The monthly read · July
What to plant in July
High summer, held together. Everything you planted in spring is in full swing — and the heat is testing it. July is the month to lean into watering, deadheading, and the joy of picking something for the table every evening.
Three for the late-summer border
Plant now and they'll knit straight into August colour without missing a beat.
- Statement
Verbena bonariensis
Verbena bonariensis
Tall, see-through, magenta-purple. The plant every garden writer recommends because every garden writer is right. Plant deep in the border, never at the front.
- Scent
Phlox 'David'
Phlox paniculata
Clouds of soft white that smell like a summer evening. Mildew-resistant, which is half the battle with phlox.
- Scent
Sweet pea 'Cupani'
Lathyrus odoratus
The original heritage sweet pea — burgundy and purple, intensely scented. Pick a few stems every day and it flowers right through August.
Garden ideas to nick this month
Slow soak, every other day
The evening watering ritual
Forget daily splashes — a long, deep watering twice a week trains roots to go down. Time it for sundown and the garden keeps it overnight.
Mint, lemon balm, lavender
Pick your own tonic
A pot of mint, a clump of lemon balm and a sprig of lavender by the back door is the easiest summer infusion you'll never not make.
A garden to visit
Hauser & Wirth, Somerset
Piet Oudolf's perennial meadow
In July, the Oudolf Field is at its loudest — yarrows, echinaceas and grasses moving as one in the wind. Painting that you can walk through.
In the BeeWise app
This read appears in the app's Inspire tab, where each idea can go straight onto your Garden Jobs, matched to the plants you grow.
A plan for your own garden
BeeWise turns July's ideas into jobs for the plants you actually grow, in your local conditions.
For UK outdoor gardens · iPhone and Android