August Gardening Tips
With long, hot summer days, August is the time to relax and enjoy the beauty of the garden. Regular watering, feeding and tidying are keys to keeping your garden looking beautiful....
Flower/Plants
- Keep camellias well watered to avoid flower buds dropping off next spring due to drought
- Prune wisteria; shorten long side shoots back to five or six leaves
- Deadhead roses; unless they produce hips
- Trim lavender after flowering to stop it going woody
- Plant bulbs: nerines, autumn crocuses, and autumn daffodils
Fruit/Vegetables
- Continue to sow outside: lettuces and spring cabbages
- Peg down strawberry runners into the soil or pots of compost for more plants
- Ensure crops are all well watered during hot weather
- Prune old fruited stems of cane fruits down to soil level
- Spray potato foliage with a copper fungicide to avoid blight
Greenhouse
- Treat container plants with Provado Vine Weevil Killer if vine weevil damage is visible
- Continue taking cuttings from tender plants
- Keep the greenhouse well ventilated
- Pinch out any side shoots on tomato plants and tie in stems as they grow
- Feed plants regularly with a liquid feed
General
- Order flower bulbs for autumn planting
- Prune early flowering shrubs
- Trim lawns and edges regularly
- Deadhead border plants after flowering
- Hoe regularly to avoid weeds
The slower winter months have passed and by mid-March we’re ready to welcome Spring and start the new season in earnest! As the weather improves our gardens stir into growth - these are the jobs to complete now:
A busy month is ahead in the garden, as the weather begins to warm, days are a little longer and blossom surrounds us! Now's the time to get sowing and planting.....
May has arrived and it really is a lovely month in the garden! Days are getting warmer and longer, we're surrounded by trees in leaf and blossom and our pots, borders and baskets burst with wonderful colour! We can really feel that Summer is on the way and it’s time to tidy up spring plants, plant out summer flowers and get planning for Autumn...
As Summer arrives, we can relax outdoors enjoying the long, warm days surrounded by our gardens in full growth, colour and fragrance! There’s plenty to harvest in the vegetable garden and keeping on top of weeds is a key task!
The garden is in full bloom, full of mid summer colour, texture and fragrance! Now is the time to maintain the blooms, providing your garden with the care it needs to prevent drying out during the warmest months
September is the perfect time to take stock of your garden after the busy summer period. Now is the time to establish new plants and make plans for the coming seasons... .
In October, with colder nights and shorter days, we can enjoy the last splashes of autumn colour in our beds and borders. With the prospect of first frosts, there are plenty of jobs to be done in the garden....
Winter is on the way.... As the days shorten, we enjoy the array of autumn colour as leaves fall and shrubs reveal berries and can be busy with these jobs:
As our gardens quieten and still for the winter period, we can still enjoy them on milder winter days to complete the following important jobs: