August gardening

30 November -0001

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The list of things to do in August is shorter than any other month, but with the heavy, humid weather we've been having in the UK this past month, your garden won't go easily this month.

• Watering
  As with any summer month, the biggest task is watering. August is the hottest of the summer month and this year, promises to be the driest. Be sure to water thoroughly and deeply and water in the morning or early afternoon so that the lawn has the chance to warm up before the cool evening sets in. A good way to check plants are getting enough water is to take a trowel and carefully lift the soil in your borders. The soil should be moist to about 3-4 inches deep. Don't forget to check hanging baskets and pot plants, they will suffer most from the heat.

• Deadheadding
  An endless task, keep grooming those plants to make sure they continue flowering long into the season. This month, cancentrate on hybrid roses, though they may need more of a pruning than a deadheading.

• Pruning
  Once shrubs have finished flowering, prune them back into shape and remove any dead or diseased branches

• Kitchen garden
  Now is the time to start autumn and winter vegetables. Seeds or shoots of Onions, Parsnips, Radishes and winter cauliflower as soon as possible

  Mowing
  If the lwan has gone brown now, don't worry. Grass goes dormant in times of drought. To revive it simply give it plenty of water and keep mowing it. The Mower blades should again be lifted a little higher this month to give much needed shade to the soil and roots and to keep moisture in.

• Indoors
  Bring Poinsettias and Christmas cactus back in the house about now and begin preparing them to flower at christmas. Accomplishing this is a complicated process, but it can be done.
  Continue to watch for insect damage and disease to indoor plants.

• Other jobs
  Keep the garden tidy by Weeding when necessary. If you pull them up now before they have chance to seed, you will have a weed free garden for some time to come.
  Keep the bird bath topped up. the hot weather is when the birds will use it most, but Water left standing for too long will harbour mosquito larvae.
  Keep watching for slugs and snails in the garden. too

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