August 2023 - IN THE POTTING SHED

Hello! Having just returned from a lovely break, this month’s musings are short and sweet. My own garden needs attention, and it occurred to me that yours might be the same?  So, I’ll jump straight into the potting shed and catch up with you all next month!

Late summer flowers: Echinacea & Rudbeckia

The Potting Shed: Things to do in August.

Traditionally August is one of the hottest months of the year (I’m crossing my fingers for us all!) making watering essential, it’s also holiday time so you might need to enlist the help of friends and family to look after your garden whilst your away, Alternatively, call to arrange some help and enjoy your holiday with peace of mind, and return to a gorgeous, thriving, weeded,  pruned and watered garden!

When you are home, here’s a list of outdoor tasks.

Summer prune Wisteria - Cut back the whippy green shoots of the current year’s growth to five or six leaves after flowering.

·      Prune summer flowering shrubs such as lavender once they’ve finished flowering.

·      Summer prune your restricted forms of apples and pears.

·      Keep deadheading your flowering plants-just pinch off the faded blooms with finger & thumb.

·      Keep watering your containers. Even when it’s been raining!

·      Continue to collect seeds from garden plants.

·      Cut out old, fruited canes on raspberries.

·      Lift and pot up rooted strawberry runners.

·      Feed your soil with green manure*.

Have you tried green manures?

CLOVER

They’re fast-growing plants sown to cover bare soil. Often used in the vegetable garden, their foliage smothers weeds and their roots prevent soil erosion. When dug into the ground while still green, they return valuable nutrients to the soil and improve soil structure.