What a terrible summer it has been so far, wet, wet, wet and wet, not only has it rained continually through June and July, but it has also been cold, and many homes throughout the UK have resorted to turning their heating on, who would have thought it possible.

There are so many jobs that need doing in the garden, but most of the time the weather has prevented this, and the ardent gardener runs out in-between showers and does what he can for however long the dry spell lasts, and in desperation may be tempted to sprinkle garden seeds and hope they will germinate.

One thing the garden has not needed is watering; this time of year garden shrubs that have flowered should be pruned and fed.  Also it is a good time to take cuttings from many shrubs.  Roses should be sprayed and fed, and perennials also annuals should be dead-headed, and of course your fruit trees should also be pruned, these jobs are usually essential for July.

Garden plants in the flower garden should be getting a lot of attention in July, to encourage your chrysanthemum shoot tips to branch and produce more flowering stems should be pinched out, and the removal of seed heads of annuals will encourage the plant to produce more flowers.

Many species of plants should be given a boost if not growing very strongly, and encouraging a second burst of flowers, many plants should be cut right down and fed, for example some early-flowering perennials, such as lupins and delphiniums.

The heavy rain has in many cases waterlogged many beautiful container plants, and where there should be colour a lot of the heads are drooping and dying off, with containers try to raise them off the ground this will ensure the excess water to drain straight through.

July has always been the best month to trim strong hedging such as hawthorn, simply because if cut earlier they will need another trim, but if left the growth will be very tough and hard to cut.  July is usually a great month to spray as necessary against pests and diseases, but with all this heavy rain, the pests will find it hard to cling onto any stem let alone do any damage, best plan is examine plants when the weather breaks and then spray as necessary.

Many garden centres and nurseries are now displaying bedding plants, and they look beautifully healthy, if you can get out in the garden plant them to give a good show, one thing is for sure you will not need to water in there is plenty of that in the clouds, just waiting to give you a helping hand.

A spokesman for Blooming Direct a nursery located on the beautiful island of Jersey said "a great many gardeners will make their gardens in the house, there is so much one can do to make sure a good crop of flowers is making a windowsill pretty or an indoor hanging basket, flowers are not just for the garden they look beautiful anywhere.  Plug plants will give an instant mature look to any window box, pot or container, so if it is not possible to go out into your garden just now, bring the garden indoors".

For further information visit:  www.bloomingdirect.com