August is usually one of the hottest months of the year – making watering essential. Try to use grey water wherever possible, especially as water butts may be running low if it has been a dry summer.
While the list of gardening tasks is shorter than in many months, there are still ongoing jobs to perform in the garden. The hot temperatures of July make it tough to spend much time working in your garden, so take advantage of any cooler days to take care of grooming and weeding. Weed control is also very important, because with the warmer weather and increased watering, weed seeds will germinate and grow faster, and mature to the point of producing more seeds.
- Prune Wisteria
- Don’t delay summer pruning fruits trained as restricted forms
- Deadhead flowering plants regularly
- Watering! – particularly containers, and new plants, preferably with grey recycled water or stored rainwater
- Collect seed from garden plants
- Harvest sweetcorn and other vegetables as they become ready
- Continue cutting out old fruited canes on raspberries
- Lift and pot up rooted strawberry runners
- Keep ponds and water features topped up
- Feed the soil with green manures
Sources: www.rhs.org.uk / www.houseandgarden.co.uk