Worplesdon Garden Club is a friendly and enthusiastic club which meets every second Tuesday of the month from 8-10pm in the Old Church, Emmanuel Parish Centre, Stoughton, Guildford, GU2 9SJ with doors open from 7.45pm.

July: Cherrill Sands – ‘Gardens and Plants of Andalucía’, Tuesday 11th July, 8pm.
August: Worplesdon Garden Club Summer Show – Fairlands Community Centre, Tuesday 8th August, 8pm. Note change of venue.

Gardening hints and tips for July & August

• The long days and warmth of June will bring on your plants and all the unwanted weeds too, so keep on top of them by regular hoeing on dry days
• Continue to stake, tie, or support plants to keep them from sprawling or being damaged in the wind
• Feed annual and perennials, all plants growing in tubs or containers fortnightly, and tomatoes and cucumbers weekly with a high potash/potassium (K) liquid fertiliser
• Remove the lower leaves of tomato plants to allow more light to reach the ripening trusses
• Keep all pots, containers, and hang-ing baskets well-watered and do not get the compost dry out completely
• Prolong the flowering season by regular deadheading throughout the summer
• Sow seeds of biennials such as wallflowers, foxgloves, and sweet rocket, and perennials such as primulas, pansies and violas
• In the vegetable garden, continue to succession sow lettuce, carrots, beetroot and radishes
• Pick fruit and vegetables regularly – this is especially true for beans and peas that will reduce or stop flowering as mature pods ripen, and for courgettes that will become marrows if left too long on the plants
• Garlic should be ready to harvest towards the end of July, but harvest, dry, and store the bulbs before the tops are completely dead. Onions and shallots can be lifted in August
• Lawns should be cut with mower blades set high if the weather is hot and dry, but do not water lawns – the grass will recover
• As we reach August, watering of plants will be critical with plants in tubs and baskets requiring water very regularly, but for any plants in the ground, a good soaking every few days or even once a week will encourage roots to go deeper to find water, reduce the amount of water used, and ultimately reduce the time spent watering. Azaleas and rhododendrons need water now to ensure bud formation for next Spring
• Summer prune Wisteria by cutting back the long stems of this year’s growth to about five or six leaves to prevent continued leaf formation and encourage flowering buds to form in the leaf axils
• Prune any stone fruits (plum, cherry, peach, etc.) as well as formative pruning of apples and pears trained as an espalier, cordon or fan
• Trim hedges on a dry, but not too sunny day. New growth in the autumn will be minimal so the hedge will keep its shape well for the rest of the year
• Trim Lavender after flowering by removing most, or all of this year’s growth but do not cut back hard into older wood as this may not regrow
• Lift and divide bearded irises now ensuring that the fleshy rhizome remains on the soil surface when replanted so that it can bake in the sun – essential for good flowers next year
• Take photographs and make notes of what looks good in the garden and perhaps more importantly, where there are gaps, colours or heights that don’t work well, or if perennials need splitting – all tasks for the Autumn or next Spring