July in the garden is winter's optimism delivered. Everything I hoped for back in those early grey spring weeks is now happening all at once, and the garden is making the most of every warm hour.
But midsummer is also the point at which things start, if you’re not careful, to look as though they’re slightly losing the plot.
This is where the Hampton Hack comes in. Think of it as the midsummer counterpart to the Chelsea Chop: where the Chelsea version (so-called because it’s timed to coincide with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show) cuts plants back before flowering, the Hampton Hack (named for the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show, although the showcase will take place at Badminton on 8-12 July this year and return to Hampton Court Palace in 2027) cuts summer-flowering herbaceous plants to just above ground level after flowering.
Once a plant starts setting seed, it considers its job done for the year, so the idea is to cut it back before that happens, give it a good drink of water and a feed to make it reconsider and come back again.
It’s a hard thing to do, but be brave and reach for your shears. Hardy geraniums, Salvia nemorosa, alchemilla, nepeta, campanulas, achilleas, delphiniums and lupins all respond well to a hearty hacking. As if by magic, new growth will appear within days.
Top performers
July is the finest hour for the veronicastrum and sanguisorba, as their tall, elegant, almost naked stems form that hazy veil and move in whatever breeze there is. Lower down, the smaller spires of linaria seed themselves through everything in the cheeriest possible way.
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It’s also the moment to think seriously about what thrives when the rain stops and the ground bakes. Dianthus carthusianorum is extraordinary, with its tiny, intensely magenta dots on long stems perfectly at home in gravel and full sun.
Eryngium x zabelii ‘Jos Eijking’ brings steel-blue architecture, while Echinacea pallida is a graceful touch. Verbena bonariensis hovers above everything on its wiry stems, not bothering about the heat in the slightest.
The grasses are magnificent in July light, too: Stipa gigantea catches every movement in the air while Stipa ichu shimmers.
Gardening with gravel
July makes a powerful case for the creation of a gravel garden and it isn’t hard: dig over the area and remove the grass, lay a biodegradable membrane, top with at least 5cm of gravel and plant through it.
Mediterranean herbs are a good choice: fennel, sage, origanum, thyme, lavender and rosemary are all in their element right now and need nothing from you at this time of year.
I’m continuing to deadhead roses to encourage more flowers. I’ll leave some blooms on varieties that produce good hips: rose hips in snow and frost are one of the loveliest sights, and the wildlife will be grateful come autumn.
I’m also dividing flag irises this month – the rhizomes have become congested and knobbly and need lifting, splitting and replanting in freshened soil. The results next summer will be worth it.
The garden in July is generous to a fault. I just need to keep up with what I can. The rest, as ever, will wait.
Jo is an award-winning garden designer. Read her Substack, The Gardening Mind, and follow Country Living on Instagram for more advice from Jo.
