Seasonal Tips for Summer - Seeds & Cuttings

One of the great things about the summer is that it is a very good time to sow seeds and to take cuttings. The warm temperatures encourage seeds to germinate quickly and many plants produce excellent cutting material as they spurt into their summer growth.

Gardeners are often encouraged to make very early sowings of flowers and vegetables for early crops. But there’s a lot to be said for sowing some seeds later in the season so that they flower into the autumn and extend the season. Check your seed packets and make some later sowings so that you have a continuous supply of plants to replace those that may now be past their best.
Sow hardy biennials such as Wallflowers, Foxgloves and Sweet William into small pots containing Multi-Purpose Compost with added John Innes. Although they will not flower this year, they will produce strong healthy blooms next spring and summer.
Sow hardy annuals such as Nasturtiums, Calendula, Californian Poppies, Sunflowers, Cornflowers, Virginian Stocks, Poppies and wildflower mixtures into the border soil. Rake the soil to a fine, crumbly surface and draw patterns of shallow drills in the surface, line the base with Multi-Purpose Compost with added John Innes, water gently and then sprinkle the seed thinly on top. Cover over with more compost.
Sow half-hardy annuals and half-hardy perennials straight into the borders. Good ones to try are Antirrhinum, Begonia, Coreopsis, Cosmos, Pelargonium, Impatiens, Ipomoea, Marigold, Nicotiana, Petunia and Penstemon.
Take semi ripe cuttings from shrubs and roses. Choose stems that have started to ripen but are not woody and tough. Good plants to propagate at this time include Hebes, Rosemary, Weigela, Hydrangea, Pieris, Buddleia and Pyracantha. You can take heel cuttings by pulling short side shoots away from the main stem with a heel of bark still attached. Trim off any excess bark, pinch out the growing tip and remove the basal leaves. Push individual cuttings into John Innes Seed Sowing Compost with Sure Start. Alternatively take tip cuttings by choosing healthy shoots and removing the top 15cm (6inches) of growth. Pinch out the growing tip and trim the base of the cutting immediately below a leaf joint, to leave a cutting that is about 5-8cm (2-3inches) long. Remove the bottom leaves and push the bottom of the stem into a pot containing into John Innes Seed Sowing Compost with Sure Start. Cover with a plastic bag tied around the pot and place into a well-ventilated cold frame.
Take stem cuttings of climbers such as Ornamental vines, Summer Jasmine. Climbing Hydrangea and Kiwi (Actinidia). Root them in pots of into John Innes Seed Sowing Compost with Sure Start, and place them in a sheltered cold frame.
Take stem and tip cuttings of established fuchsias and geraniums so that you have plenty of plants for next season.
Propagate climbers such as Honeysuckle, Passionflower, Clematis and Virginia by layering. This is easy to do. Choose healthy stems on the outside of the plant and bend them to ground level. Where the stem touches the ground close to the plant, remove a small piece of bark and some of the tissue below, taking care not to cut through the whole stem. Mix in some Multi-Purpose Compost with added John Innes into the soil around the main plant and peg down the stem with a piece of bent wire into the improved soil. Layered cuttings can take several months to root. When rooted cut the stem to sever it from the parent plant and dig up the rooted cutting to plant elsewhere.

Gardening tips for this Summer:

If you would like to refer back to the Seasonal Tips for April/May click here.

If you would like to refer back to the Seasonal Tips for February/March click here.