stems for drying.  Choose newly opened flowers and pick early in the morning if you can, then hang them in a cool dark place to dry. 

Run a hoe around your beds and borders regularly as weeds will be quick to establish at this time of year.  It’s good to get into the habit of watering hanging baskets and pots regularly as they will dry out much more quickly than anything in the ground. Unless we’ve had some really heavy rain, try to water in the morning or evening at least every other day; your hanging baskets will appreciate it if you can water daily.

In the fruit and veg plot

tomatoes

Much like flowers, our cropping plants will enjoy regular water and food at this time of year too. Much of what we grow – tomatoes, beans, courgettes, soft fruit – are made up largely of water so you are likely to get much larger, juicier crops if you keep on top of it.

Watering is also an opportunity to regularly check for pests, like aphids or cabbage white caterpillars. Most of these can be dealt with through organic means, like squirting with a solution of washing-up liquid or garlic spray, but just picking them off with your fingers (if you’re not squeamish!) can be as effective as anything.

If you’re coming to the end of your broad beans, cut down the stalks but leave the roots in the soil if you can.  As they decompose, they release valuable nitrogen into your soil, which will help feed next year’s crops.

In the greenhousepalmenhaus greenhouse

If we have some really warm weather, our greenhouses can quickly become too hot at this time of year.  Remembering to open the doors and vents on fine days will help improve air circulation and hopefully prevent things overheating.  If you need additional cooling, try adding some fabric for shade or watering the floor.

Because it can get so warm and because they never get rained on, the plants in your greenhouse need extra attention when it comes to watering.  Again, it’s best to water early in the morning or later in the evening, when conditions are a little cooler; this helps reduce evaporation, ensuring more liquid gets to the plants.  If you’re going away and don’t have a friendly neighbour willing to pop in and water, think about installing an automatic watering system to take care of it for you.

Your trees and shrubs

plum tree

If you had lovely blossom on your fruit trees this spring, you can hopefully now see small fruits forming in its place.  It seems counter-intuitive but now is a good time to thin out some of those fruit, to ensure a better quality and size of crop overall.  Reduce clusters of fruits down to the two or three healthiest looking, removing any that looked mis-formed or damaged (they can go on the compost). The fruits that remain are likely to grow bigger without being crowded by competition.

If you have just planted trees or shrubs, remember to keep watering them, too, while they become established.  And July can be a good time to trim conifers, hedges and any topiary.  It’s possible that some birds are still nesting so please check before you start but trimming for shape now can keep hedges looking good well into the autumn.

Indoor plants
cactus

Don’t neglect your houseplants when it’s warm!  Some would recommend a weekly feed at this time of year but certainly weekly watering and perhaps a spritz of mist to keep them moist and refreshed. On fine days, most houseplants will enjoy being moved outside for some fresh air and dappled sunshine.  It’s a good idea to water them outside in the evening, allowing them to drip dry before you move them back indoors; water the whole plant, leaves as well, with a sprinkler rose as it helps to rinse the dust off.

If you are feeling green-fingered, now is a good time to take leaf cuttings from houseplants to grow more.  Plants which propagate well from leaf cuttings include African violets, streptocarpus and Begonia rex. Gardeners’ World have a great guide on how to do this.

Finally, of course, don’t forget to spare a thought for our garden friends too. Keep bird baths and water features topped up to ensure insects, hedgehogs and birds all have plenty of ways to stay hydrated. Perhaps think about making a bee bath in a shallow dish too: more details on how to do that here.

More for your garden this July:
What to plant now – Hemerocallis and Echinacea
Preparing your garden if you’re going on holiday
How to care for your garden in dry weather
Your guide to keeping your summer bedding flowering for as long as possible
Our tips to enjoy an outdoor lifestyle

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N. Haggard 20 September 2022

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say how delighted I am with my new garden.

Jon, my designer, listened to my ideas and delivered on everything I asked for. I wanted something different to any garden I’d had before, no lawn, no landscaping but packed with plants. He designed such a lovely secret garden, around a statement tree. And I have to commend him for his unwavering patience! I changed my mind a hundred times but never did he give me the impression that he was losing patience with my endless indecision. And my confidence in him led me to place an order for over £10k.

My landscaping team, Blade and Tony, were exceptional, from their work ethic, skill and knowledge, to the way they dealt with me, the customer. My standards are very high and I couldn’t fault them.

All in all, a very professional team of people. And it showed that they all care. I’m over the moon with the finished result. I will send you a before and after photo. Thank you so much.

A delighted customer.

G. Gray. May 2022

My front garden has been transformed by Andy and Bradley who both worked incredibly hard and I am delighted with the result. Andy had the vision and skill to turn my idea into reality and I can't thank him enough.

C. Haig Sept 2021

We recently had our garden landscaped by Hambrooks and I just wanted to pass on my thanks, not just for the outcome - which is superb - but for the professionalism of all the staff involved on the job who are all a credit to you company. Mike, Dave, Les and Adam.

H. Sharp Sept 2021

I just wanted to let you know how delighted I am with my new garden. Melanie was a delight to work with and the ideas she had have worked perfectly. Also Sheldon laid the patio beautifully and him and Dave were a pleaseure to have at my house. Quiet workers and polite.

B. Rendell April 2021

I would like to say how delighted we are with the work carried out. Mel, Paul and Tony all worked very hard, they totally took on board the specific need relating to safety as well as the general garden issues. Paul and Tony were excellent at consulting and discussing with me what I felt best in terms of the brief and adjusting if and as necessary, constantly pleasant and polite to deal with. Mel had picked up on particular issues from the first consultation and offered valuable advice. The outcome means a great deal less worry for me going forward.
Altogether a very positive experience and outcome which I would not hesitate to recommend to others.

Stephen March 2021

Dom and Adam's work (garden maintenance) is greatly appreciated. Dom really listened to everything we discussed very carefully and went out of his way to understand and then act upon that discussion. We are extremely pleased with the work done - both to the pond and pyracantha.

Marsha

We have been coming to Hambrooks for years and it's our favourite garden centre because of its friendly helpful staff and a great selection of plants and trees and the garden design ideas.

“We wanted to write and say how pleased we are with our low maintenance garden makeover. We are very impressed with the attitude of your staff who were prepared to listen to our requirements. Your team John and Rick brushed up and left everything tidy at the end of the day. We now have a garden we can manage and it looks great. THANK YOU HAMBROOKS.”

Mr & Mrs Venables, Southampton. April 2019

“Dear Josh & Mike We just want to say you both did a brilliant job of designing our garden along with the guys who did the work who were amazing. A few weeks on its looks even better now some of the plants are blooming. Thank you!!”

Mr & Mrs Gazzard, Winchester July 2019

“To James, John & Rikki. Thank you so much, we are delighted with our new garden. We really appreciate the attention to detail, the high quality workmanship and the standard of the finished project. We are amazed at how John & Rikki resolved the difficulties of the site and by the quality of their craftmanship. It was a pleasure to work with them and thank you for making our ideas into something we will enjoy for years to come.”
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