Monthly Advice for July.

July: You and the garden should be in full bloom this month as summer annuals, perennial, pot plants and roses reach their prime. Your plans made in the dark winter evenings have all come to fruition and you feel a warm glow of satisfaction...Then you decide to desert your garden and go on holiday for two weeks!

Holiday Tips: If you are planning on leaving your garden for a well deserved holiday, and you don't have a neighbour who can pop in regularly when you are away, then there are a few steps you can take to help it cope with your absence.
lawn: Make sure you mow the lawn just before you go. If when you get back it has turned into a field then don't panic. Raise the blades of your mower and 'top it', lowering the blades gradually each each time you mow until the lawn is back to its normal height. Monthly Lawncare Guide.
weeds:If you have been putting off weeding then now is the time to do it. If you don't those small unassuming weeds will take advantage and will be a much bigger problem when you get back. Hoe out weed seedlings and if you haven't already use a mulch to surpress them. Mulch Materials.
pots: will dry out very quickly if left unattended for even a short period of time. An automatic watering system can be installed which consists of tubing with adjustable nozzles that is connected to an outside tap via a timer.automatic watering . Another method is to use water storing granules which are mixed with the compost in the pot and help retain moisture. These can be added to already established pots. Grouping your pots together can help protect them from the drying effect of the wind and putting them in a shady part of the garden while you are away may help. Pot Mover Put metal containers at the back of the group to avoid them heating up and burning the roots or wrap some material such as sacking around them.
houseplants: Hardier houseplants will benefit from being outside while you are away again in a shadier part of the garden.
security: Don't forget to lock up all your tools and equipment (especially ladders)and secure gates and sheds.

Deadheading: To keep the garden blooming you need to remove the dead flower heads to prevent them turning to seed. This can be done on larger flowers with a pair of secateurs or for smaller plants with an abundance of small flowers, such as Aubretia ,use a pair of shears.

Feeding: A good feed for flowering plants is Tomatoe Feed. Use it on annuals perrenials and pot plants.

Roses: Feed roses with a rose feed and spray to prevent mildew, rust and blackspot. Look out for greenfly and wash off with a hosepipe or use an appropriate pesticide.

Pruning: Cut back new growth on Wisteria to about 150 cm(6 in). This can be done every two weeks during the summer which will increase the number of buds and produce more flowers next year. However one prune in the summer and one in the winter will suffice. Keep buxus (box) in shape by trimming new growth and cut back the new growth on Pyracntha (firethorn) to prevent it masking the berries. Clip spent lavender to prevent leggy growth.

Ponds:.Remove blanket weed (algae) from ponds. This can be done simply by twisting around a stick and pulling it out. Pile it up next to the pond before you remove it ,if you can, to give any inhabitants that may have got caught up a chance to find their way back into the water. Remove dead leaves from water lillies and dead head flowering marginals. If your lillies are suffering from aphids or water lilly beatles then spray them with water from a hosepipe to knock them off.

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