As warm weather continues across the UK, gardens have erupted into vibrant colour. To ensure your outdoor space looks stunning next year, it's essential to invest effort now. Many beloved plants will flourish more abundantly with careful attention during this period. Noah Mabey, Senior Gardener at Thornbridge Hall and Horticultural Advisor to Platinum Splash, shares his expert recommendations for maintaining the garden this month and guaranteeing it blossoms again next year.
He said: "As we head into July, the garden is truly in full bloom. It has been an absolutely fantastic year for roses, and with a little bit of careful maintenance this month, we can keep the spectacular show going right through the summer."
Roses
During warmer months, it's vital to stay on top of rose bushes. Noah said: "Keep deadheading diligently. When a rose flower fades, don't just snip the head off, cut the spent stem back to a healthy set of five leaves. This tricks the plant into pushing out another flush of gorgeous blooms."
Wisteria
To manage the shape and flowering of wisteria, now is the ideal moment to prune it back. Noah explained: "July is the perfect time for a summer wisteria prune. By now, it has likely sent out long, grabby, whippy green vines. Cut these unruly shoots back to about five buds to control the shape and encourage better flowering next year."
Herbaceous Perennials
If geraniums or other early summer perennials have completed their initial flowering period, now is an ideal opportunity to trim them back. Noah said: "Cutting them back hard now will encourage fresh foliage and a second wave of flowers."
Sweet Peas
These blooms respond exceptionally well to frequent pruning. According to Noah, "the more you pick, the more they grow." He explained: "Keep harvesting the flowers for your indoor vases and snip off any spent heads before they go to seed to keep the blooms coming."
Topiary
Give topiary hedges a trim now to refine their outlines and maintain their appearance throughout the remainder of the summer.
Fruit Trees
If you have fruit trees in your garden, you may have observed they can occasionally produce excessive amounts. This month presents an excellent chance to prune them. Noah explained: "If you see large, congested clusters of fruit, thin them down to just two or three healthy fruits per cluster. This ensures the tree channels its energy into growing larger, healthier fruit rather than a crowd of tiny ones."
