Gardening expert Monty Don has shared a crucial gardening task that should be carried out in July to ensure beautiful and vibrant blooms in the autumn months. The renowned horticulturist and BBC Gardeners' World host emphasizes the importance of cutting back early flowering perennials to the ground to encourage fresh regrowth and repeat flowering.
Key July Gardening Task
Monty Don advises: "Early flowering perennials such as oriental poppies, delphiniums and hardy geraniums such as G. phaeum, should all be cut back to the ground to encourage fresh regrowth and repeat flowering in a couple of months' time." He explains that this practice "creates space for tender annuals and perennials in the border."
The gardening expert further recommends: "Remove all cut material to the compost heap, weed around the base of the plants, water if necessary and do not plant too close to them so that they have light and space to regrow and flower again at the end of summer."
Hedge Cutting and Meadow Care
Monty also provides vital advice for hedges: "By the end of the month birds have all fledged and left their nests, so hedge cutting can begin, bringing back a crispness to the garden that restores a sense of vitality and provides a framework for late-summer shagginess in the borders."
Regarding wild flower meadows, Monty suggests that most can be cut back without issue by the end of July. The most crucial step is to "remove all the grass, raking up every last piece to compost, so that it will not enrich the grass and thus limit next year's wild flower display."
Monty's July Reflections
Discussing the splendour of July, Monty writes on his personal gardening blog: "In the fields around Longmeadow hay is made at the beginning of the month and the crops are ripening fast. Harvest is coming and the year is balanced upon its seasonal turn. Despite the long, hot days there is a sense of using every precious moment of summer before it slips away."
By following Monty Don's advice, gardeners can ensure their gardens deliver colourful displays and stunning blooms in the autumn period.
