Summer is progressing
July has been one of the hottest months of the year so far and it’s a great time to sit out and enjoy the garden with the benefit of long light nights.
I can hardly believe it is exactly five years since I began to plan and plant my courtyard garden, just look at it now.
In My Garden
July is a brilliant time for your garden or allotment (if you are lucky enough to have one!) – abounding with delicious edible produce, and beautiful scented flowers for cutting for your kitchen table or to create bunches for friends.
In Your Garden
Much as I love basking in the glory, it’s not that easy, as these July jobs mean a gardener’s work is never done.
Keep perennials looking good by regularly dead-heading and you’ll enjoy a longer display of blooms.
Make sure you keep new plants well-watered.
Hoe off weeds which thrive in the sunshine.
Give shrubs and trees the once over. Prune back the spring flowering shrubs and clip back evergreen hedges providing birds are not still nesting.
Provide water for the birds by keeping the bird bath toped up. Its thirsty work raising chicks. If you don’t have a bird bath, just put some water in a large plant pot tray and place in the garden. The birds will find it.
Give woodwork a lick of paint or preserver, while the weather is dry.
And don’t forget you can also harvest edible flowers to add colour to your salads. The following flowers are all edible and will look good in your garden as well as giving added flavour to the plate.
Calendula, the pot marigold. Pull off the petals and sprinkle over salads.
Borage – the flowers and young leaves both have a slight cucumber taste and the flowers are good in “Pimms”.
Chives – you are probably used to using the leaves but the flowers are good added to salads for a light onion taste.
Nasturtiums. The flowers have a peppery taste so should be added to salads lightly.
Courgette Flowers. These are good either stuffed with cream cheese or deep fried.
Violas. The miniature varieties are best with a lovely delicate flavour which you can add to salads or use for decorating cakes and desserts.
Lavender, the flowers can be used to make a tea or they can be used in biscuits and cakes.
French marigold, these flowers have a spicy tang and add colour to salads and rice dishes.
