Tasks for July

Tackle blackspot on roses as soon as you notice the ugly black lesions begin to spread across leaves. This nasty and very persistent fungal disease often takes hold in summer, particularly after long spells of damp weather, and it'll defoliate and seriously weaken your plants if you let it. Spray early on, before the disease gets a hold, and you'll [...]

Sow leafy greens for winter and you'll keep your supply of veg going well past summer and into the colder months of the year. Now is the time to fill a few seed trays with the exciting range of leafy winter veg available on our seed racks right now, giving them plenty of time to grow into big healthy plants [...]

Dry onions for store once the tops turn brown and start dying back - a sure sign they've done their growing and are ready for digging up and storing for winter. Onions store brilliantly for several months if they're dried well, so it's worth taking your time. The idea is to dry just the top layer of brown skin to [...]

The to-do list begins to ease off in midsummer, leaving you with more time to sit back and enjoy the results of all your hard work. Don't take it easy for too long, though - there are still a few jobs to be getting on with: General tasks: Trim hedges now that the birds have fledged. Avoid cutting conifers back [...]

July's plant of the month is the salvia, and there can be few plant families which offer more in sheer variety, from brilliantly colourful bedding plants for a quick splash of colour, to exotic-looking beauties and evergreen shrubs with fragrant leaves that make a useful flavouring for the kitchen. Sample just a few from the fine selection we have in [...]