August Flower border

Garden Jobs in August

Although this is traditionally the holiday season, it is important to keep on top of some of the routine garden jobs, such as deadheading, weeding and watering. This could be a dry month in which case watering is essential.

Here is a list of jobs to do this month.

Flowers

  • Summer prune wisteria after flowering by removing all the whippy side-shoots from the main branch framework to about five leaves from the main stem;
  • Prune rambling roses after flowering;
  • Trim lavender once the flowers have faded to maintain a compact, bushy shape, but avoid cutting into old wood;
  • Deadhead roses, dahlias and perennials to encourage a constant display of flowers;
  • Feed and regularly water plants in containers;
  • Take cuttings from tender perennials such as pelargoniums, fuchsias and verbena;
  • Collect ripening seed from plants such as sweet peas and love-in-a-mist that you wish to propagate;
  • Plant autumn bulbs such as colchicums and nerines in pots and borders;
  • Start planting early-flowering biennials such as wallflowers which were sown under cover earlier this year;

Fruit and Veg

  • Lift and pot up new strawberry plants, and keep them well watered;
  • Pick courgettes regularly so they don’t turn into marrows;
  • Divide clumps of chives;
  • Ensure that your fruit crops aren’t eaten by the birds by covering them with netting, ensuring the netting stands well clear of the fruit;

Greenhouse

  • Water and feed tomatoes regularly, and remove lower leaves to allow the fruits to ripen;
  • Be vigilant for signs of tomato and potato blight, removing affected plants immediately to prevent spread;
  • Pinch out the tops of outdoor tomatoes, as further flowers are unlikely to produce fruits that have time to ripen;

Garden Maintenance

  • Make sure birds have water in dry spells;
  • Mow less frequently if the weather is hot and dry;
  • Strim or mow areas of wildflower meadow, now that the plants have scattered their seeds;
  • Clear weeds from cracks in paving and driveways before they get established;
  • Now is the time to look at your borders and note any gaps or congested areas that you’ll want to rectify later on in the year;
  • Order spring-flowering bulbs now as stock of the more popular varieties may not be available later in the season. You can start planting bulbs such as narcissi, alliums and crocus from September. Leave planting of tulips to later in November to help prevent problems such as tulip fire as soils are colder and fungal spores are less likely to spread;

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