Sowing the Seeds of Success: A Gardener’s Guide to a Glorious Summer
As the warmth of July sets in, many of us gardeners are itching to get our hands dirty and start planting. But what exactly should we be planting in our gardens this month? From vibrant flowers to crunchy veggies, we’ve got you covered.
Spring Perennials: A Head Start on Next Year’s Blooms
When it comes to growing flowers from seed, July is the ideal time to sow spring perennial seeds for next year. I like to think of it as getting a head start on next year’s blooms. Thompson & Morgan, a trusted seed and flower website, recommends trying aquilegia x hybrida ‘McKana Giants Mixed’, bellis, and delphinium hybridum ‘Magic Fountains Mixed’. These gorgeous flowers will thrive in our gardens come springtime.
Spring perennials like aquilegia and delphinium will bloom beautifully next year.
Hardy Annuals: Adding Texture and Color to Your Garden
If you’d like bright, bold blooms to last through the summer, fill your gaps, beds, borders, and pots with poppies, cornflowers, and annual grasses that will start to thrive if you sow now. Mixing flowers with grasses is a great way to add different textures and colors to your garden. Hardy, yet beautiful geraniums are great for any summer garden, and are happy to grow in most soil conditions.
Hardy annuals like poppies and cornflowers will add a pop of color to your garden.
Veggies: Sowing the Seeds of a Bountiful Harvest
For a flourishing veggie garden in autumn and winter, turn your focus towards sowing these vegetables now:
- Spring cabbages
- Turnips
- Oriental vegetables
- Chicory
- Fennel
- Autumn and winter leafy greens
The garden experts at Thompson & Morgan also recommend starting pickling cucumbers indoors by early July, to transplant outside later. ‘Pick the fruits when small and expect to start harvesting in late summer,’ they say.
Get a head start on your autumn and winter harvest by sowing veggies like spring cabbages and turnips now.
Pots and Baskets: Adding Fresh Flavors to Your Cooking
Basil ‘classico’ can be started in pots now to get to a good, healthy state before bringing indoors and enjoying in your cooking throughout winter – delicious. Other fast-growing herbs like coriander, dill, and parsley can be planted directly into the ground or into containers, and harvested later in summer and popped in the freezer to last you.
Start basil and other herbs in pots now to enjoy fresh flavors all winter long.
