Ask a Garden Designer: What to Do in the Garden in August - August is the traditional month for holidays and a well-earned break. Goal whether you decide to go away or stay at home, make safe your garden can cope with the summer heat can have everything Quickly Become overgrown this month. These jobs will simply Ensure all the hard work you put in Earlier in the year will not go to waste.
Susie Watson Designs
Take rosemary cuttings
August is all about summer entertaining and eating outdoors. The barbecue is out and what's better for outdoor cooking than to be ble to add flavor with freshly picked herbs? And while you're making the MOST of your herb patch, why not take the opportunity to maximize your yield potential for next year, by Taking Some rosemary cuttings? Midsummer - Producing plants with new, strong shoots - is the perfect time to do so
Look for fresh shoots were emerging plants without flowers and snip off contention shots early in the day. pop 'em in a plastic bag and keep up to cool you are ready to pot up. Then take a cutting: strip off the lower leaves, Then use a sharp knife to cut off the base of stem below a leaf node. Dip the stem in rooting hormone powder, and put it into a pot filled with gritty compost. Water in your cuttings - you can put in A Few Each pot - and place 'em in a cold frame or sheltered in a shady area. Once They have a good root system, pot them up Individually into loam-based compost ready for planting The Following spring.
Discover how to make your supermarket-bought potted herbs last longer
August is all about summer entertaining and eating outdoors. The barbecue is out and what's better for outdoor cooking than to be ble to add flavor with freshly picked herbs? And while you're making the MOST of your herb patch, why not take the opportunity to maximize your yield potential for next year, by Taking Some rosemary cuttings? Midsummer - Producing plants with new, strong shoots - is the perfect time to do so
Look for fresh shoots were emerging plants without flowers and snip off contention shots early in the day. pop 'em in a plastic bag and keep up to cool you are ready to pot up. Then take a cutting: strip off the lower leaves, Then use a sharp knife to cut off the base of stem below a leaf node. Dip the stem in rooting hormone powder, and put it into a pot filled with gritty compost. Water in your cuttings - you can put in A Few Each pot - and place 'em in a cold frame or sheltered in a shady area. Once They have a good root system, pot them up Individually into loam-based compost ready for planting The Following spring.
Discover how to make your supermarket-bought potted herbs last longer
Steve Masley Consulting and Design
Keep your . tomatoes well watered
Tomatoes are fast growing and heavy croppers and need water to convert sunlight into energy
Give 'em plenty this time of year to encourage the fruit to swell and aussi to Avoid blossom-end rot - visible in the dark patches That you May see on the bottom end.
Try not to splash water from the leaves overhead gold qui can spread disease. Keep watering to the soil to help build the root system. Irregular watering leads to split fruit, small, stunted growth, and overwatering can lead to tomato root rot, fungus gold. So be regular!
Tomatoes are fast growing and heavy croppers and need water to convert sunlight into energy
Give 'em plenty this time of year to encourage the fruit to swell and aussi to Avoid blossom-end rot - visible in the dark patches That you May see on the bottom end.
Try not to splash water from the leaves overhead gold qui can spread disease. Keep watering to the soil to help build the root system. Irregular watering leads to split fruit, small, stunted growth, and overwatering can lead to tomato root rot, fungus gold. So be regular!
Troy Rhone Garden Design
Enjoy Echinacea for late summer borders
Echinacea is one of the star's August garden plants, and no late summer border shoulds be without it. There are So Many varieties to choose from, and it forms wonderful clumps When planted in drifts: try whites Such As 'White Swan', purples Such As 'Purpurea' and vibrant oranges Such As 'Art's Pride'
. to enjoy the plants at this time of the year plant 'em in spring, plants did not seeds (qui peut être temperamental). They are best in full sun or shade hand, and if you keep cutting the blooms will continue to back They flower. Perfect partners are Achilleas, Border Phlox, Asters and fat Such As anemanthele gold Stipa tenuissima.
Echinacea is one of the star's August garden plants, and no late summer border shoulds be without it. There are So Many varieties to choose from, and it forms wonderful clumps When planted in drifts: try whites Such As 'White Swan', purples Such As 'Purpurea' and vibrant oranges Such As 'Art's Pride'
. to enjoy the plants at this time of the year plant 'em in spring, plants did not seeds (qui peut être temperamental). They are best in full sun or shade hand, and if you keep cutting the blooms will continue to back They flower. Perfect partners are Achilleas, Border Phlox, Asters and fat Such As anemanthele gold Stipa tenuissima.
Claudia De Yong Garden Design
Sow now for an autumn harvest
Try sowing chard, qui not only looks good in the vegetable patch and is very hardy, goal aussi HAS lovely tender leaves qui can be used in hearty autumn salads or cooked as you Would cook spinach. You Could aussi sow baby spinach Reviews towards the end of August, When it's a bit cooler, Otherwise the heat can make your spinach flower prematurely Which would ruin your crop.
Try sowing chard, qui not only looks good in the vegetable patch and is very hardy, goal aussi HAS lovely tender leaves qui can be used in hearty autumn salads or cooked as you Would cook spinach. You Could aussi sow baby spinach Reviews towards the end of August, When it's a bit cooler, Otherwise the heat can make your spinach flower prematurely Which would ruin your crop.
Glenna Partridge Garden Design
Water your pots well
During August there is less a chance of rain, and this means clustering containers will need to be watered Several times a day. Also it Would Be a good idea to feed plants in containers and hanging baskets once a week with a high-potash fertilizer; this will encourage plants to bloom well into the autumn months. If water is not draining freely ounce you-have watered the containers, check the drainage holes for blockages for Assessment and the compost structure to see if it needs altering, or whether the plant HAS Become pot bound.
During August there is less a chance of rain, and this means clustering containers will need to be watered Several times a day. Also it Would Be a good idea to feed plants in containers and hanging baskets once a week with a high-potash fertilizer; this will encourage plants to bloom well into the autumn months. If water is not draining freely ounce you-have watered the containers, check the drainage holes for blockages for Assessment and the compost structure to see if it needs altering, or whether the plant HAS Become pot bound.
Claudia De Yong Garden Design
Mow summer-flowering meadows
Once plants Such as Knapweed, Devil's Bit Scabious and Lady's Bedstraw-have set seed in late August, summer-flowering meadows can be cut.
Always leave the clippings for a FEW days for Any seed to drop, Then rake up and remove to Reduce soil fertility, as wildflower meadows flourish best we poor, unproductive soil. If there is more strong growth, make Reviews another cut in autumn to Weaken the fat. Be vigilant mowing When you Some birds, small mammals and amphibians May be nesting in the meadows, Especially if They Are near ponds.
Once plants Such as Knapweed, Devil's Bit Scabious and Lady's Bedstraw-have set seed in late August, summer-flowering meadows can be cut.
Always leave the clippings for a FEW days for Any seed to drop, Then rake up and remove to Reduce soil fertility, as wildflower meadows flourish best we poor, unproductive soil. If there is more strong growth, make Reviews another cut in autumn to Weaken the fat. Be vigilant mowing When you Some birds, small mammals and amphibians May be nesting in the meadows, Especially if They Are near ponds.
Claudia De Yong Garden Design
Prune dwarf fruit trees
August is the month for summer pruning apple and pear cords and 'Stopovers' fan shapes and espaliers.
Summer pruning Involves cutting back new shoots to allow light to reach Each fruit as well as keeping the form and shape of the plant. Look for side shoots That are over nine inches long, ones That Grew in early summer out from the main stem. Cut thesis back to three leaves beyond the basal cluster - Meaning the cluster of leaves at base of the current season's growth. Shoots That Grew from Existing side shoots can be pruned harder.
August is the month for summer pruning apple and pear cords and 'Stopovers' fan shapes and espaliers.
Summer pruning Involves cutting back new shoots to allow light to reach Each fruit as well as keeping the form and shape of the plant. Look for side shoots That are over nine inches long, ones That Grew in early summer out from the main stem. Cut thesis back to three leaves beyond the basal cluster - Meaning the cluster of leaves at base of the current season's growth. Shoots That Grew from Existing side shoots can be pruned harder.
Laara Copley-Smith Garden & Landscape Design
Collect seed from perennials and annuals
Wait until the seed heads (or capsules pods) start to turn brown; Then the best way is to cut off the whole head and drop it into a paper bag. When you file Managed-have all the heads you want, open the paper bags onto a sheet of paper and place the seed heads on it to let 'em dry. Separate the 'chaff' from the seed - the chaff is the dry, scaly protective casing of the seed - and shake out the seed. Store the seeds in an envelope, marked Clearly, in a cool, dark spot up to spring. Remember only to collect seed When the weather is dry and preferably in the afternoon, When Any luck of late dew has gone. Hardy annuals, Such As cornflowers, poppies, calendula and nigellas, are best left to self seed.
Wait until the seed heads (or capsules pods) start to turn brown; Then the best way is to cut off the whole head and drop it into a paper bag. When you file Managed-have all the heads you want, open the paper bags onto a sheet of paper and place the seed heads on it to let 'em dry. Separate the 'chaff' from the seed - the chaff is the dry, scaly protective casing of the seed - and shake out the seed. Store the seeds in an envelope, marked Clearly, in a cool, dark spot up to spring. Remember only to collect seed When the weather is dry and preferably in the afternoon, When Any luck of late dew has gone. Hardy annuals, Such As cornflowers, poppies, calendula and nigellas, are best left to self seed.
Beertje Vonk Artist
Give color to garden woodwork
As the warmer weather hits the garden, it's the perfect time to try out Reviews some of the lovely shades of paints and stains on garden structures, Including sheds, fencing and furniture.
There's no need for boring fences with Such an array of soft neutral colors and bold to try. And Some plants really will look great contre has painted fence, as Opposed to the bright orange of So Many modern wooden ones.
Explore more affordable ideas to transform your garden
As the warmer weather hits the garden, it's the perfect time to try out Reviews some of the lovely shades of paints and stains on garden structures, Including sheds, fencing and furniture.
There's no need for boring fences with Such an array of soft neutral colors and bold to try. And Some plants really will look great contre has painted fence, as Opposed to the bright orange of So Many modern wooden ones.
Explore more affordable ideas to transform your garden
Colin Cadle Photography
Trim hedges
As new growth starts to make it hedges hedges look untidy in midsummer, it's a good time to get out Those shears or hedge trimmer powered to Give Them a haircut.
If you-have broad hedges, start at the bottom and work of Each side upwards in a smooth continuous motion, leaving the top to last. By cutting upwards this way, the trimmings will fall away and you can see better Where You Are going. Make the hedge 'wider at the base and narrower Reviews towards the top qui will make it stand up to the weather better. Place a plastic sheet at the bottom of the hedge to save time raking up all the clippings. Conifer hedges shoulds never get beyond the height and width you want as none will regrow If They are cut back too hard into old wood.
TELL US ...
What are you doing in your garden this August? Share your tips and pictures in the Comments below.
As new growth starts to make it hedges hedges look untidy in midsummer, it's a good time to get out Those shears or hedge trimmer powered to Give Them a haircut.
If you-have broad hedges, start at the bottom and work of Each side upwards in a smooth continuous motion, leaving the top to last. By cutting upwards this way, the trimmings will fall away and you can see better Where You Are going. Make the hedge 'wider at the base and narrower Reviews towards the top qui will make it stand up to the weather better. Place a plastic sheet at the bottom of the hedge to save time raking up all the clippings. Conifer hedges shoulds never get beyond the height and width you want as none will regrow If They are cut back too hard into old wood.
TELL US ...
What are you doing in your garden this August? Share your tips and pictures in the Comments below.