After months of preparation the gardens are now beginning to look their best with the bedding schemes and hanging baskets a blaze of colour. To keep plants in peak condition make sure dead flowers are removed regularly and that plants are fed with Miracle-gro, Phostrogen or Maxicrop liquid fertilizers. Geraniums and begonias can cope quite well in dry weather but most bedding plants do need to be kept well watered and this is particularly important with plants growing in window boxes and hanging baskets. If you plan to go away on holiday ask a friend to water your favourite plants or visit the garden centre where there are a variety of automatic watering systems available to purchase. Perennial plants in the garden rarely need to be watered provided that roots are encouraged to run deep and that good mulches of bark chips or organic matter are applied to help conserve moisture in the soil. Make sure that the greenhouse is shaded and kept ventilated in hot weather. There are reasonably priced automatic ventilators on sale which do help in hot weather. Water plants regularly in the greenhouse, especially tomatoes. The fruit of tomatoes is ruined by blossom end rot if plants are not watered at regular intervals. The humidity can be increased by watering the concrete path in the greenhouse. Keep up with the weeding in the vegetable garden and feed and water as necessary. Keep a constant watch for slugs and make sure that cabbage white caterpillars are removed from brassicas and nasturtiums. Regular sowings of salad crops should be kept up throughout the summer months. Now is the time to sow wallflowers so that plants will be ready to plant out in the autumn. As soon as the raspberries have fruited, the old canes should be cut out and new canes tied in their place. Autumn fruiting varieties are left until later in the year. Hedges will need to be trimmed and lavenders can do with a light trimming now. Regularly cut the lawns in the summer but in hot dry periods do not cut the grass too short and never water established lawns. The use of a mulching mower does help to keep lawns from drying out in hot weather. Roses should be sprayed with Multi-rose or a fungicide to help prevent black spot, mildew and rust. At the same time spray hollyhocks and campanulas against rust. Roseclear spray can be used to control insect pests but next year this spray is to be improved so that it will also control all the rose diseases as well. Make sure that bird baths and ornamental ponds are topped up and feed roses and perennials with Toprose or Vitax Q4 fertilizer from time to time. Before the end of August the spring flowering bulbs will be on sale but they should not be planted until well into the autumn. Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 6-11July, tickets 0844 581 0764. Tatton Park Flower Show 21-25 July, tickets 0844 338 7526.
Terry Simmonds