Flowers, Shrubs and Climbers, Plus the Greenhouse at the End of July
Monday, July 12th, 2010The flowers in your garden never leave you alone for a minute, and it’s now the time to sow annual carnations in the border or over-winter and flower there next year. At the height of summer the white, grey, grey-green and pale shades of colour come into their own, and gardeners who appreciate the cool look should make a note of the santolina, cineraria maritima, the white-green zinnia, and the light-as-air gypso-phila, that are more restful to the eye than the hot sunset shades.
Moving onto your garden shrubs, heather can be trimmed back and mulched with peat. Cuttings inserted in sandy soil, placed in a cold frame facing north will root well in July and August.
Roses should be fed to encourage the last flush of bloom.
Cuttings of many shrubs can be taken at this time of year, and side shoots that include a small heel of hard-wood from the branch, should be inserted in a pot of good soil with a high sand content, and then found a shady place.
Evergreens do not respond well to the knife, and should only be cut back if trespassing on others or straggling, and in truth the majority are best trimmed in the spring.