Guides / What to plant
What to plant in July
Peak growth and peak watering. Cucumbers under glass may need water twice a day, dahlias want a high-potassium feed every fortnight, and the fiddle leaf fig grows more this month than in any other.
These are Northern Hemisphere months. If you garden in the Southern Hemisphere, the equivalent month is January.
In the garden
Astilbe
Astilbe x arendsii
How to grow astilbe, Astilbe x arendsii. The perennial for damp shade, why it browns and dies in dry soil, and whether to leave the seed heads through winter.
Carnation
Dianthus caryophyllus
How to grow Dianthus caryophyllus. The clove scent breeding lost and how to get it back, why the stems snap at the joints, and the difference between border and perpetual types.
Chinese Wisteria
Wisteria sinensis
How to grow Wisteria sinensis. The two-stage prune that produces flowers, why a seedling may never bloom in your lifetime, which way the stems twine, and where it is a listed invasive.
Common honeysuckle
Lonicera periclymenum
How to grow honeysuckle, Lonicera periclymenum. Scent at dusk for the moths, keeping the roots cool and the top in sun, and beating the aphids and mildew.
Common lime
Tilia europaea
How to grow common lime, Tilia europaea. Why it drips sticky honeydew onto everything below, how to pleach it, and the July blossom that scents a whole street.
Delphinium
Delphinium elatum
How to grow delphinium, Delphinium elatum. Staking the spires before they need it, keeping slugs off the spring shoots, and the toxicity that has killed livestock.
Garden Dahlia
Dahlia pinnata
How to grow dahlias, Dahlia pinnata. Starting tubers, staking, deadheading the right buds, protecting shoots from slugs, and whether to lift for winter.
Hedge bindweed
Calystegia sepium
How to identify and control hedge bindweed, Calystegia sepium. Why digging makes it worse, the glyphosate cane trick, and telling it from field bindweed.
Hemlock Water-Dropwort
Oenanthe crocata
How to identify hemlock water-dropwort, Oenanthe crocata. The most poisonous plant in Britain and Ireland, the parsnip-like root tubers, why dogs die of it after floods and how it differs from watercress and celery.
Himalayan balsam
Impatiens glandulifera
How to recognise Impatiens glandulifera, why it takes over riverbanks, pulling it before it seeds, and the legal duties that come with having it on your land.
Italian leather flower
Clematis viticella
How to grow Clematis viticella. The group that resists clematis wilt, why pruning it is the simplest job in the garden, and growing it through a shrub.
Perennial Flax
Linum perenne
How to grow perennial flax, Linum perenne. Sky blue flowers that open at dawn and fall by lunchtime, a wiry plant for dry chalk, and a rare British native at one edge of its range.
Ragwort
Jacobaea vulgaris
How to identify common ragwort, Jacobaea vulgaris. The law that applies to it, why it kills horses through cumulative liver damage, safe removal and why dried ragwort in hay is worse than the living plant.
Regal lily
Lilium regale
How to grow Lilium regale. Planting deep for the stem roots, growing it on chalk, controlling lily beetle, and why every lily is lethal to cats.
Star jasmine
Trachelospermum jasminoides
How to grow star jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides. Evergreen scent for a sheltered wall, why it bronzes in winter, and whether it is hardy where you live.
Herbs and edibles
Ambarella
Spondias dulcis
How to grow ambarella, Spondias dulcis. Warmth, watering, the crisp green fruit, the spiny stone and its common names.
American Basil
Ocimum americanum
How to grow hoary basil, Ocimum americanum. The lime and lemon-scented basil of Africa and Asia, why its name is misleading, and growing it under glass.
Arnica
Arnica montana
How to grow arnica, Arnica montana. The acid-soil mountain daisy, why it fails in ordinary garden ground, and the reason it is never taken by mouth.
Banana
Musa acuminata
How to grow banana, Musa acuminata. The giant herb that is not a tree, why every Cavendish is the same plant, Panama disease, and which bananas survive a cool winter.
Bilberry
Vaccinium myrtillus
How to grow bilberry, Vaccinium myrtillus. The wild blueberry of European moorland, why the fruit stains and the shop blueberry does not, and its slow spread.
Bilimbi
Averrhoa bilimbi
How to grow bilimbi, Averrhoa bilimbi. The sour cousin of the starfruit that grows straight out of the trunk, its place in a Kerala kitchen, and the kidney damage its juice has caused.
Black Pepper
Piper nigrum
How to grow black pepper, Piper nigrum. Why black, white and green pepper all come from the same berry, growing the vine under glass, and what it needs to fruit.
Black raspberry
Rubus occidentalis
How to grow black raspberry, Rubus occidentalis. Arching purple canes that root at the tips, intense dark fruit, and the one plant you must keep it away from.
Blackcurrant
Ribes nigrum
How to grow blackcurrants, Ribes nigrum. Planting deep to make a stool, pruning a third out each winter, big bud mite and reversion, and the wartime vitamin C story.
Blessed Thistle
Cnicus benedictus
How to grow blessed thistle, Cnicus benedictus. The bitter annual of medieval physic gardens, sowing it direct in spring, and the plague reputation that gave it its name.
Breadfruit
Artocarpus altilis
How to grow breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis. The starch that caused a mutiny on the Bounty, why it must be cooked, and the seedless cultivars that have to be propagated by root cutting.
Camu Camu
Myrciaria dubia
How to grow camu camu, Myrciaria dubia. The Amazon shrub that spends half the year underwater, one of the richest sources of vitamin C on earth, and a fruit too sour to eat.
Caraway
Carum carvi
How to grow caraway, Carum carvi. The biennial that seeds in its second summer, cutting it before the seed shatters, and the root eaten as a vegetable.
Cardamom
Elettaria cardamomum
How to grow cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum. The third most expensive spice in the world, why it is picked by hand, and growing the plant under glass outside the tropics.
Chempedak
Artocarpus integer
How to grow chempedak, Artocarpus integer. The smaller, softer, stronger-smelling relative of the jackfruit, the battered fritters it is famous for, and the hairy twigs that tell the two apart.
Cherry
Prunus avium
How to grow cherries, Prunus avium. Choosing a dwarfing rootstock, netting against birds, why the fruit splits in rain, and pruning only in summer to avoid silver leaf.
Chinese Cabbage
Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis
How to grow Chinese cabbage, Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis. The July sowing that stops it bolting, keeping slugs out of the heart, and growing it for kimchi.
Chinese Cinnamon
Cinnamomum cassia
How to grow Chinese cinnamon, Cinnamomum cassia. The thick-barked cinnamon most of the world buys, the coumarin question, and the cassia buds used as a spice.
Citronella Grass
Cymbopogon nardus
How to grow citronella grass, Cymbopogon nardus. The source of citronella oil, how it differs from lemongrass, and why the citronella plant in a garden centre is usually something else.
Clary Sage
Salvia sclarea
How to grow clary sage, Salvia sclarea. The biennial with two-metre flower spikes, the perfume crop behind it, and the seed once used to wash grit out of an eye.
Cloudberry
Rubus chamaemorus
How to grow cloudberry, Rubus chamaemorus. An arctic bog plant with amber fruit, separate male and female plants, and a real reluctance to crop outside the far north.
Clove
Syzygium aromaticum
How to grow clove, Syzygium aromaticum. The unopened flower bud that becomes the spice, the Dutch monopoly on the Moluccas, and the real danger of clove oil.
Common Mallow
Malva sylvestris
How to grow common mallow, Malva sylvestris. The veined purple flowers, the round seed cases children call cheeses, and the mallow rust that disfigures it every year.
Cucumber
Cucumis sativus
How to grow cucumbers, Cucumis sativus. Greenhouse and ridge types, training up strings, why fruit turns bitter, and the male flower rule that only applies to some varieties.
Culantro
Eryngium foetidum
How to grow culantro, Eryngium foetidum. The long spiny-edged leaf that tastes of coriander turned up, why it needs shade to stop it bolting, and how to use it.
Curry Leaf
Murraya koenigii
How to grow curry leaf, Murraya koenigii. The tree behind the fresh leaves in south Indian cooking, keeping it alive over a cool winter, and why dried curry leaves are worthless.
Durian
Durio zibethinus
How to grow durian, Durio zibethinus. The smell that gets it banned from hotels, why a falling one can kill, the alcohol interaction that is real, and what it tastes like once you get past the door.
Endive
Cichorium endivia
How to grow endive, Cichorium endivia. Blanching the heart to sweeten it, curly frisee against broad escarole, and keeping the plants dry while they blanch.
Field Mint
Mentha arvensis
How to identify and grow field mint, Mentha arvensis. The whorls of flower in the leaf axils, the plant that most menthol is distilled from, and where it grows wild.
Golden currant
Ribes aureum
How to grow golden currant, Ribes aureum. Yellow spring flowers that smell of cloves, black fruit in July, and a shrub that tolerates drought better than any other currant.
Governor's Plum
Flacourtia indica
How to grow governor's plum, Flacourtia indica. The spiny African shrub with small dark fruit, the thorns on its trunk, and why it is planted as a hedge across two continents.
Holy Basil
Ocimum tenuiflorum
How to grow holy basil, Ocimum tenuiflorum. The clove-scented tulsi of Hindu courtyards, keeping it alive over a cool winter, and how it differs from sweet basil.
Hyssop
Hyssopus officinalis
How to grow hyssop, Hyssopus officinalis. The blue-flowered bee herb for a dry sunny bed, its bitter culinary use, and the biblical plant it is probably not.
Jackfruit
Artocarpus heterophyllus
How to grow jackfruit, Artocarpus heterophyllus. The largest fruit that grows on a tree, the latex that glues your hands together, and why green jackfruit ended up in vegan burgers.
Japanese wineberry
Rubus phoenicolasius
How to grow Japanese wineberry, Rubus phoenicolasius. Red bristled canes that glow in winter, and fruit that arrives in the gap between raspberries and blackberries.
Java Apple
Syzygium samarangense
How to grow Java apple, Syzygium samarangense. Warmth, watering, the bell-shaped fruit, flowering control and why the fruit bruises easily.
Java Plum
Syzygium cumini
How to grow jamun, Syzygium cumini. The purple-black fruit that dyes your tongue, its place in Indian summer, the diabetes claim attached to the seed, and why Florida wishes it had never been planted.
Juneberry
Amelanchier lamarckii
How to grow juneberry, Amelanchier lamarckii. Blossom in April, sweet almond-flavoured fruit in June, and the netting you will need to keep any of it.
Jute
Corchorus olitorius
How to grow jute mallow, Corchorus olitorius. The leaf that becomes molokhia, why the soup is slippery, and the same plant's second life as a fibre crop.
Ketupa
Baccaurea dulcis
How to grow ketupa, Baccaurea dulcis. The sweetest fruit in a genus of a hundred species, why its seed cannot be posted anywhere, and how to tell a tampoi from the half-dozen other things sold under that name.
Lemon Basil
Ocimum citriodorum
How to grow lemon basil, Ocimum citriodorum. The citrus-scented hybrid for Thai and Indonesian cooking, sowing it in warmth, and picking it before it flowers.
Lingonberry
Vaccinium vitis-idaea
How to grow lingonberry, Vaccinium vitis-idaea. An evergreen dwarf shrub that crops twice a year, spreads by runners, and needs acid soil and nothing else.
Long Pepper
Piper longum
How to grow long pepper, Piper longum. The whole spike used as a spice, the Roman trade that valued it above black pepper, and why chilli displaced it.
Longan
Dimocarpus longan
How to grow longan, Dimocarpus longan. The dragon's eye fruit that needs less winter chill than a lychee, how it differs from its famous cousin, and why it keeps better.
Lowbush blueberry
Vaccinium angustifolium
How to grow lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium. The wild blueberry of Maine and Quebec, low and spreading, with better flavour than the tall kind.
Lychee
Litchi chinensis
How to grow lychee, Litchi chinensis. The cool dry winter it needs before it will flower, telling a fresh one from a canned one, and the real story about unripe lychees and sick children.
Malabar Tamarind
Garcinia gummi-gutta
How to grow Malabar tamarind, Garcinia gummi-gutta. The smoked rind that sours a Kerala fish curry, and the hard truth about the weight-loss supplement sold under the name Garcinia cambogia.
Malay Apple
Syzygium malaccense
How to grow Malay apple, Syzygium malaccense. The deep crimson fruit Polynesian voyagers carried across the Pacific, how it differs from the Java apple, and the flowers that carpet the ground.
Mangosteen
Garcinia mangostana
How to grow mangosteen, Garcinia mangostana. The queen of fruits, a tree with no known wild ancestor and no males at all, the fifteen-year wait, and what the rind supplements are doing.
Marsh Mallow
Althaea officinalis
How to grow marsh mallow, Althaea officinalis. The velvety grey perennial of salt marshes, the root behind the original sweet, and why it wants ground most herbs would rot in.
Milk Thistle
Silybum marianum
How to grow milk thistle, Silybum marianum. The white-marbled leaves, the seed used for silymarin, and why it poisons cattle on rich ground.
Miracle Fruit
Synsepalum dulcificum
How to grow miracle fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum. The West African berry that makes a lemon taste like lemonade for half an hour, how the effect works, and the acid compost it insists on.
Morello cherry
Prunus cerasus
How to grow morello cherry, Prunus cerasus. The one fruit tree for a north wall, why it needs different pruning from a sweet cherry, and netting against birds.
Motherwort
Leonurus cardiaca
How to grow motherwort, Leonurus cardiaca. The spiny-calyxed perennial for a wild corner, its long history in childbirth and heart complaints, and why it seeds itself everywhere.
Nutmeg
Myristica fragrans
How to grow nutmeg, Myristica fragrans. The two spices that come off one seed, the island trade that swapped Run for Manhattan, and why large doses of nutmeg are dangerous.
Oregano
Origanum vulgare
How to grow oregano, Origanum vulgare. Why poor dry soil gives better flavour, cutting back for a second flush, and the difference between oregano and marjoram.
Pak Choi
Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis
How to grow pak choi, Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis. Why it bolts and how sowing after midsummer stops it, beating flea beetle and slugs, and cutting it young.
Pandan
Pandanus amaryllifolius
How to grow pandan, Pandanus amaryllifolius. The fragrant screwpine leaf of south-east Asian cooking, growing it from a sucker, and keeping it warm through a cool winter.
Pineapple
Ananas comosus
How to grow pineapple, Ananas comosus. Rooting a supermarket crown, the two years it takes, why it stings your mouth, and the fact that one plant gives one fruit.
Plantain
Musa paradisiaca
How to grow plantain, Musa paradisiaca. The cooking banana that is starchy rather than sweet, how to tell it from a dessert banana, and why the lawn weed of the same name is a different plant entirely.
Rambai
Baccaurea motleyana
How to grow rambai, Baccaurea motleyana. The Bornean fruit that hangs in metre-long ropes off the trunk, the naturalist it was named for, and why a crop needs two trees and eight years.
Rambutan
Nephelium lappaceum
How to grow rambutan, Nephelium lappaceum. The hairy fruit that is not a lychee, how to open one without a knife, and why almost every tree in an orchard is female.
Rapeseed
Brassica napus
How to grow rapeseed, Brassica napus. The yellow fields that take over the landscape every spring, a hybrid of turnip and cabbage, and the two compounds that had to be bred out before anyone could eat it.
Raspberry
Rubus idaeus
How to grow raspberries, Rubus idaeus. Summer against autumn fruiting and why the pruning differs completely, building the support, and raspberry beetle.
Roman Chamomile
Chamaemelum nobile
How to grow Roman chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile. The perennial mat for a chamomile lawn, the non-flowering Treneague form, and how it differs from the German chamomile in a tea bag.
Rosemary
Salvia rosmarinus
How to grow rosemary, Salvia rosmarinus. Drainage above all, pruning without killing it, taking cuttings, and why the botanists moved it into the sages.
Rue
Ruta graveolens
How to grow rue, Ruta graveolens. The blue-green herb of grace, the blistering rash its sap causes in sunlight, and why it is no longer a kitchen plant.
Rukam
Flacourtia rukam
How to grow rukam, Flacourtia rukam. The Indian prune with a fiercely spined trunk, and the trick of rolling the fruit between your palms before you eat it.
Salak
Salacca zalacca
How to grow salak, Salacca zalacca. The snake fruit with a reptile skin and an apple crunch, the spines that make harvesting a dangerous job, and the male and female plants you need for a crop.
Santol
Sandoricum koetjape
How to grow santol, Sandoricum koetjape. The cotton fruit with a rind you eat and a pulp you suck, the two colour forms, and the seeds that have put people in hospital.
Siberian Kale
Brassica napus var. pabularia
How to grow Siberian kale, Brassica napus var. pabularia. Why it beats curly kale for cold and clubroot, cutting through winter, and telling it from Russian kale.
Soursop
Annona muricata
How to grow soursop, Annona muricata. The spiny green fruit behind guanabana juice, and the reason French health authorities warned against the leaf tea sold as a cancer cure.
Starfruit
Averrhoa carambola
How to grow starfruit, Averrhoa carambola. The fruit that slices into stars, sweet and sour cultivars, and the reason anyone with kidney disease must never eat one.
Sugar Apple
Annona squamosa
How to grow sugar apple, Annona squamosa. The fruit that breaks into segments in your hands, the quickest Annona to crop, and why the seed powder must be kept away from eyes.
Sweet Clover
Melilotus officinalis
How to grow sweet clover, Melilotus officinalis. The hay-scented biennial legume, its value to bees, and the mouldy hay that led to the discovery of warfarin.
Tarragon
Artemisia dracunculus
How to grow tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus. Why French tarragon must be bought as a plant, telling it from Russian, and overwintering it in a wet climate.
Tea plant
Camellia sinensis
How to grow tea, Camellia sinensis. A hardy evergreen camellia for acid soil, picked as two leaves and a bud, and processed at home into green or black tea.
True Cinnamon
Cinnamomum verum
How to grow true cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum. How the bark becomes a quill, why Ceylon cinnamon is not cassia, and the coumarin difference between them.
Water Apple
Syzygium aqueum
How to grow water apple, Syzygium aqueum. The smallest and palest of the Syzygium fruits, the one that is almost entirely water, and how to tell it from its two larger relatives.
White Horehound
Marrubium vulgare
How to grow white horehound, Marrubium vulgare. The cough-sweet herb, its woolly grey rosettes, and where it survives in the wild in Britain.
Wild strawberry
Fragaria vesca
How to grow wild strawberry, Fragaria vesca. Tiny fruit with more flavour than any garden variety, cropping from June to the first frost, and easy from seed.
Wild Thyme
Thymus serpyllum
How to grow wild thyme, Thymus serpyllum. The creeping thyme for paving and banks, using it as a lawn, and where it grows on British downland.
Woad
Isatis tinctoria
How to grow woad, Isatis tinctoria. Sowing, harvesting first-year leaves, making blue dye and the history of painted Britons.
Yellow Gentian
Gentiana lutea
How to grow yellow gentian, Gentiana lutea. The bitter root behind gentian bitters, the decade it takes to flower, and the deadly plant it is confused with.
Yellow Mombin
Spondias mombin
How to grow yellow mombin, Spondias mombin. The caja behind Brazilian juices, the hog plum of the Caribbean, and the tree that fruits within four years from a stuck branch.
Indoors
Corn plant
Dracaena fragrans
How to grow corn plant, Dracaena fragrans. Brown leaf tips, cane pruning, watering, light and toxicity to cats and dogs.
Fiddle Leaf Fig
Ficus lyrata
How to grow Ficus lyrata. Why it drops leaves when moved, telling root rot brown spots from sunburn ones, and how to make a single stem branch.
String of hearts
Ceropegia woodii
How to care for Ceropegia woodii. Watering a semi-succulent trailer, getting tight leaf spacing rather than bare threads, and propagating from the beads on the stems.