Peak Summer Gardening Tips: Key Tasks and Insights

With rising temperatures, gardens are reaching their peak vibrancy. Tissue paper irises are flourishing, sunflowers track the sun, and sweet peas emit a captivating aroma. As outdoor dining becomes more frequent, there are important gardening tasks to tackle.

  1. Deadheading: Regularly remove faded flowers to promote continuous blooming of roses and hydrangeas.
  2. Propagation: Now is the time to propagate strawberries and prepare for autumn by planting flowering bulbs.
  3. Lavender Care: Lavenders, with their colorful flowers and aromatic leaves, require minimal water and are drought-tolerant. They attract pollinators and benefit from regular clipping.
  4. Sweet Peas: Feed sweet peas frequently and remove seed pods to extend blooming.
  5. Roses: Neil Miller, head gardener at Hever Castle & Gardens, recommends summer care to ensure prolonged blooming. Tackle powdery mildew with a milk-water solution and manage pests on veggies using full-strength milk.

Additional tasks include:
Grapevines: Weekly watering enhances fruit quality. Protect clusters from birds using paper bags.
Harvesting: Harvest vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants, and cucumbers in the morning.
Tomato Cloning: Clone plants by layering stems under the soil or taking cuttings to cultivate new plants.

For questions and further gardening tips, contact Joshua at [email protected].