As we move into the warm, bright days of summer, gardens truly come into their own, bursting with colour and life. Now is the perfect time to enhance your outdoor space with vibrant planting and thoughtful care. Here are some key garden tasks to focus on in June and July:

Plant Summer Hanging Baskets and Containers

Early summer is the ideal time to plant up hanging baskets and containers, filling them with a mix of vibrant bedding plants and fragrant herbs. Petunias, lobelias, geraniums, and fuchsias all bring wonderful colour, while herbs like thyme, basil, and mint add both beauty and culinary benefits. Place your containers in sunny spots and water them regularly to keep them looking their best.

Harvest Summer Fruits and Berries

June and July are peak months for harvesting summer fruits, with strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, and gooseberries all ripening beautifully. Picking them at their freshest ensures the best flavour—perfect for enjoying straight from the plant, baking into summer desserts, or making homemade jams. Regular harvesting also encourages plants to produce more fruit, so be sure to check your garden frequently for ripe berries.

Consider Installing a Water Butt

With summer comes the need for regular watering, particularly for pots and hanging baskets that dry out quickly. To make watering more efficient and sustainable, consider installing a water butt. Collecting rainwater not only helps conserve resources but also provides plants with natural, chemical-free hydration. It’s a simple and effective way to keep your garden flourishing during the hotter months.

Deadhead for More Blooms

To keep your garden full of colour throughout the summer, make deadheading a regular task. Removing spent flowers from lupins, dahlias, and bedding plants encourages them to produce more blooms rather than putting energy into seed production. A little time spent snipping away faded flowers will reward you with a longer-lasting and more spectacular display.

Harvest fruits

Need Help Maintaining Your Garden?

Summer is a wonderful but busy season in the garden, and if you need support with your large garden maintenance, our team at Gardens of England is here to help. Whether it’s planting, watering solutions, or general upkeep, we’d love to discuss how we can assist. Get in touch with us today to ensure your garden stays at its best all season long.

Method

Wash the fruit and place all, (except strawberries) in a large pan with caster sugar and 3 Tbsp of water. This needs to be heated gently for roughly 3 minutes until the juice from the fruit start to seep out. Add the strawberries for another 2 minutes.

Drain the fruit through a sieve over a bowl. Taste the juice and add more sugar if required.

Now a fiddly bit. Line a 1.2 lite pudding bason with cling film twice (double layer) with an overlap around the top.

Cut the crusts off the loaf and cut the loaf length ways into 1-inch slices. Cut one slice in half so it covers the bottom of the pudding basin. Trim the rest of the loaf so it covers the sides of the basin. Remember to leave some for the top.

Take each slice in turn and dip into the juice and assemble around the basin and the bottom. Tip the fruit into the lined basin. Dip the remaining brioche slices in the juice and place on top. If you have any juice left over pour over the top.

Pull the overhanging cling film up and over the top covering it completely. Place a small plate on top with a couple of heavy tins. This will help with the pressure needed to compress it.

In an ideal world you would leave the summer pudding like this overnight in the fridge. At a push you could serve it after 4 hours.

Serving suggestion

When ready to serve, take off the tins and plate. Carefully unwrap the cling film from the top. Place a serving plate over it and flip over the basin. Remove the cling film and serve with whichever cream you like the best and decorate with fresh berries.