8 jobs to do in the garden in July as temperatures soar for another heatwave – the best ways to keep your space healthy and productive
Set your garden up for a productive month – even in the heat!
It’s officially July, and according to the weather forecast, it’s going to be a hot one.
This year’s July garden jobs are centred around keeping plants, grass and wildlife hydrated, with other supportive measures that ensure healthy, productive growth. There’s a focus on keeping our gardens cool in heatwaves, too – and thankfully, there are more than a few ways to do that.
Here are the top jobs to do in the garden in July to ensure your plants thrive in hot, dry weather.
What you'll need
This sprinkler is ideal for keeping a lawn well-watered.
One of the best organic mulches on the market to conserve soil moisture.
Keep a pair of snips handy for deadheading and pruning tasks.
1. Keep on top of watering
One of the most important July garden jobs is the most obvious one: watering, watering, and more watering. You’ll need to be extra attentive when it comes to watering container plants in July.
‘Water new and young plants heavily and regularly throughout July to encourage the formation of deep and strong roots,’ says garden expert Sarah Raven. ‘If plants are showing signs of mildew (especially calendulas, courgettes, and roses), water well during dry spells.’
Sarah also recommends mulching when the soil is wet to conserve moisture. RocketGro Peat-Free Magic Mulch is highly rated on Amazon, and it works to suppress weeds and enrich the soil with nutrients, too.
For established, hardier plants and lawns, there isn’t quite so much urgency – and if your area is affected by a hosepipe ban this July, you’ll need to be extra careful about how you use water.
‘Containers, greenhouses and some vegetables can’t be allowed to dry out, but established plants and lawns rarely suffer lasting damage from drought, and they have their own mechanisms to cope with water shortages,’ says Topher Martyn, head gardener at Syon Park.
2. Support tall perennials
Watering isn’t the only way you can support plants in July – you’ll also need to keep an eye on tall or heavy flowering perennials like dahlias and chrysanthemums and find the best plant supports for them.
‘Ensure your perennials are propped up with stakes as by the time dahlias and chrysanthemums are at their peak height, autumn wind and rain will be on the way,’ says Sarah. ‘Dahlias are best supported in a triangle of canes, while chrysanthemums perform best when tied in and supported.’
I'm ordering these bamboo canes for my tomato plants, but they're perfect for the likes of dahlias and other tall flowering perennials, too.
3. Look out for wildlife
Wildlife needs a helping hand in hot weather, too, and simple additions like a bird bath (I’ve got my eye on this Home Bird Bath from Argos) can make a huge difference to visiting birds, mammals and insects.
‘If you have a bird bath in your garden, keep it topped up with fresh water and make sure to clean it whenever it starts looking grubby,’ says Nigel Lawton, plant buyer at Dobbies Garden Centres.
It’s also worth knowing what to feed birds in the summer, since they’ll still be feeding their young this month.
‘While food sources are less scarce for birds in summer, supplementary feeding is always necessary,’ says gardening and wildlife expert James Ewens from Green Feathers.
‘It’s one of the busiest and most demanding stages of their lifecycle, so responsible feeding is essential. Just keep away from foods that spoil quickly in heat, ensure you regularly clean your bird feeders, and use hanging feeders rather than flat ones.’
James recommends nutrient-rich foods that birds can easily digest, like mealworms (these Pet Ting premium dried mealworms are Amazon's Choice). There are certain foods you should never feed birds, though, like bread and kitchen scrap.
4. Plant drought-tolerant plants
There’s a long list of things you can plant in July, but with more heatwaves on the way this month, it’s worth looking at drought-tolerant plants as a starting point. They’re more likely to survive the heat and continue on as normal in dry weather.
‘There are many ways that we can all ensure we are being considerate of the environment whilst also maintaining the beauty, colour, and joy of our outside havens.,’ says Sarah. ‘One of the simplest things you can do is to introduce drought-tolerant plants to keep your garden looking lively and vibrant without the need for excessive watering.’
Sarah recommends the likes of lavender, pelargoniums and verbena for a beautiful, climate-resilient garden. I've got my eye on purple top verbena, which you can buy from Crocus. If you’re a vegetable grower, there are even drought-tolerant vegetables that thrive in hot weather.
5. Deadhead plants
Deadheading is a simple skill that’ll grant you longer flowering displays and healthier plants – and July is the prime time to do it.
‘Regularly deadhead your bedding, container, and basket plants, and any other repeat-flowering perennials to enjoy a longer display of blooms in your garden,’ says Nigel from Dobbies Garden Centres. ‘This is also a great way to keep your garden looking great during the summer months, as it gets rid of any wilted or dying flower heads to make way for new ones.’
A simple pair of garden snips like these Spear & Jackson Garden Snips from Amazon is ideal for this July garden job.
6. Cut back long-flowering perennials
Besides deadheading, many long-flowering perennials benefit from being cut right back in July. It might sound counterproductive, but it’ll actually encourage the plants to produce a second round of blooms.
‘Most long-flowering perennials such as Geranium pyrenaicum 'Bill Wallis' and Geranium x johnsonii 'Johnson's Blue' finish blooming in summer,’ explains Sarah Raven. ‘With that in mind, cut them right to the ground and water generously to encourage a second flush of flowers and foliage.’
7. Feed fruiting and flowering plants
July is a productive month in the garden, since flowering plants are often at their peak and fruits and vegetables are busy developing harvests. To get the most out of them, though, it’s worth feeding your plants.
‘Your flowers may benefit from a liquid feed, particularly your container plants, roses, and our outdoor Plant of the Month, dahlias,’ says Nigel from Dobbies Garden Centre.
Roses are the ideal candidate for July feeding, actually, and Sarah Raven advises us to ‘Feed roses after the first flush of flowers to encourage more. Use a rose food or straightforward, well-rotted manure. Intersperse rose beds with other plants such as nepetas and salvias to help reduce the spread of disease like black spot.’
Companion planting ideas are a staple in my garden – they really can keep pests at bay during the hotter months of the year, and if this year's heatwaves are anything to go by, it's better to get defences in place now.
8. Weed beds, borders and lawns
If your lawn, beds or borders are rampant with weeds right now, you can thank the warmer weather.
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to get rid of weeds fast, or even recover a lawn from weeds if they’ve already taken hold of your garden. My lawn was covered in dandelions, but GARDENA's weed puller, which you can order from B&Q, has been helping me keep on top of things (at speed!).
‘Weeds thrive in dry, warm weather, so continue hoeing any weeds around your beds or vegetable patches in dry weather, as this gives you the best chance of not allowing them to re-root,’ says Nigel from Dobbies Garden Centres.
Add these July garden jobs to your list to keep your garden healthy and productive in whatever heatwave the weather next throws at us!
