Garden calendar for the summer – what you can do in the garden now

In our style guide – A World of Gardens – you can find inspiration from six different garden styles: classic, Nordic, earthy, romantic, Mediterranean, and Japandi gardens. Below, we write generally about the garden in summer before diving into specific tips for each style. Many of us don’t have just one style in the garden – we mix and match from several – so there’s plenty to gain here for anyone with a garden.

This is the season when the garden truly shines. Use it as much as you can!

• Water the outdoor plants
  Plants need more water now in the summer. On very hot days, plants can’t absorb the water before it evaporates. Then it’s best to water late in the evening or early in the morning. Check out the ten golden rules for watering.

• Find alternatives during watering bans
  Haven’t collected rainwater for dry periods with possible watering bans? Don’t give up – there’s hope! Check our tips for helping plants survive during watering bans.

• Mow the lawn
  Mow the lawn often – it grows quickly now – and let the clippings stay on the grass so the nutrients return to the lawn. If you get a lot of grass clippings, they can also be used around shrubs, berry bushes, and fruit trees.

• Find outdoor furniture that works
  Take note of your need for outdoor furniture in the garden during summer – maybe you're missing a seating area or two? Maybe you’d spend more time outside if you had a hanging chair to read in during the evening? Don’t forget to add the finishing touches with cushions, blankets, lanterns, and lights.

• Protect plants from scorching sun
  Place pots in the shade if it gets too hot, and put up something to provide shade for exposed plants in the garden and greenhouse.

• Give plants support
  Climbers in the garden are growing like crazy now, so make sure to tie up climbing plants and support plants like beans and peas.

• Plant new ones
  Can I plant in summer if I didn’t get to it in spring, or should I wait until fall? As long as you water well, there’s no problem planting in summer – both in the garden and in pots. This is often when you notice gaps in the flowerbeds where another plant would fit nicely.

• Buy ready-to-eat plants
  Forgot to sow in spring? No problem. Buy ready-grown vegetable plants and harvest from your own outdoor space stress-free – guaranteed growing joy!

• Control weeds and pests
  If you have a garden, weeds are inevitable, but usually it doesn’t take much to remove the most common weeds. You can also (to some extent) prevent and get rid of pests that may appear.

• Prune shrubs and trees
  July, August, and September (the JAS period) are good pruning months for most of the garden. For "bleeders" like hornbeam, maple, magnolia, Japanese cherry, and beech, this is the only suitable time of year. Also, check on your apples and pears now.

• Prepare the garden before vacation
  Many of us go on vacation just when the sun is hottest and the plants are thirstiest. Prepare the garden for vacation with these smart tricks.

• Harvest and enjoy berries, herbs, and vegetables
  As summer progresses, you can harvest and eat from the edible plants in your garden – whether it’s fruit and berries, herbs, or vegetables.
  
  

Different gardens have different maintenance needs. Below, we list the most important tasks for the six different styles in our style guide – A World of Gardens.

The classic garden is at its most beautiful in the summer. Enjoy it with family and friends!

• Indulge in summer flowers
  Let it bloom in every corner of the garden and outdoor space, whether in the sun, shade, or partial shade. The garden center is full of summer flowers now, so fill the pots with blooms!

• Make the flowers bloom again
  By regularly pinching off faded flowers, the plants can produce new ones. This is called deadheading, and it works especially well on pansies, daisies, geraniums, petunias, and synnias, but also on some perennials.

• Remember flowers for the parties
  Summer offers many opportunities for celebrations and quality time with your loved ones. Decorate with flowers for summer parties to make it extra special for both you and your guests.

• Let the geraniums live outside
  Finally, the geraniums can move outdoors. Check out all the amazing varieties available, and maybe you’ll find a new favorite this year.

• Remember to water the hydrangeas
  The garden hydrangeas are at their most magnificent now, but don’t forget to water them. The soil should be kept constantly moist. At the first sign that it’s too dry, you must water them – but without drowning the plants, of course.

In the Nordic garden, everything is in order so the whole family can enjoy the outdoors throughout the summer.

• Keep the lawn pristine
  The grass grows quickly now and needs to be mowed often. If it’s starting to feel stressful, this might be the year to invest in a new lawn mower – perhaps a robotic mower that does the job for you?

• Water smart
  There’s also plenty of time to save on the watering front by thinking smart. Automatic watering systems can help free up time for everything other than garden work.

• Move the living room outside
  A lounge area in the garden is perfect when you want to relax with friends while the kids play on the trampoline. At Plantasjen, you’ll find outdoor furniture that fits the Nordic style.

It’s busy in the earthy garden in the summer. Fortunately, gardening is great exercise.

• Keep sowing
  Even though spring is over, there’s no reason to stop sowing. Many fast-growing vegetables and flowers can be planted now. It might also be wise to continue pre-cultivating indoors so you have plants to move outside when you harvest and make room in the plant boxes. Check out our sowing calendar, which gives monthly sowing tips.

• Plant out
  Most of the plants you’ve pre-cultivated indoors can be planted outside now. But check the thermometer and the weather forecast, even if the calendar says summer – and remember to harden the plants for outdoor life.

• Care for the vegetables
  Remove dead leaves and check the plants for pests. Remove side shoots on tomatoes and top tall varieties towards the end of the season. Check out our plant guides for tips and advice on the specific plants in your garden.

• Make peace with the weeds
  Many types of weeds are pure delicacies, and almost all of them can become fantastic plant food. Read more about how you can put weeds to good use.

• Build an insect hotel
  Create a home for bees, bumblebees, ladybugs, and other insects by using materials from nature and what you have at home. Building an insect hotel is a great project you can do alone or with children.

• Make your own fertilizer water
  Fertilizer water can be a real miracle cure for tired vegetables and flowers, as it provides a quick refill of important nutrients – and you can easily make fertilizer water yourself.

• Finish the garden projects
  Garden projects are easy to carry out in the summer. Maybe you want to build a hot bed this year to get an early start on planting next spring? Or maybe this is the year the greenhouse dream becomes a reality?

The romantic garden shows its most beautiful and colorful side now. Sit down and smell the roses.

• Care for the roses
  Garden roses in the rose garden thrive best in consistently moist soil. Be mindful of this if you’re planting near a house wall where it can get hot and dry, as natural rainfall won’t reach them. Water regularly to compensate. Also, remember to prune repeat-blooming roses to maximize the rose season.

• Move the dahlias outside
  Dahlias (also known as georginas) are sensitive to cold and cannot tolerate frost. They’re usually safe in summer, but if the weather turns and the forecast warns of temperatures dropping near freezing, you can protect the planted dahlias with a frost cloth overnight to some extent.

• Pinch off faded flowers
  When a flower has finished blooming and starts to fade, it focuses on setting seeds. Flowering decreases before eventually stopping altogether. Luckily, it’s possible to "trick" many flowers into blooming again, even late in the season. Try deadheading!

• Make a flower crown
  Create flower crowns for the children, for the summer party, as table decorations, or to hang on the door when guests arrive.

• Pick flowers from the garden and enjoy them indoors
  Bring the romantic garden indoors by picking flowers and placing them in a vase inside.

Now the Mediterranean garden truly comes into its own. Enjoy the sun and the southern vibe!

• Move the Mediterranean plants outside
  Olive trees, citrus trees, fig trees, palms, and cordylines. Mediterranean plants love sun and warmth, and now they thrive best outdoors.

• Fill the pots with lavender
  The entrance and terrace will get an instant boost when you fill some pots in terracotta or wicker material with lovely lavender. If you’re feeling creative, there are also many useful things you can do with lavender – here are 6 great tips.

• Create an herb garden
  If you don’t already have an herb garden, learn from the old (Italian) masters of history and create a fragrant herb garden. Or keep it simple by planting some Italian herbs in pots on the terrace.

• Grill and cook outdoors
  Use the outdoor kitchen, grill, and pizza oven as often as you can. This is the time to cook and eat outside. The right accessories for grilling can work wonders.

• Set up a greenhouse or orangery
  Whether you want a greenhouse to grow Italian vegetables in, or a larger orangery with seating and space to overwinter Mediterranean plants, summer is a great time to make your greenhouse dream a reality.

• Invite to a Mediterranean party in the garden
  Drinks and mocktails with colorful umbrellas, inflatable drink coolers, parasols, and sun loungers. Serve up a Mediterranean atmosphere at your summer party! A Mediterranean garden is the perfect backdrop.

Let the water trickle in the Japandi garden, sit down, and feel the tranquility.

• Create a garden pond and enjoy it
  Now is the time to bring the dream to life. Create a garden pond or a small water mirror with some water plants. This can be done simply or intricately, small or large, depending on the space, time, and motivation you have.

• Shape the plants
  If you have boxwood or other plants that are easy to shape, now’s the time to start. The Japandi garden becomes even more beautiful with shaped plants.

• Enjoy the sound of the Japandi garden
  Summer is the time to feel the tranquility of the garden, listen to the running water, and the rustling bamboo leaves. So take the time to relax and unwind!

Now is the time to fully enjoy the garden, whether you prefer having your hands in the soil, a saw and hammer in hand, or sitting comfortably in the lounge area on the terrace. Vacation days and long, bright evenings can be spent finishing garden projects, spending time with family and friends, or simply lying flat on the sunbed with a book in hand. Use the garden this summer in exactly the way you want!

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