AUGUST "Long afternoons in hot August Come to thunder by and by But then, soon after a cloudburst The sun returns to warm and dry." ~Unknown by me~ "August brings the sheaves of corn, Then the harvest home is borne." ~Sara Coleridge~ "The brilliant poppy flaunts her head Amidst the ripening grain, And adds her voice to swell the song That August's here again." ~Winslow~ Despite the grass-sizzling heatwave, it's a wondrous month for flowers. Herbaceous borders are an artist's palette of trumpet-flowered day lilies, blue and white agapanthus, starry double-white bellflowers and flamboyant border phlox. Among the shrubs, head-turners are the lacecap hydrangea and the hardy hibiscus. Earlier efforts have certainly paid off. August is the month to enjoy the garden, but unfortunately if a few things are not done, the garden will go to ruin in a matter of days, especially if the weather gets hot. Therefore, watering, grooming and weeding head the list of projects for this month. Enjoy your Summer. BULBS, SHRUBS and TREES Tip cuttings on hydrangeas which will root easily in sandy compost under polythene, even without rooting hormone. Cut back the leaves on the cuttings to 2in long, so they do not overlap too much in the pot. Overlapping foliage leads to yellowing and then to moulds and death. Remove the lower pairs of leaves from the cutting, but leave the buds intact: these will shoot after the cutting has rooted and make strong new stems from below the compost. Clipped yew and holly hedges should survive on one clipping per year, although a wet autumn may produce some further shoots which will need to be nipped off later. Clumps of colchicum bulbs may still be lifted and divided now. Replant them individually since they soon clump up again. Even small bulbs soon flower when given space of their own. Plant colchicums now for large, crocus-like flowers this autumn. Place the corms 4in deep and 10in apart in sun or partial shade, in rich, moisture-retentive soil. Crown imperials (Fritillaria imperialis) can be planted now. Plant out daffodils for next spring. It is possible to start bulb planting, and crocuses should be planted as soon as possible. Lay firmly anchored chicken wire over the area to stop squirrels digging up the bulbs. And in the spring you will have a garden full of brightly coloured jewels. Finish pruning topiary and evergreen hedges by the end of this month. Reduce new hedges by one-third this month. Repeat twice a year. Clip berrying hedges and pyracantha now and again in June. Summer blooming shrubs should be pruned for shape after they have finished flowering. Remove any dead or diseased branches. FLOWERS and ROSES Take cuttings of pinks, pansies and violas, using 2-3in shoots in a very sandy compost. Even easy bedding plants such as marigolds, calendulas and petunias are better dead-headed to keep them looking good. Cut gladioli flowers for use indoors, leaving some foliage on the plants so that they can build up food reserves for next year. With shears/secateurs trim the faded flower stalks of lavender bushes and hedges to a point just behind the first leaves, and pinch out the strongest existing or subsequent non-flowering shoots to encourage bushiness for next year. Avoid cutting hard into old shoots as they are reluctant to sprout again. Begin cutting out the old wood from early-flowering rambler roses such as 'Albertine'. Keep perpetual roses dead-headed to encourage new flowers. Give liquid tomato feed to late-flowering clematis such as 'Jackmannii' every two weeks; water weekly in hot weather. Take cuttings of pelargoniums and grow on for use next summer. Keep picking sweet peas for indoors to ensure a long supply of flowers, and to stop the plants from going to seed. Divide irises over the next few weeks. Bearded border hybrids of all sizes are better divided into individual, fat rhizomes. The "beardless" species like sibirica, chrysographes, forrestii, foetidissima and versicolor are better not broken up, but divided into small clumps of four to five rhizomes. Keep up the dead-heading of late season daisies such as helenium, dahlias, cosmos, and Shasta daisies. Flower borders need not look bedraggled at this time of year. Go through the beds one at a time, concentrating on one area at a time. Picking off decaying leaves, and dead-head any spent flowers that are not needed for there seeds, for example Marigolds, Zinnias, Snapdragons and other annuals. Spent flowers on perennials should also be removed. Just a little time spent on grooming the plants really makes a big difference in the appearance of the garden. Also, once a plant flowers and goes to seed, it will usually stop the development of additional flowers, so by removing the spent flowers the plants should continue to flower longer into the season. Support any stems with canes and twine that are drooping a bit. Pull out weeds and make sure that all your plants are getting enough water, especially Impatiens, Anemones and Dahlias. Be sure to check the hanging baskets and containers every day during hot weather and about every second day on moderate summer days. Water them thoroughly each time you water, they should have adequate drainage...but if not, do not over water. VEGETABLES, FRUIT and HERBS When the foliage has faded, lift shallots and autumn-sown onions. Dry in the sun before storing. Make sure main-crop potatoes and celery are well earthed up, and keep them well watered. Celery is a very thirsty vegetable. Lift and divide clumps of chives and replant in a sunny spot and water well. Sow winter spinach in rows a foot apart, for cropping from November right through to spring. New strawberry plants can be planted between now and early September, 15-18in apart, with a 12 inches between the rows. Plant them in soil which has been really well enriched with manure or old compost. Pots of mint which look tired and have flowered can be refreshed by cutting them down and applying a high-nitrogen liquid feed. I also every few years or so, re-pot them, usually, dividing the plant, and re-potting into fresh compost. Prune out the flowered stems of loganberries and tie the new ones in place for next year. Space them evenly to receive maximum sun to ripen them. Summer sown plants of cabbage, broccoli and kale can now be lifted from seed rows or pots, and transplanted. If the soil is dry, soak them a few hours before you lift them, and water them well in to their new positions. Make sure vegetables have sufficient water, especially runner beans, celery, Florence fennel and courgettes. Continue harvesting peas and beans, but remember to leave some pods of favourite varieties to ripen. They can be saved for sowing next year. The wingless females of the winter moth walk up the trunks of fruit trees from September onwards to lay their eggs in the branches. The resulting caterpillars eat next spring's foliage and blossoms, but you can prevent this by tying grease bands around the tree trunks now, to keep the females out of the trees. These bands are also useful ant and earwig deterrents. LAWN and GREENHOUSE If the grass has grown long whilst you have been on holiday/vacation, don't cut it very short on your return, but trim the top third for the first mow, then gradually lower the blade height in successive mowings. Watering can be the biggest task this month particularity if the weather gets really hot. And I know our lawns do suffer, but the grass always recovers...so I would concentrate your watering, and the water itself to your plants in your borders and in your pots etc. Raise the cutting height of your lawn mower. Taller grass cools the roots and helps keep the moisture in the soil longer. Continue damping down the greenhouse. LITTLE EXTRA'S Move outdoor pots into the shade whilst you are away on your holidays/vacations, Stand them in large shallow saucers with a small reservoir of water. Wrapping clay pots in polythene/bubble wrap also helps. Use a hosepipe to top up pond water, which evaporates rapidly in warm summer weather. Turn over and mix the contents of the compost heap. Mix in grass cuttings (unless you have used a lawn weedkiller), and fresh manure, which will help the rotting process. Unrotted material on the outside needs to get into the middle of the heap. If the contents seem dry, add water. Clean up and store dried seeds harvested earlier in the summer. Remove chaff from around each seed, then carefully blow away any dust, which can contaminate stored seed. Pack into labelled envelopes and store in the fridge. Christmas cactus - Late this month this plant should be brought back indoors and you should begin preparing them for Christmas flowering. Indoors the plants need to be placed in a spot where they will get lots of bright light. Give the plants some fertilizer this month and again next month, this should encourage the development of flower buds on these plants. Take cuttings of fuchsias (non-flowering shoots), divide lilies and replant at same depth as before. Take semi-ripe cuttings of hydrangeas and buddleia to root in cool cold frame. Take cuttings of holly, pyracantha, bay, lavender, rosemary, pelargoniums and fuchsias, osteospermum (pot on next February) Change the water in your bird bath regularly, and keep it filled. Standing water is less healthy for the birds, and may become a breeding ground for mosquito larvae. I have removed my guestbook for the moment, but do write to me via e-mail if you wish, would love to hear from you. Enjoy your gardening this month both indoors and outdoors. FastCounter by bCentral