August Gardening Tips

August Gardening Tips

Traditionally August is one of the hottest months of the year, due to this fact it is essential to be active in the garden throughout the month with your main emphasis placed on ensuring plants receive adequate levels of water.

With the growing season fast coming to an end August presents your final opportunity to prune and trim back hedges along with climbing shrubs.

Shrubs and Plants:

Rambling Roses and Lavender have finished flowering, now is the time to prune back lightly.

Throughout the month actively deadhead shrubs, this will extend their flowering season into Autumn, after all your hard work gaining a little extra flowering time is the least a keen gardener deserves!

During deadheading stalks that have already started to lose their leaves can be cut back slightly beyond the flower this will give shrubs such as roses a kick start at the beginning of next season.

Plants that have suffered throughout the hot spell should be heavily watered to give them the best possible chance of recovery.

Flowers:

Cut back the stems and foliage of Herbaceous plants that have finished flowering and started to die back.

Seeds of hardy annuals can be sown directly into borders in August.

If you have chrysanthemums in your garden keep your eye out for pale yellow spots under the surface of the leaves this is the first sign of a pest called White Rust should you notice this pest act fast to prevent it taking control.

As time goes on and the pest starts to tighten its grip on the plant the pale yellow spots will turn brown and appear to sink.

White Rust is best controlled with a herbicide containing fungicides and insecticides: Some are developed with a focus on controlling white and brown rust such as Scotts Fungus Clear Ultra.

Should any plants be profoundly affected it is best practice to remove them from the garden and destroy.

Lawns:

Adjust the blades on your lawnmower to a high setting this ensures no additional strain is placed on your drought battered lawn.

Mowing lightly and regularly in this way will ensure that a fine layer of cut grass will act as a mulch providing the lawn with some much-needed moisture.

August offers an opportunity to feed your lawn with a high phosphate feed this will strengthen the roots of your lawn giving it the best possible chance to remain in good health throughout the winter months. Phosphate feeding in August is especially useful for gardens with thin soil.