THINGS TO DO IN THE GARDEN

There is always something to do in the garden at any time of year and Summer is no exception. On the hottest days, take it easy and make sure you are suitably protected when the Sun is high in the sky. Pop on a hat and a light loose long-sleeved shirt so that you can potter to the tune of humming bees and wildlife. Spend as much time as you can soaking in the rays, relaxing, reading and eating wild ripened fruits in your haven of happiness.

Deadheading Flowers - removing expired flower heads from bedding plants and repeat-flowering perennials to ensure continuous flowering, a great addition to any compost heap.

Pond Clearing - clearing algae, blanket weeds and debris from pools and ponds, topping up with fresh water.

Fruit & Vegetable Picking - harvest ripe fruit and vegetables regularly to improve yields. Zucchini plants, for example, will keep bearing throughout the Summer if the young fruits are harvested on a regular basis.

Composting - save all grass cuttings, leafy garden waste, vegetables. spent plants (and trimmings) and dead flower heads to put on the compost heap or in the compost bin. Compost started at this time of year will normally be fit for use by the Autumn due to the relatively warm conditions.

Seeds & Propogation - propagation using cuttings can be done any time in July as well as collecting and saving seeds, ready for sowing later in the month.

Weeding - keep on top of unwanted weeds and expired wildflowers by gently hoeing in dry conditions to loosen the roots leaving any unwanted weeds to dry out in the heat of the sun.

Weed Tea Fertiliser - add weeds with water to cover in a large bucket. Soak for about four weeks, stirring weekly. Strain out the plant material and add to your compost heap or spread directly onto your flower beds or vegetable patch as you would a rich, nutrient-filled liquid fertiliser. Dosage: Use about 8 cups to fertilise 1 pound of weeds.

THINGS TO DO IN NATURE IN JULY

Walk on the beach

There are many benefits to talking a stroll on a sandy or pebbled beach in bare feet on a warm, sunny day.

To begin with, walking in sand requires greater effort than walking on a hard surface, meaning your muscles and tendons have to work harder, which in turn strengthens your feet, toes, ankles and calves.

Walking in sunshine helps your body to utilise cholesterol to synthesise and store vitamin D. This essential nutrient regulates the amount of calcium and phosphate in your body, keeping bones, teeth and muscles healthy.

Feeling the sand on bare feet may also create a sense of feeling grounded. It brings all the benefits of walking on the Earth in bare feet - known as grounding or earthing - which removes static electricity and extraneous charges inside you. You also receive a charge of energy from free electrons that help the body synchronise with the Earth's natural frequencies. Grounding and earthing increases serotonin - a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in regulating mood, sleep, appetite and digestion.

Walking on the beach is a great stress reliever as you breathe in negative ions naturally created by the ocean waves, sea air, sunlight and Earth's natural radiation. This negates the impact of positive ions generated by electronic devices and things like fluorescent lighting, confined indoor spaces and air pollution.

THINGS TO DO IN NATURE IN JULY

Make a bee hotel

Any solitary bees that like to nest in hollow plant stems could be potential customers for your bee hotel. There are several groups of this type of bee who adopt the same nesting behaviour. These include Anthidium, Chelostoma, Heriades, Hoplitis, Hylaeus, Megachile and Osmia. The type of solitary bee depends on your location and flowers growing in the surrounding area. Some species prefer the particular pollen sources of different flowers.

A bee hotel provides long-stay accommodation where a bee lives from the time it is laid as an egg, until it is ready to emerge as a fully grown adult.

1. Bee hotels are made out of hollow canes where the cane is cut to length leaving a clean opening.
2. Cut enough canes to fill a pot with the cane length just under the height of the pot.
3. Fill any gaps with leftover sections until the canes are tightly packed.
4. Find a sheltered, sunny spot and make a sturdy base for the pot with stones.
5. Place the pot slightly downwards to allow rainwater to escape.
6. Your bee hotel is now ready for guests to move in.

A single tube will house a few developing bees. Solitary bees lay single eggs in a cell and separate them by building walls out of mud or plant material. The number of cells will depend on the length of the tube.

SOURCE: Natural History Museum: How to Make a Bee Hotel

I hope you enjoy making the most of Nature through July for your good health, happiness and wellbeing, and look forward to seeing you here for the next Almanac on 1 August 2025.

Sue Cartwright

Spiral Leaf

Buy a book!

Books with seasonal information presented for each month of the year are available from the Spiral Leaf bookshop using the links below.

The Almanac - A Seasonal Guide to 2025 by Lia Leendertz

The Leaping Hare Nature Almanac by Raluca Spatacean

The Forager's Calendar: A Seasonal Guide to Nature’s Wild Harvests by John Wright

Wild Hares and Hummingbirds by Stephen Moss

The Running Hare by John Lewis-Stempel

The Leaping Hare by George Ewart Evans and David Thomson

Meadowland - The Private Life of an English Field by John Lewis-Stempel

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