Homes with flowering perennials urged to carry out crucial task to ensure new blooms
After very hot weather, the rain has arrived and replenished our thirsty plants. In the gardening calendar we are at the height of summer and enjoying the kaleidoscope of flowers that blossom in these months.
During summer, it's vital to encourage another flush of flowering in perennials with a fortnightly dose of high potash such as a tomato feed.
Nepeta 'Purrsian Blue' Nepeta is an undemanding perennial and quickly rewards with lots of flowers and scented foliage. It's ideal as a filler plant and looks lovely tumbling over the edge of a path. It comes after Brits are told to never put one banned item in garden bins as you could face punishment.
Here are my other jobs to do this week:
Encourage another flush of flowering in perennials with a fortnightly dose of high potash such as a tomato feed.
Bulb catalogues are out so it's time to think about what you will be planting for spring next year. Early spring bulbs will provide interest and colour in your garden in some of the toughest gardening months.
Glasshouses need damping down in hot weather and plants will get scorched if it's very sunny, so remember to shade where appropriate. Keep an eye out for pests such as red spider mite and order biological controls where necessary.
Raspberries and other summer fruiting berries can be cut out and new shoots tied in for next year. Dahlias and lilies may need staking as they achieve full height this month.
Lawn chafers or leatherjackets a problem? Now's a good time to treat the soil with nematodes. And keep an eye for scarlet lily beetle - remove by hand.
Make sure azaleas and camellias don't dry out as they are forming buds for next spring.
Here are some top plants for this time of year to spruce up your plot- easy to grow and with colourful flowers that will keep going until summer's end.
Nepeta 'Purrsian Blue' Nepeta is an undemanding perennial and quickly rewards with lots of flowers and scented foliage. It's ideal as a filler plant and looks lovely tumbling over the edge of a path.
'Purrsian Blue' is a cultivar that has the RHS Award of Garden Merit - it's compact and very floriferous. Its witty name refers to this plant's common moniker, 'catmint', because the aromatic foliage is said to be loved by them.
But if you want to give your feline friend a real treat, plant Nepeta cataria, also known as catnip. This is a white flowering nepeta and will have your cats rolling for joy in it.
A good chopping back when the flowers start to brown often results in a later fresh flush of flowers. Best grown in full sunshine in free draining soil. Scabiosa is the pincushion flower which describes its cushiony petals studded with white pin-like stamens.
'Butterfly Blue' is a gorgeous variety with purple-blue flowers from July to September. And it's a pollinator magnet, with the sweet scent and nectar rich blooms attracting butterflies and bees.
Grow in full sunshine in well drained soil. 'Summer Nights' is an usual wine-red variety to look out for. It's drought tolerant and a good cut flower.
Gerbera Garvinea 'Sweet Memories' is one of the hardier gerberas but will still need protection in colder areas over winter. Too much water will rot it so plant in well drained soil in a sunny spot.
It's a semi-evergreen perennial so will likely lose leaves in winter but will be reinvigorated in spring. Around a foot in height, it's ideal for a patio or balcony garden and the big cheerful salmon pink daisies will delight for many months.
Agapanthus will burst into flower from July onwards. Known as the African lily deciduous varieties are hardier here but we can also grow the evergreens with some winter protection.
Their beautiful spherical flower heads emerge like fireworks exploding. There are gorgeous blues from light to violet to dark to choose from - 'Midnight Star' is an award-winning deep blue.
They do well in coastal gardens, their sturdy stems swaying gently in the breeze. Dahlias are one of the biggest stars of the garden come August and September.
If you haven't any growing, I'd recommend buying some plants now. Look for ones that are yet to bloom and have plenty of buds - and plant up a large pot with several varieties.
They will stay in flower until early October and then you can protect with mulch over winter or dig up the tubers and store in a frost free area until next spring.
Current favourites include 'Cafe au Lait', a big blowsy decorative dahlia with creamy white blossoms and 'Honka Fragile' an elegant white star-shaped variety with a violet edge.
Plant of the week: Antirrhinum 'Appleblossom'
Better known as snapdragons, these delightful summer flowers are easy to grow and come in a range of cheerful colours. 'Appleblossom' has pretty pastel pink blossoms and makes a good cutting flower as it responds by producing more flowers. Grow in full sunshine in fertile well-drained soil.
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