Watering
First things first. Watering is crucial at this time of year. There’s no two ways about it. Happily, we’ve put together a very handy one-off guide for watering in a heatwave. These techniques and approaches can also be applied during generally warmer weather but are particularly useful when it’s unexpectedly hot. Take a read here.
Mainstays
These are jobs that are always worth thinking about, but well worth paying special attention to in these warm summer months to keep things looking splendid.
Feeding: With planting using lots of energy to produce flowers and seeds, it’s worth giving them a feed every third water or so (this is what I do on my balcony anyway). Using a watering can, dilute a splash of tomato feed into your watering can full of water, and water as usual at the base of each plant so that the feed goes direct to the roots. Candidly, I’m sure there are better, specific feeds that can be used plant by plant, but I’ve always just used tomato feed and it’s never let me down.
Deadheading: Removing the spent/dead flowers from plants is a great way to improve the remaining display as the plant redirects energy towards it from the spent flowers, and also extends the display as the plant will want to continue producing flowers and seeds as part of an ingrained survival instinct. Geraniums, Astratia, Lupins, you name it.
If a plant is chucking out flowers, remove them as they fade to keep things looking better for longer.
Summer Pruning: After they finish blooming, prune early summer-flowering shrubs such as Forsythia, Lilac and Viburnum. This will help to maintain their shape, and encourage bushier growth, as well as promoting even better flowering next year.
Pest Patrol: Keep an eye out for common pests like aphids gathering in the crooks of leaves. Treat them with organic methods like a spray of very dilute soapy water to help keep your shrubs healthy and vibrant.
Someone to lean on: Tall plants like Delphinium, Thalictrum, Hollyhock and Sunflowers can benefit from a structural support – especially if planted in a windy area. Propped or tied loosely to the stem of the plant, a structural support can be a lifesaver, and will avoid heartbreak if you’ve been enjoying watching your taller plants spring up through the first half of the year.
Plant focus
A selection of summer jobs for specific plants from across our range of themes.
Lavender: Prune right after flowering
Featured in: The Med theme
As soon as your lavender spikes fade from vibrant purple to a dull grey-brown, cut the flowering stems back by about a third. Be sure to stay in the green growth and avoid cutting into old, twisted wood, which won’t regenerate. This keeps your Mediterranean plants compact and prevents them from becoming leggy.
Hardy Geraniums: A delayed “Chelsea Chop”
Featured in: The Classic & Cottage themes
If your hardy cranesbill geraniums (like Geranium ‘Rozanne’) are starting to look a little untidy or floppy by early July, shear the entire plant back to ground level. Give them a good drink, and within a fortnight you’ll have a flush of fresh, bright green foliage and a second wave of late-summer blooms.
Stipa tenuissima: “Comb” out the dead thatch
Featured in: The Med & Classic themes
To keep this airy, flowing grass looking its best, do not cut it back in the summer. Instead, put on a pair of rubber gardening gloves and gently run your fingers through the grass like a comb to pull out any brown, dead thatch. This keeps the clumps looking fresh, blonde, and ready to catch the summer breeze.
Heucheras: Snip spent flower spikes
Featured in: The Classic theme (and Shady Corner plant collection)
While heucheras are loved for their bold, colourful foliage, their delicate summer flower wands can look messy as they die off in July. Snip the faded flower stems right down at the base of the crown to tidy up your shady beds and push the plant’s energy back into creating lush new leaves.
Salvias: Deadhead to the next side bud
Featured in: The Med & Cottage themes
To keep your Salvia nemorosa or Salvia ‘Caradonna’ pumping out flowers all summer, follow the faded central spike down to where two new side buds are emerging and make your clean cut just above them. This forces the side buds to rapidly branch out and bloom.
Ferns: Remove tattered fronds
Featured in: The Classic theme & shady problem solvers
By mid-summer, some of the older, lower fronds on shade-loving ferns (like Dryopteris) can start to look a little tatty, brown, or wind-damaged. Snip these damaged fronds off at the very base to allow the crisp, architectural new growth in the center to take center stage.
Verbena bonariensis: Chop back tall, broken stems
Featured in: The Med & Cottage themes
These tall, architectural beauties give amazing height to a border, but sudden UK summer storms can snap them. If any stems break or start leaning too heavily, chop them back by half. They will quickly branch out from a lower leaf node and produce smaller, sturdier flowering heads.
Hydrangeas: water deeply at the base
Featured in: The Classic theme
Hydrangeas have a massive leaf surface area and transpire moisture incredibly quickly during dry spells in June and July. If they dry out, the dramatic flower heads will crisp up instantly. Water them deeply twice a week at the base rather than sprinkling the leaves, especially if they are planted in pots or planters.
Pittosporum: Give a light summer shape-up
Featured in: The Classic theme (as a centrepiece shrub)
To keep your structural Pittosporum looking crisp and neatly rounded, give it a light trim with clean shears in July. Avoid pruning past late July, as any fresh new growth triggered by the chop needs time to harden off before the autumn frosts arrive.
Gaura: Cut back early spikes by half
Featured in: The Med & Classic themes
If your Gaura “Whirling Butterflies” is starting to look a bit sparse or leggy by mid-July, cut back the oldest flowering stems by half. This encourages fresh, dense branching closer to the ground, keeping the plant compact and loaded with its signature delicate white and pink blooms well into autumn.
