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Prolong the flowering of summer bedding plants and Roses by carefully 'deadheading' to remove the seed box behind the flower as well the petals.
Roses can be pruned to lower buds to encourage further flowering.
Use the edible flowers or petals of Calendula, Nasturtium,Viola and Hemerocallis (Day Lily ) to add colour to summer salads and Borage, Rose and Dianthus for summer drinks and deserts.
Maintain a regular supply of salad leaves by sowing short rows of Mixed salad, Mizuna, Beetroot, Radish and Swiss Chard sown now will provide foliage over Winter.
If you have run out of space for climbing plants, make a feature using 1x6' and 2x3' trellis panels erected at right angles to offer aspects to all corners of the compass. Plant a Jasmine in the East corner, a Clematis on the West, a climbing Rose on the South and a Honeysuckle in the North corner.
As crops are harvested at this time of year this is a good time to prune.
Reduce leaders by one third and laterals to 5-7cm.
Attract butterflies and beneficial insects such as Hover flies and Bees by planting any of the following in a sunny spot in well drained soil. Buddleia, Echinacea, Rudbeckia, Eryngium, Hardy Geraniums, Penstemons, Lavender and Osteospermum.
Prune the long shoots on Wisteria to about 20cms and laterals on trained Apples and Pears to 15cms. The canes of the summer fruiting Raspberries that have been cropped can be cut out to allow the new canes to develop and to allow air to circulate.
Set up yellow sticky traps in glasshouses to monitor the presence of whitefly, thrips and aphids. If vineweevil is suspected on container plants use Vineweevil killer as a drench or a biological control using nematodes (Nemasys).
Yellowing between the veins of the leaf may be due to Magnesium deficiency which may occur where high Potash feeds are being applied. Symptoms may be seen on Tomatoes and Raspberry etc. Apply Epsoms salts (magnesium sulphte) as per label instructions.
* prepare sites for sowing lawns in September
* after cropping trim old foliage from strawberry beds
* keep cutting and deadheading sweetpeas and keep them well watered and fed for a continuous display.
Dahlia buds and flowers may be damaged by earwigs. Place straw in upturned pots on top of a cane at flower heigh to trap them.
