July is one of the most important months in caring for perennial plants. During this time, some crops have already faded, while others are just gaining strength before blooming. To maintain their decorative appeal and health, perennials require special attention during this period.
The main types of work include feeding, pruning, and division.
How to care for perennials in summer
Each plant has its own requirements for feeding, pruning, and other procedures, but there are general care rules that apply to most perennials.
Pruning perennials
Many perennials are actively blooming in July, so one of the main procedures in mid-summer is pruning faded inflorescences. This not only improves the appearance of the flower garden but also stimulates the formation of new buds. In some plants, removing wilted flowers can extend blooming for several weeks. In addition, pruning helps the plant direct its energy towards developing the root system and new shoots, rather than seed maturation. Wilted flowers should only be left if you plan to propagate the plant by seeds.
Some perennials will have already bloomed by July and begin to lose their decorative appearance: their leaves turn yellow and dry out. Yellowed or damaged leaves can be removed to prevent disease development and maintain the tidy appearance of the flower bed. Additionally, pruning excess foliage helps improve plant ventilation, which is important for preventing fungal infections.
Dividing plants in July
July is suitable for dividing those perennials whose flowering has already ended. You’ll know it's time to divide the plant by its appearance: the bush has grown significantly and has started blooming less, and the flowers have become smaller. Dividing the bush helps rejuvenate the plant and improve its decorative qualities.
To divide the perennial, carefully dig up the bush, trying not to damage the roots. Then the plant is divided into several parts, each of which should have its own roots and shoots. The resulting divisions are planted in a new place after preparing the soil. After transplanting, water the plants abundantly (you can mulch the soil) and shade them for a few days to help them root faster.
Feeding perennials
In mid-summer, many perennials need feeding to replenish the nutrient supply in the soil. It’s especially important to "support" those plants that are blooming profusely or have already finished this process. It is best to use complex mineral fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium. These elements help strengthen the roots, improve flowering, and assist in preparing for winter. Avoid using nitrogen fertilizers, as they stimulate green mass growth at the expense of flowering and winter hardening.
Organic fertilizers (such as humus or compost) can also be useful. In summer, they are most often used as mulch, covering the ground under the bushes. Organic matter improves soil structure and helps retain moisture, which is especially important in hot summer days.
Now let’s take a closer look at the specifics of July care for the most popular perennials.
Roses
July is the time of active blooming for roses. They expend a lot of energy on flower formation and therefore need enhanced nutrition. For feeding roses during this period, use potassium and phosphorus fertilizers. Nitrogen feeding will not benefit the “queen of flowers”: nitrogen stimulates the growth of new shoots, which may not ripen before winter and are likely to die in severe frosts.
For root feeding of roses, you can use monopotassium phosphate (10 g per 10 L of water), Zdraven Turbo for roses (15 g per 10 L), or take 20 g of superphosphate, 15 g of potassium sulfate and dilute them in 10 L of water. In July, roses can also be fed with wood ash. This natural remedy not only provides additional nutrients but also reduces soil acidity (the ideal pH level for roses is between 5.5 and 6.5).
During blooming, bushes can also be foliar fed. For foliar feeding of roses, both folk remedies (e.g., nettle or dry yeast infusion) and complex fertilizers with a high content of phosphorus and potassium (Agricola for flowering plants) are suitable. Foliar feeding can be combined with treatment using growth stimulants such as Zircon, etc.
Throughout the summer, including July, perform sanitary pruning of the bushes by removing all broken, dried, crooked, and diseased branches.
Another mandatory procedure in summer rose care is removing wilted inflorescences. Cut them off with a piece of stem down to the first triple leaf. This not only gives the plant a neater appearance but also makes blooming longer and more abundant and positively affects the formation of flower buds for the next year.
Peonies
By July, peonies have already finished blooming, and the large double inflorescences have given way to decorative foliage. At this stage, it’s important not to leave the bushes unattended. You should carefully remove all wilted flower stalks to prevent seed formation, which weakens the plant. However, you should not cut peony leaves: they are necessary for photosynthesis and storing nutrients in the roots. Full stem pruning is carried out only in autumn.
To support the plant after blooming, apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers (e.g., superphosphate and potassium sulfate) under the bush at the beginning of the month. This feeding will strengthen the root system, help prepare for winter, and encourage the formation of flower buds for the next year.
If the peony bush has grown too large, it can be divided, but it's better to postpone this procedure until late August.
Irises
Irises fade in early summer and require pruning of flower stalks immediately after the inflorescences wilt. This procedure not only improves the appearance of the flower bed but also prevents the spread of diseases and pests that often find refuge in drying flowers. Only yellowed, dried, or diseased leaves are removed. Green leaves are left until autumn (you can trim dry tips). They help the rhizomes gain strength for a successful winter. Final pruning of the aboveground part of irises is carried out in autumn before the frost sets in.
Most irises enter a dormant period at the end of July, which is ideal for dividing and transplanting the plants. Iris rhizomes are divided every 4–5 years. The plant is dug up, cleaned of soil, and divided into sections with a “fan” of leaves and healthy roots. The cuts are treated with charcoal or dusted with wood ash, then slightly dried and planted in a new location. Before planting, it's recommended to water the holes with a solution of a biological preparation based on Bacillus subtilis or Trichoderma.
Like other perennials, irises expend a lot of strength and energy to form flowers, so they need feeding after flowering. Immediately after this period, in late June – early July, mulch the soil under the plants generously with humus or compost. Three to four weeks after the irises have finished blooming, apply a potassium-phosphorus feeding under the plants, such as a solution of monopotassium phosphate (10 g per 10 L of water) or a mixture of 20–30 g of superphosphate and 15–20 g of potassium sulfate (per 1 sq.m of flower bed).
Lilies
Many varieties of lilies are at the peak of flowering in July, so care for them requires accuracy. Wilted flowers should be removed in a timely manner so the plant directs its energy to bulb development instead of seed capsule formation. When cutting flowers for a bouquet, leave at least one-third of the stem with leaves on the plant. After flowering ends, the stems and leaves also should not be completely removed. They nourish the bulb, so the longer the green parts of the plant remain, the larger the bulb will grow.
For normal development, lilies need to be dug up and transplanted every 3–4 years; Asian and trumpet hybrids – every year. The best time for dividing bulb nests comes after flowering (in temperate zones, this is August) and continues until late September. However, some lilies can be transplanted in July, such as candidum lilies (whose dormancy begins in July–August) and Asian hybrids. The main thing during summer transplanting is not to damage the root system. If you severely damage the roots, the transplanted lilies may not bloom the following year.
Carefully dig up the bulbs and examine them for signs of damage, rot, disease, and dark areas (healthy bulbs have white scales with a pinkish tint). If necessary, remove damaged scales and dead or rotting roots. Treat the planting material with a fungicide and plant. The depth of the planting hole for lilies, as with other bulbous plants, should equal three times the height of the bulb. After transplanting, water the plants generously and mulch.
Daylilies
Some varieties of these unpretentious perennials are in the flowering phase in July, while others have already bloomed and are preparing for dormancy.
Feed blooming daylilies in July with a potassium-phosphorus mixture. Apply 15 g of superphosphate and potassium sulfate under the bushes – either incorporate the fertilizers into the soil in dry form or dilute the same amount in 10 L of water and water the bushes.
Instead of root feeding, foliar spraying can be carried out.
Spent daylilies can be fed with a mixture of superphosphate and potassium sulfate (20–30 g of the first and 15–20 g of the second per 1 sq.m) or with wood ash (200 g per 1 sq.m).
In daylilies that have completely finished blooming, flower stalks are cut to the base. Leaves are cut only if they turn yellow or show signs of disease. The remaining aboveground part is removed in the fall when preparing the flower bed for winter.
Daylilies can be divided every 5–6 years. In July, divide the plants of those varieties that bloomed in early summer. Dig them up, divide into parts, and plant in a new location after shortening the leaves by one-third to reduce moisture evaporation.
In addition to the above tasks, July care for perennials also includes regular watering, especially in dry weather. It is also important to monitor the soil condition and loosen it after watering and each heavy rain. Loosening helps retain moisture and improves oxygen access to the roots. Your care in mid-summer will help plants stay healthy, and they will continue to delight you with their beauty next season.
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