Seed Collecting, Mulch and Gardening in the Heat - Your August Gardening Tips
By Alicia Wheeler - Gardenscape Sales Team/RHS Level 3 Horticulturalist
August has arrived, and gardens are overflowing with flowers and vegetables ready to harvest. The weather has continued to be hot and dry, with little rain, leaving many lawns looking a little dry and tired. Don’t worry too much, though, as grass will soon recover once we get some rainfall. Jobs for this month include mulching, collecting seeds, pruning, and harvesting. Most importantly, make sure to spend some time enjoying your garden and making the most of the last days of summer.
The dry weather provides ideal conditions for collecting seeds from your favourite plants. These conditions help prevent seeds from developing mould or rotting, helping to maintain their viability. Seeds are ready to collect once the petals have fallen from the flower head and the seed pod has turned brown and dry. Carefully collect the seeds and store them in paper bags in a cool, dry place. Remember to label each bag with the date and plant name, so you know what you have when it’s time to sow.
This summer’s hot and dry conditions are a good reminder of the importance of making our gardens more resilient to extreme weather. With hotter and drier summers predicted in the future, choosing drought-tolerant plants can help create a thriving garden that can cope with the warmer conditions. Lavender, catmint, sedums, heucheras and salvias are all drought-tolerant plants that are also excellent for pollinators. Planting trees that are drought-tolerant, such as Ginkgo biloba, can provide valuable shade for other plants while helping reduce soil evaporation. Mulching is important for maintaining healthy soil, as it helps retain moisture, keep the soil cool, and suppress weeds. It can also support the network of mycorrhizal fungi in the soil, which forms mutualistic relationships with plant roots. These fungi can help plants access water and nutrients that may otherwise be unavailable to their roots.
As we head towards the end of summer, now is a good time to trim and prune many plants. Lavender should be trimmed once it’s finished flowering. Remove the spent flowers and 2.5-5 cm of this year’s green growth, taking care not to cut into the old woody growth. Around a third of the flowering stems on rambling roses can also be pruned. Now is the last chance to summer-prune wisteria to help control its size and maintain its framework. Flowering shrubs such as buddleia can be trimmed to remove spent blooms and keep them looking tidy. Don’t forget to deadhead flowering plants in hanging baskets and containers to help displays last into early autumn.
August is a rewarding month in the garden, with plenty of fruit and vegetables ready to harvest. Onions, garlic, and maincrop potatoes can be harvested once the leaves turn yellow or brown. Sweetcorn should also be ready to harvest, making the perfect addition to summer barbecues. Root crops such as carrots and radishes will be ready to pick, while lettuce can continue to be harvested throughout the month. And don’t forget to pick the last of your strawberries before the birds get to them!
Finally, now is a good time to order your grass seed and autumn lawn fertiliser, so you have your autumn lawn care essentials ready for next month, when temperatures begin to drop.
Enjoy your August gardening!