August in the Garden (What to Do)

As we move to the end of the Summer, August is a time to tidy beds and borders after the crazy mid Summer's growth. Once thriving and luscious foliage gives way to ageing yellow leaves. The tallest of herbaceous plants begin to bend and fall over while clump forming perennials start growing leggy. All this can give rise to an unkempt look to the garden in the month of August.

Even though the warmest of weather is behind us, August can still offer the best of sunshine and more reliably drier weather. Colour should not be seen as a thing of the past either. There is a long list of wonderful flower plants that will bloom throughout August.

Plants of the Month

From Left to Right

Rudbeckia 'Susan', Verbena bonariensis, Stipa gigantea, Echinacea purpurea, Hydrangea

Things to Consider for August

Even if the Summer is drawing to an end, now is not the time to let up on maintenance as weeds & pests continue to be a problem during the month. Also August can see long dry spells and when this occurs irrigation of vegetables is especially important as harvest nears.

Lawn care is back on the agenda in August and this too is a good month for preparing new lawns. It is however best to avoid applying any sort of Nitrogen based fertiliser to lawns at this time of year.

Things to Do

In the Fruit & Veg Garden

Cut away the old and yellowing foliage of courgettes, tomatoes, broccoli and all other vegetables to allow for better air circulation
Twist onion stems in preparation for harvest
Ensure root crops and tomatoes receive regular watering to avoid split roots & fruits
Sow seeds for Christmas & Spring harvest. You can sow Spring Cabbage, Winter Cabbage, Kale, Salads, Carrots, Broccoli, Chard, Spinach, Lettuce and Beets
Continue to feed your plants, focus on using a high potassium based feed on tomatoes, courgettes, fruits & cucumbers
Keep harvesting all crops little and often. With regularly harvesting you can prevent vegetables from going to seed, crops from going off and you can also encourage a second yield
If your vegetable plot is becoming bare, by the end of the month you can sow green manure

In the Greenhouse

Maintain regular watering of crops
Keep doors & window vents open during the day
Continue to pinch out side shoots of tomatoes, if tomatoes are too slow to ripen you should sacrifice some fruits for the sake of others
Slugs, snails and aphids can still be a problem this month
Make softwood cuttings of Lavender, Geraniums & Fushias and place in compost & perlite

Plant Care

Support taller herbaceous plants using bamboo canes or stakes
Trim back leggy flowers such as Geraniums and Asters & Sage
Continue to treat roses for black spot & mildew. Also dead head regularly
Remove suckers that sprout from the base of rose plants
Feed late Summer & autumn Flowering plants such as Verbenas, Dahlias, Echinaceas & Rudbeckias
Flowering heads of alliums & hydrangea can be left in situ or brought indoors as cut flowers
Begin collecting seeds of herbaceous & flowering plants. Label and store in a cool, dry place for sowing the following Spring
Order your spring bulbs for planting at the end of the month
August is a good month for trimming evergreen and beech hedging
Divide Irises, Lilies, Dicentra, Hostas, Aubretia, Iberis, Peonies, Primrose and Poppies

Lawn Care

Avoid feeding lawns from the end of July onwards
By the end of the month you can begin treatment of moss. Apply Sulphate of Iron to lawns
Apply dicophar to kill any broadleaf weeds
Towards the end of the month, in dry conditions you can aerate your lawn
Scarification can also be done to remove thatch and dead grass and moss from lawns
Reseed bare patches in the grass and water in after sowing
Begin preparing areas for new lawns by applying a systemic weed killer

General Maintenance