What to do in the garden in July

In the garden

July is the hottest month in Xàtiva, with days that easily go above 35 °C. The aim is to get the garden to autumn in good health. Don’t plant or transplant. Put shade netting over new plants and move pots to spots that get shade in the afternoon.

Check the mulch and top it up where it has thinned.

Lawn

Mow less often and higher. If you have a cool-season lawn, it’s normal for it to look a bit duller; don’t try to make up for it with more water. Don’t feed in strong heat, as it scorches. Avoid walking on it in the middle of the day.

Watering

Water at dawn, when evaporation is lowest. If a plant looks limp in the late afternoon and recovers overnight, that’s a normal defence against the heat. If it’s still limp in the morning, it does need water. Never water the leaves in full sun.

Pruning

• Tidying only: dead flowers and broken or dead branches.
• Don’t prune palms. The red palm weevil is at its most active.
• Avoid hard pruning on any tree; the wounds suffer in the sun.

Vegetables and fruit trees

Pick tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and courgettes every day. Sow cabbages, broccoli and red cabbage in seed trays to plant out in late August or September. Citrus and persimmons need regular watering; if they go short now, they drop fruit. The almonds are nearly ready to harvest.

Plants of the month

• Bougainvillea and oleanders in full flower.
• Plumbago, lantana and Cape honeysuckle for sunny walls.
• Cacti and succulents, which only need watering every 10-15 days.

Hedra’s tip

If you’re going away on holiday, don’t rely on the timer alone. Before you leave, give everything a long watering, check every zone with the system running and ask someone to call round once a week. Group pots in the shade on a saucer with gravel and water. If you’d rather switch off completely, we can take care of the maintenance while you’re away.