August – Jobs to do

As the late summer sun intensifies, so do the colours in our borders and containers. An explosion of colour and form dominate the gardens and the air is thick with the scents of late summer. The best thing you can do this month is take a  moment to absorb this wonderful this time of year.

Here are a few things that you can be getting on with this month…

• Plan autumn and winter displays for the garden and your pots. Winter and spring flowering bulbs will be in the garden centre this month and can be planted in layers under autumn bedding plants to give a full and long lasting display. Plant Tulip bulbs deep then Narcissus such as Téte a téte followed lastly by smaller bulbs such as Crocus, topped with some winter bedding. Autumn flowering Chrysanthemums are also a great addition to patio planters to refresh for the season. 
• Christmas harvest potatoes will be in store now and can be easily grown in a potato planter using good quality compost. Planting purple sprouting broccoli and leeks now will give you vegetables for late winter and early spring. Early carrots and Mizuna salad leaves may be sown now and covered with cloches later in the year as frosts begin these will give you an early supply for the kitchen. 
• Trim back lavenders after flowering to healthy side shoots. (Do not cut back into hard woody stems as this can cause problems with the regeneration of growth) Any dead or diseased shoots should be removed. 
• August is the last chance to take herb cuttings such as lavender. It is the perfect time to take other cuttings such as Hydrangea, Wisteria and Clematis. Use a good quality cutting compost or add at least one third perlite to your mix to give good aeration and root formation. Rooting hormone powder will aid greatly with many of these plants.
• Stop feeding roses and other shrubs with general liquid fertilisers and switch to bone meal to aid strong roots. Soft wood should begin to firm up ready for autumn pruning.
• Cut out the top of tomato plants to allow the plant to concentrate its energy into producing good quality fruit. Remove lower leaves allowing sunlight in to ripen the crop. Starting to slowly reduce water and feed towards the end of the month will also help to encourage ripening. Keep picking fruit that is ready on tomatoes and cucumbers etc.
• Perennials which are beginning to seed such as Digitalis and Aquilegia may be sown now many may not germinate until the following spring due to temperature dormancies in the seed so be patient and make sure you have labelled them well. Cut back any untidy perennials that have finished flowering removing any diseased or pest ridden material.
• Prune out diseased, damaged or crossing branches on plums as they finish fruiting. Fan trained plums should have their lateral branches cut back by as much as half to encourage the development of flower buds for next year. Cut out old, fruited canes on summer fruiting raspberries, loganberries and blackberries to encourage strong growth of new canes for next year’s crop.
• On Iris, Rose, Hollyhock, and on many other plants rust fungal spores begin to make themselves very prominent from the end of July into August and though normally do no cause huge problems to plant growth can look increasingly unsightly. Spray such plants with a recommended systemic fungicide and clear away any infected material to help prevent the fungus from harbouring in the soil over winter. For veg and fruit crops the best method of control is removal of infected material and increased air movement around the plants.
• Make notes on plants that have been successful and those that have not and where gaps in colour appear, this will aid you greatly in your plans and choices for next year. Pop in and buy a few later flowering plants to fill the gaps that maybe occurring as plants finish.