Gardening jobs for August

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. August is traditionally holiday-time, so you might need to enlist the help of friends and family to look after the garden while you are away. When you are at home, take the time to prune Wisteria and summer-flowering shrubs such as lavender once they've finished flowering.

This month's main gardening jobs are:

1. Prune Wisteria

2. Don’t delay summer pruning fruits trained as restricted forms

3. Deadhead flowering plants regularly

 

Here are some more jobs and reminders for August as circulated by the RHS...

• 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

 

Please visit the RHS website for more detailed guidance on each of this month's jobs above, plus much more.

Also highly recommended is the excellent Gardening Know How (August) section at Sutton's Seeds website, for more great gardening tips and advice!

 

Cover Image by Steve Bidmead from Pixabay