Greenhouse and House Plants
- Continue watering and feeding all indoor plants regularly.
- Give plenty of ventilation on sunny days, a little less on dull days to keep the temperature up.
- Watch for greenflies and red spider mites which can build up dramatically during this period.
- Remove excess shoots of a grapevine every couple of weeks to keep it under control and tie in new shoots that are needed for extension growth.
Fruit, Vegetables and Herbs
- Weeds in the vegetable garden should be controlled by hoeing or hand-weeding before they get away.
- Make any repeat sowings that are necessary to ensure a late-season supply of fresh vegetables.
- Spray against apple scab disease if there is prolonged wet weather, because the fruit is now starting to swell.
- Begin to use vegetables as soon as they are large enough, such as fingerling carrots, because this helps to spread out the supply that can otherwise peak in a short period.
Lawn
- Many lawns, especially those on light soil, suffer during a dry spell. These always recover with adequate moisture.
- Lawn weeds, such as clover and dandelions, can be killed now – lawn weedkillers work well in warm weather if the soil is moist.
- Edges should be trimmed to leave them neat, especially now as the grasses have shot out flowers.
- If lawn growth is poor, and the soil is moist enough, give ‘the lawn’ an application of lawn fertiliser but make sure not to use too much for fear of scorching the grass or causing too-rapid growth.
Flowers
- Control weeds in flower beds with a hoe and by hand-weeding.
- Make sure that all containers are given liquid fertilizer every two or three weeks, at least.
- During hot days, containers can dry out very rapidly and it is essential to water every day in some cases, especially with well-fed lush plants that are used to frequent watering.
- When the plants cover the top of the pot, rainfall is never adequate as it is likely to run off.
- Sow wallflower seeds for plants to set out in October.
Trees, Shrubs and Roses
- Check all young trees, shrubs and roses for signs of drought.
- In dry weather, any plant put in during the past year might struggle for moisture as they may not yet have rooted out into the soil properly. Young hedges can be affected very quickly and standard trees too.
- Early summer shrubs, such as weigela, broom and deutzia, that are finished flowering should be pruned now if this is necessary. If there is room for them to grow, they should be left to make size.
- Spray roses for blackspot and leaf spot but only if the foliage is wet for a full day or two at a time.
