You've spent months carefully preparing your garden for summer. It's filled with colourful blooms, and you'd like it to stay that way. Or, perhaps, some plants are starting to look jaded after a spell of hot, dry weather. To maintain the momentum you've worked so hard to achieve, or revive tired plants, here are five easy ways to keep your summer garden flowering profusely until autumn.
1. Water & Feed
Drought-stressed plants will react by ceasing flower production to conserve energy. They may also start to shed leaves. To preserve their youthful exuberance and prolong their flowering period, most summer-flowering plants will benefit from judicious watering. We all know the drill, but the most important thing to remember in midsummer is to soak, not sprinkle. You want plants to develop deep roots, so give them a long drink from a watering can, directing it directly to the roots, rather than waving a hose around indiscriminately. A light sprinkling will do more harm than good, as it encourages roots to develop close to the soil surface, where they will continually dry out and require more water.
Most bought-in composts contain only enough nutrients to support plants for 4-6 weeks, so if you planted containers in May and it's now July, chances are your plants need a fertility boost. Unless you are growing acid-loving plants, in which case, use an ericaceous plant food, use a general-purpose plant food to promote vigorous growth and produce more flowers and fruits. The key nutrient for flower production is Potassium (potash), so look out for feeds that contain a high percentage, such as tomato foods or liquid seaweed. If you haven't fed your flowers before, you will see the results very quickly, often within 7 to 10 days. Plants such as dahlias, gingers, cannas and brugmansias can't get enough food, so they relish a dilute liquid feed every time they are watered.
2. Stake
One of my many mottos is 'stake early and stake well'. After sustained periods of fine weather and diligent watering, annuals and perennials can become tall, soft and liable to flopping over in heavy rain or high winds. The trick is to support them before they topple over, which may cause temporary damage to the plant and obstruct pathways. It's not often that you can restore their beauty and natural form once they've collapsed, so act early, and new growth will quickly disguise whatever nets, canes, sticks, and metal stakes you choose to use. If your plants need tying to their supports, always use a soft twine that won't cut into tender stems and harm them.
3. Deadhead
Most flowering plants are on a mission to produce seeds to perpetuate their kind. Once they've fulfilled their mission, they are inclined to stop blooming and focus on surviving until the next flowering season. To keep flowers coming and preserve a neat appearance in your garden, it's a good idea to remove spent blooms at least once a week using a sharp pair of snips or secateurs. Take care not to remove unopened buds and cut just above a leaf node, from which new flowers will often emerge. The 'deadheads' make excellent compost. If you hope to collect seeds or want to leave decorative seed heads in place for winter, this is a job you can skip, although it may shorten the plant's flowering period.
4. Trim Back
Early summer-flowering plants, such as delphiniums, lupins, Oriental poppies, alchemilla and hardy geraniums, can look tired and untidy by July. Once their first blaze of glory has dimmed, take a pair of shears to their lower quarters, cutting off all the foliage and flower stems 5-10cm above the ground. This practice, which may feel like butchery, is sometimes referred to as the 'Hampton Hack' since it coincides with the Hampton Court Flower Show in early July. Add the clippings to your compost before feeding and watering the remaining tufts of green. I always recommend using this opportunity to incorporate a slow-release fertiliser, such as blood, fish, and bone, which will continue to nourish your plants for the rest of the season.
5. Mind the Gaps
By midsummer, it's almost too late to sow summer-flowering annuals. Still, there are a few, such as cosmos, linaria, zinnia, sunflowers, and nasturtiums, which will germinate quickly in warm soil and flower towards the end of the summer and into autumn. There is no shame in visiting your local plant nursery or a plant fair to purchase fillers - we all do it - but choose carefully and don't be enticed by plants that aren't suitable for your situation. Avoid plants that are already in full bloom, as they're likely to 'go over' more quickly - select plants in bud or that are yet to flower instead. Once you get new plants home, ensure they're well-watered until you're certain they've established themselves.
If you follow these simple tips, many summer-flowering plants will continue blooming until the first frosts, and you'll have many more weeks to reap the rewards of your hard work.
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