King Charles' gardener's 'important now' tip for gardens this July
Jack Stooks, who is senior gardener at Highgrove gardens, has shared his monthly checklist
July is the perfect month for those wanting to keep their gardens in tip-top condition, but it can be a challenge knowing what tasks need doing and when. Whether you're an experienced gardener or a novice, we all desire our gardens to look their best during the summer months - and thanks to King Charles' senior gardener, Jack Stooks, there's plenty to do to ensure your outdoor space thrives this month.
To assist you in maximising your garden's potential, the expert - who has spent over two decades working in the Royal gardens at Highgrove - has shared his top tips on plant care and maintenance. In his monthly checklist provided to Betway, he advises that now is the time to deadhead any flowers and plants to encourage new growth.
He further noted that gardeners should also feed and water their gardens during the warmer weather to maintain their appearance. Alongside his plant advice, Jack also provides guidance on which fruits and vegetables to harvest and how to care for your lawn in the summer heat, reports Devon Live.
Flowers and plants
Jack advised: "Now is the time to be doing any deadheading of plants. If you have any annual plants, you want to keep those fresh flowers coming - you don't want them to go to seed, as they won't produce many flowers. If you are doing that, you also want to be giving the plants feed and water to keep them as healthy as possible. Cutting back can be done now as well, so when you are looking at a border and things have gone too far over, you can trim those bits back."
Garden maintenance
Jack said: "Mulching beds is important now. If you are doing border work, this will keep the moisture in and suppress the weeds. Watering should obviously be done throughout July and we should look towards autumn and what plants you might want to plant. Now is also a good time to be staking plants, any tall flower heads that you don't want to lose you should stake those and tie them in."
He added a tip for lawn care during warmer periods: "In hotter weather, you don't need to cut your lawn as short as you normally would. For example, if you cut it into a three, you might want to take it up to a four or a five depending on how you like it to look. You can do it regularly but don't scalp the grass, especially when it's dry, it can look a little bit yellow but it is nothing to worry about because it will come back. If you have ponds and lakes in your garden, it's a good time to be doing maintenance and clearing, if you have any big weeds that have grown you can clear those out to make space."
Fruit and vegetables
Jack said: "You want to start picking things that are growing in your garden. Right now, you might have courgettes or tomatoes that are coming up so you want to pick those. Any salad crops can be harvested now, and you want to constantly keep these cut because you will help the plant keep going. Any potatoes can be picked, as can runner beans, all the beets and any early raspberries."
House plants
Jack said: "House plants shouldn't need anything excessive. I would say carry on as normal unless there is an extreme temperature change and they start to wilt then you know to give them a little more attention and water."
