August Gardening Tips 2024
July started damp and cool and that was the story right up until the last few days, when the sun has made a welcome appearance. So my hopes are high for some proper summer weather in August. May we have many golden days and many golden Olympic medals.
High summer should be the perfect time to relax and enjoy the garden but for those of us who cannot resist the urge to get out the loppers and clippers, there are still plenty of things to do. We have mixed species hedges at home that badly need a trim, so that is our priority this month. During the spring and early summer, our hedges were home to birds’ nests and chirping chicks. Now the young have fledged it is safe to manage the unruly and flailing growth. I was always taught that you trim a hedge with sloping sides so that the undergrowth is fatter at the bottom than the top. It makes for a better looking hedge and during the winter snow rolls off sides rather. Rambling roses flower on the previous year’s growth and can be pruned now. Cut back the stems that have flowered and tie in new growth. Wysteria can also be given a summer prune now. Once lavender has finished flowering it is time to give it a bit of a haircut. Trim off the dead blooms and shape the plant but do not cut back as far as the woody stems because new shoots will only sprout from the green stems.
Continue deadheading perennials and annuals and keep on feeding hanging baskets and pots, making sure they don’t dry out. Fill in any gaps in borders and containers with a pop of summer colour, a small investment for months of cheer, but be prepared to water well. The vegetable patch is also an area that needs constant vigilance as far as watering is concerned. Vegetables, fruit and tomatoes need water to crop handsomely. Many vegetables such as courgettes, beans and peas all crop more heavily if they are regularly harvested – which has to be a win-win situation for gardeners and gourmands alike.
Tomatoes really need a column of their own. But in a nutshell water and feed. Water well to avoid the telltale sign of the fruit splitting which is a giveaway that watering has been erratic. Remove any fruits that are showing blight and bin them (don’t compost). Watering and feeding also helps to prevent bottom end rot which occurs when the tomato cannot take up enough calcium from the soil, usually because it has become too dry.
The weeds have certainly done well this year with the wet and mild conditions perfect for abundant vegetative growth. My grandfather’s favourite tool was a hoe and he could be seen in his garden every morning at this time of year hoeing the weeds. Not only is this a chemical-free way to weed it also saves your back. A couple of hours left to dry on the surface of the soil and the weeds will die off and can be removed. It really is a stitch in time with weeding. Once they set seed your troubles are multiplied.
For fun, collect some seeds this month from hardy annuals and perennials including hardy geraniums and calendula.
Towards the end of the month glorious spring flowering bulbs will start to arrive in the garden centres. Buy early for the best bulbs and the greatest choice. Choose large firm bulbs and dream of spring colour ready to plant in September and October.
May you have a lovely month in the garden