Garden Answers

Garden Answers is a vibrant and inspiring gardening magazine filled with ingenious design ideas and exciting plant combinations guaranteed to make your garden beautiful.

Welcome

Meet the Contributors • “This month in the garden I’ll be…”

GORGEOUS SUMMER DRIFTS • Swathes of bold colour flood into the garden this month, especially if you plant summer-flowering perennials generously

Be inspired by… • Plants, books, events & buys for the month

Relax in style • Everything you need for luxury summer al fresco dining and relaxing

SCULPTURE FESTIVAL AT HEAVENLY HIDCOTE

WHO’S GARDEN IS THE MOST OVERGROWN?

Wish list • A vase of cut flowers becomes 10 times the spectacle with a few stems of these fabulous foliage plants added to it

WIN AN ULTIMATE HEDGEHOG PACK FOR YOUR GARDEN!

What’s on…

Simply summer • These gorgeous flowers all have the word summer in their name. Can you identify them?

GROUND-BREAKING PINK PHILADELPHUS IS A WINNER!

30-minute makes • A crevice garden is an attractive and easy-to-care-for feature that you can make quickly and in a small space. You can plant it with alpines or, for lower-maintenance displays, use hardy succulents, such as sedum ‘Angelina’ or Sempervivum tectorum.

Book of the month

CUTTING PATCH • A cutting patch, whatever the size, will give a warm glow of satisfaction in the garden, says Sue Fisher

HOW TO MAKE YOUR FLOWERS LAST

FLOWERS TO GROW FOR DRYING

Six July-flowering plants that make great cut flowers • Give your tables and windowsills a floral flourish this month with these dependable flowers from the garden

Indulge in a little PELARGONIUM PERFECTION • Bold colour, strong scent and intriguing leaves have made these pretty plants summer favourites for generations

Compact climbing ROSES • The sky’s the limit when you have these classic beauties winding their way upwards, says Sue Fisher

Expert notes

How to grow

OUR PICK OF THE BEST

July • This month is all about tidying and revamping seasonal displays, preparing for holidays and keeping an eye on watering – summer gardening at its peak

TAKE SHRUB CUTTINGS

BRIGHTEN UP A SHADY SPOT • Bring some zing to a gloomy corner with shade-tolerant flowers and fancy foliage

START YOUR HOLIDAY COUNTDOWN

Don’t forget…

Prune & tidy SUMMER SHRUBS • Now’s the time to prune back early-flowering shrubs, wisteria and blackcurrants

Plant a sparkling SUMMER SYMPHONY • Spice up a sunny corner by planting bold yellows and blues together with a splash of dazzling magenta pink

HOW TO PLANT • Prepare the soil well by clearing the site of weeds and breaking up any compacted ground before adding plenty of well-rotted organic matter.

Nature’s little EARTH MOVERS • Adrian Thomas celebrates one of the unsung heroes of the garden – the humble earthworm

DEALING WITH WORM CASTS

WILDLIFE GARDEN JOBS FOR JULY

Moving in the best circles • Sweeping views and a rich acid soil made this Somerset garden a joy to create for the owners

Natural beauty • This gorgeous garden was given a new lease of life when a pest-ravaged lawn was replaced with naturalistic planting

A captivating garden of eternal beauty • This glorious, varied garden is set in more than 400 acres of beautiful Oxfordshire countryside

Enjoying Garden Answers?

Things to see in July

Welcome to my lovely plot • By now, you’ve hopefully harvested your first full trug of assorted produce and are feeling pleased with all the effort you put in back in late winter and spring

Recipe • Caprese Salad

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