Summer Planting
- Posted by:
- Admin
- Tags:
- Summer Planting
- Posted date:
- 04-03-2017
Summer Planting
Summer is the perfect time to plant half-hardy plants. This fills up spaces in flower borders with fast-growing annuals like morning glory and sweet peas.
If you have hanging baskets, you can plant petunias, black-eyed Susan and pansies to add colour to your garden. In case there is aphids or greenfly in your garden, you can wash them off using a dilute solution of dishwashing liquid.
Avoid spraying pesticides as it will kill not only pests but also other helpful insects and ladybirds. A lot of birds will eat pests and if you're lucky, you'll see them and watch as they gather food.
Prune forsythia, lilac and other flowering shrubs as soon as they finish flowering. If you have azalea and rhododendrons, don't forget to remove their seedpods. You should also spread shredded bark or compost around roses, trees and shrubs. Do this when the ground is moist to contain moisture during the warm weather.
Summer is the perfect time to grow various delicious vegetables in grow bags and large pots. If you planted early summer cauliflower and cabbages, you can enjoy harvesting them in June. You should also start sowing vegetable crops like courgettes and lettuce mix directly into the ground.
Beans, spinach and rocket are perfect choices for beginners as they are easy to grow. If you have vegetable patches, it's the perfect time to left autumn-sown onions and shallots. You can also plant fall and winter cabbage as well as broccoli. You can also start sowing spring cabbage, Chinese cabbage and spinach beet.
By July, you can relax a little as your summer bedding is now at its best provided that you've done what is right. The plants will need a lot of water. So make sure to save all grey water or old wash water and water them early in the evening or morning to ensure that they get enough water.
Reduce half of all perennials that have finished flowering. If you're fortunate, doing so would encourage more flowers to grow later on. Get rid of weeds and check for pests and cut non-flowering shoots of climbers and shrubs. Faded heads should be removed as well.
Prune fruit trees and use netting to protect fruits from birds. Check the netting regularly to see if there are no birds trapped inside.
If you have a greenhouse, you should also watch out for plant diseases and pests. Spray or fumigate the greenhouse. Take cuttings of heliotropes and fuchsias and continue feeding flowering pot plants. Sow calceolarias and cinerarias to prepare for spring planting.