What to Do in the Garden in July (UK)

Sow and plant

• Keep sowing quick salad crops little and often for continuity.
• Plant out winter brassica transplants raised in seedbeds, watering them in well.

Prune and tidy

• Lightly prune summer-flowering shrubs such as philadelphus and deutzia once they finish blooming: remove spent flower stems and cut back about a third of the oldest wood to ground level.
• Deadhead spent flowers regularly to keep the garden looking its best and encourage repeat blooming.

Watering and general care

• Water cranberries, lingonberries and blueberries regularly with stored rainwater; if it runs out, use tap water sparingly.
• Prioritise watering containers, new plantings and fruiting crops during dry spells.

Harvest

• Pick cherries, blueberries and the last of the rhubarb.
• Harvest courgettes little and often before they turn into marrows.
• Lift shallots once the tops die down, and pick runner beans regularly to keep plants cropping.

Regional adjustment

Harvest dates shift with the season's warmth: the RHS frames July harvests by crop readiness rather than fixed dates, and gardens in the milder south and west generally reach picking stage before colder northern gardens, where the same crops come in later.

Sources

Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.

• RHS — Gardening in July: jobs to do this month — July jobs include deadheading, pruning summer-flowering shrubs such as philadelphus and deutzia after flowering, watering blueberries and cranberries with rainwater, and harvesting cherries, courgettes, blueberries, shallots and runner beans.
• RHS — Grow Your Own: jobs to do in July — July kitchen-garden jobs and harvest list for UK gardens.

Keep going