WHAT TO DO THIS MONTH?

August is holiday season, summer is moving along, it’s supposed to be warm days and evenings, but who knows what the British weather will provide. Regardless of the weather here’s our tips on what to do this August.

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General Maintenance

1. Keep mowing the lawn but raise the blade height in long dry periods to avoid stressing the grass.  If you’re planning to sow seed or lay new turf in autumn, start preparing the area now to give the soil a chance to settle.

2. Top up bird baths in hot weather so that there is always a supply of water for our feathered friends. They’ll repay you by eating those bugs that nibble at your plants.

3. Stake perennials that are starting to get top heavy under the weight of their flowers. It will help stop breakages.

4. Water pots and hanging baskets regularly. Continue to feed on a weekly basis with a high potash feed.

5. Trim hedges such as Box, Privet and Yew. This will give them the chance to harden their new growth before winter.

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Flowers & Shrubs

1. Deadhead dahlias, daylilies and petunias regularly to keep them flowering through to autumn. Repeat-flowering roses should be deadheaded too but leave rugosa roses alone to develop their brightly coloured hips for winter.

2. Camellias and rhododendrons will need regular watering as they’re starting to produce the buds for next year’s flowers.

3. Trim lavender once the flowers have faded, take care not to cut back into old wood.

4. Prune rambling roses, removing one in three flowering stems, and tying the remaining stems into supports.

5. You can still summer prune your Wisteria. Cut back the long whippy new shoots to 5-6 leaves back from the main woody stems.

6. Trim herbs like thyme, mint and basil to give you the last flush of fresh new leaves before autumn arrives.

7. Collect seeds from perennials. If sown this year they will over winter as small plants that may flower next year. Sow next spring and they will need another season to flower. Either way it’s a great way to fill your garden with your favourite flowers and save money.

8. Look out for black-spot on Roses. It’s a fungal disease that will eventually turn the leaves yellow and cause them to fall off before autumn. Spores over-winter on the fallen leaves and will re-infect the plant in Spring. Pick up all leaves on the ground and cut off leaves showing signs of black-spot. Bin or burn these leaves do not compost them.

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Fruit & Vegetables

1. Strawberry plants will be producing runners now. Peg these down in the ground or in little pots, and they will grow into new plants for next spring. If you don’t need any new plants, cut the runners off.

2. If you grow your fruit and veg like tomatoes, blueberries and peppers in containers remember to feed fortnightly with a high potash feed to boost fruit production. Feed citrus plants weekly with a specialist citrus feed.

3. Net fruit to protect it from birds. Peg the netting down taut to stop birds getting tangled in it. Remember to check daily in case there are any mishaps.

4. There’s a lot of produce that will be ready to harvest during the month such as maincrop potatoes. Once their foliage turns yellow, if dry weather is forecast wait a week or two, then lift them carefully with a border fork.  If wet weather is due lift them straight away.

5. Cucumbers, courgettes, runner and French beans, beetroots, onions, carrots and tomatoes should all be ready to harvest during the month, as will plums, peaches and the first of the apples. 

6. When the leaves of onions, shallots and garlic turn yellow and flop over, it’s time to lift them. Put them somewhere warm for a few days to allow the skins to dry out before storing them.

  

Whatever you plan to do in your garden this August and you find you need tools, plant food or anything else for the garden come and see us at Thorp Perrow Garden Centre and see if we can help. We look forward to seeing you.