Ask a Garden Designer: What to Do in the Garden in August
Keep on top of summer pruning and watering in August for a healthy garden
Claudia De Yong
7 August 2015
Houzz UK contributor and award-winning landscape and garden designer. Claudia de Yong Designs offers a consultancy and design service for the private and corporate client. We are also able to source anything for the garden from plants to pots, paving and architectural features . Please visit my new online shop for garden products.
Houzz UK contributor and award-winning landscape and garden designer. Claudia de... More
August is the traditional month for holidays and a well-earned break. But whether you decide to go away or stay at home, make sure your garden can cope with the summer heat as everything can quickly become overgrown this month. These simple jobs will ensure all the hard work you put in earlier in the year won’t go to waste.
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 able to add flavour with freshly picked herbs? And while you’re making the most of your herb patch, why not take the opportunity to maximise your potential yield for next year, by taking some rosemary cuttings? Midsummer – with plants producing new, strong shoots – is the perfect time to do so.
Look for fresh shoots emerging on plants without flowers and snip off these shoots early in the day; pop them in a plastic bag and keep cool until 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 hormone rooting powder, and put it into a pot filled with gritty compost. Water in your cuttings – you can put a few in each pot – and place them in a cold frame or in a sheltered 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 able to add flavour with freshly picked herbs? And while you’re making the most of your herb patch, why not take the opportunity to maximise your potential yield for next year, by taking some rosemary cuttings? Midsummer – with plants producing new, strong shoots – is the perfect time to do so.
Look for fresh shoots emerging on plants without flowers and snip off these shoots early in the day; pop them in a plastic bag and keep cool until 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 hormone rooting powder, and put it into a pot filled with gritty compost. Water in your cuttings – you can put a few in each pot – and place them in a cold frame or in a sheltered 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
Keep your tomatoes well watered
Tomatoes are fast growing and heavy croppers and need water to convert sunlight into energy.
Give them plenty this time of year to encourage the fruits to swell and also to avoid blossom-end rot – visible in the dark patches that you may see on the bottom end.
Try not to water from overhead or splash the leaves which can spread disease. Keep to watering 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, or fungus. So be regular!
Tomatoes are fast growing and heavy croppers and need water to convert sunlight into energy.
Give them plenty this time of year to encourage the fruits to swell and also to avoid blossom-end rot – visible in the dark patches that you may see on the bottom end.
Try not to water from overhead or splash the leaves which can spread disease. Keep to watering 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, or fungus. So be regular!
Enjoy Echinacea for late summer borders
Echinacea is one of the August garden’s star plants, and no late summer border should 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 them in spring, as plants not seeds (which can be temperamental). They are best in full sun or part shade, and if you keep cutting the blooms back they will continue to flower. Perfect partners are Achilleas, Border Phlox, Asters and grasses such as Anemanthele Lessoniana or Stipa Tenuissima.
Echinacea is one of the August garden’s star plants, and no late summer border should 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 them in spring, as plants not seeds (which can be temperamental). They are best in full sun or part shade, and if you keep cutting the blooms back they will continue to flower. Perfect partners are Achilleas, Border Phlox, Asters and grasses such as Anemanthele Lessoniana or Stipa Tenuissima.
Sow now for an autumn harvest
Try sowing chard, which not only looks good in the vegetable patch and is very hardy, but also has lovely tender leaves which can be used in hearty autumn salads or cooked as you would cook spinach. You could also sow baby spinach 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, which not only looks good in the vegetable patch and is very hardy, but also has lovely tender leaves which can be used in hearty autumn salads or cooked as you would cook spinach. You could also sow baby spinach 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.
Water your pots well
During August there is less chance of rain, and this means 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 fertiliser; this will encourage plants to bloom well into the autumn months. If water is not draining freely once you have watered the containers, check the drainage holes for blockages and assess the compost structure to see if it needs altering, or whether the plant has become pot bound.
During August there is less chance of rain, and this means 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 fertiliser; this will encourage plants to bloom well into the autumn months. If water is not draining freely once you have watered the containers, check the drainage holes for blockages and assess the compost structure to see if it needs altering, or whether the plant has become pot bound.
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 best flourish on poor, unproductive soil. If there is more strong growth, make another cut in autumn to weaken the grasses. Be vigilant when mowing as 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 best flourish on poor, unproductive soil. If there is more strong growth, make another cut in autumn to weaken the grasses. Be vigilant when mowing as some birds, small mammals and amphibians may be nesting in the meadows, especially if they are near ponds.
Prune dwarf fruit trees
August is the month for summer pruning apple and pear cordons 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 these 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 cordons 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 these 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.
Collect seed from perennials and annuals
Wait until the seed heads (capsules or 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 have collected all the heads you want, open the paper bags onto a sheet of paper and place the seed heads on it to let them 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, clearly marked, in a cool, dark place until spring. Remember only to collect seed when the weather is dry and preferably in the afternoon, when any chance of late dew has gone. Hardy annuals, such as cornflowers, poppies, nigellas and calendula, are best left to self seed.
Wait until the seed heads (capsules or 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 have collected all the heads you want, open the paper bags onto a sheet of paper and place the seed heads on it to let them 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, clearly marked, in a cool, dark place until spring. Remember only to collect seed when the weather is dry and preferably in the afternoon, when any chance of late dew has gone. Hardy annuals, such as cornflowers, poppies, nigellas and calendula, are best left to self seed.
Give colour to garden woodwork
As the warmer weather hits the garden, it’s the perfect time to try out some of the lovely shades of garden paints and stains on structures, including sheds, fencing and furniture.
There’s no need for boring fences with such an array of soft neutral and bold colours to try. And some plants really will look great against a 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 some of the lovely shades of garden paints and stains on structures, including sheds, fencing and furniture.
There’s no need for boring fences with such an array of soft neutral and bold colours to try. And some plants really will look great against a painted fence, as opposed to the bright orange of so many modern wooden ones.
Explore more affordable ideas to transform your garden
Trim hedges
As new growth on hedges starts to make hedges look untidy in midsummer, it’s a good time to get out those shears or powered hedge trimmer to give them a haircut.
If you have large hedges, start at the bottom of each side and work 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 towards the top which 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 should 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 photos in the Comments below.
As new growth on hedges starts to make hedges look untidy in midsummer, it’s a good time to get out those shears or powered hedge trimmer to give them a haircut.
If you have large hedges, start at the bottom of each side and work 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 towards the top which 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 should 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 photos in the Comments below.
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Love your tips Claudia
Many thanks goddardpalmer 7 and llyods gardens - glad u like the monthly tips