Late July Garden To-do List

If your garden is looking like it might need a little bit of love as the peak of summer draws closer and you’re worried you may have missed the boat in terms of creating a grassy haven upon which to enjoy the summer, fear not - there are plenty of simple jobs you can do to breathe some life back into your lawn and garden.

Although our British climate continues to be indecisive, we have seen some of the hottest days of 2015 in July so far, so it is important to keep your lawn and plants well hydrated – but don’t forget to be water wise – use recycled water where possible.

If you’re after a completely green lawn, use your sprinkler once a week, but follow the Royal Horticultural Society’s advice on conserving water. Place an open jam-jar on the lawn and leave the sprinkler running for sufficient time for 13mm (0.5in) of water to collect in the bottom of the jar.

According to the RHS, this amount of water will wet the grass roots sufficiently without wasting water.

Other key jobs for July:

• Unless there is a drought, regular mowing is a must, but remember that lawn growth slows through July, so raise the cutting height of your mower to 25mm (2”) as the month moves on.
• Keep your borders looking glorious; tackle weeds that are thriving in the sunshine by hoeing them out of the soil as soon as they emerge and deadhead bedding plants to ensure continuous flowering throughout the summer.
• Move plants from the conservatory outside, but remember to keep them watered.
• While the weather is dry, get outside and give any woodwork a lick of paint or preserver.
• And most importantly, July through to September, is the ideal time to apply a late summer ‘feed and weed’ to the lawn. To arrange this, simply contact your local GreenThumb lawn operative and ask them about our late summer treatment.

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