GARDENING TIPS FOR AUGUST
There’s lots to be getting on with outdoors in August, and long summer days allow you to garden well into the evening
With garden borders bursting with life and many plants in full bloom, there are still a few things you can grow or do to get ahead of the next season. Maybe you’re starting to place your order of spring-flowering bulbs or even planting a few in your beds and borders. Keen allotment gardeners can still make last minute sowings of certain vegetables or start sowing seasonal vegetables indoors for springtime.
Most importantly, this month is all about soaking up the last of the summer and enjoying your garden to its full. August is usually the hottest month of year, so you’ll want to take full advantage!
Keep reading to discover everything else you can do in your garden to make the most of August
THIS MONTH IS ALL ABOUT: RELAXING!
Before summer is over make sure to enjoy your garden and all the hard work you’ve put into making it so nice
Whether you want to fire up the BBQ, get through your summer reading list, play outside with the kids, or have a big garden party with all your friends and family, make sure you’ve got everything you need so you’re ready to go as soon as the sunshine appears. Our BIG summer sale is well underway, with new lines of garden furniture, homeware, gardening essentials and seeds being added all the time. Make sure to check it out before you get too comfortable on that old lounger!
So, after finishing off watering, feeding, pruning, and any other maintenance jobs left to do this summer, make sure you take a few moments for yourself and enjoy your garden the way you love to the most
SEEDS TO SOW IN AUGUST
Vegetables
Lettuce
Beetroot
Radish
Turnip
Cabbage
Spinach
Rocket
Spring onions
Chard
Pak choi
Flowers
Cornflowers
FLOWERS TO PLANT AND GROW IN AUGUST
Autumn flowering crocus corms are available in-store now. Plant them in groups in your borders or directly on your grass. They’ll bloom in September and October, giving you much needed late summer colour in your garden. It also means you can keep your green thumbs busy during a month when there’s not too much to grow
Cyclamen is another great option for providing colour when little else is flowering in the garden, especially in early winter or late spring. Plant cyclamen in a sunny spot in well-drained soil. Don’t plant them too deep in the ground or else they might not flower – the tops of the tubers should be poking out the soil
WHAT TO DO WITH BEDS AND BORDERS
Hebes are ideal for your sunny borders, providing summer colour and year-round foliage. These neat and colourful evergreen shrubs are also one of our plants of the month. And for those wanting to encourage more wildlife to their garden, they make great plants to attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Hebes need soil that is free-draining and prefer a warm spot in your garden. When winter comes around, you’ll need to protect them from the wet and cold. They can be planted in large borders or for smaller spaces, they work great in containers as well. When planting Hebes, make sure to use a mature plant compost
To keep your beds and borders in top condition, prune early summer flowering shrubs and remove any branches that have flowered with secateurs or loppers. This allows new growth carrying next year’s display time to mature
As gaps appear in your beds and borders, early autumn is the ideal time to plant bulbs, including alliums, daffodils and snowdrops
WHAT TO PLANT IN POTS & CONTAINERS
There are lots of options for gardening - even if you’re working with less outdoor space. Planted containers and hanging baskets are a great solution for making the most of the space you have. If you have a patio, then bigger containers can be used for a variety of plants - including Cyclamen and Hebes. Don’t forget to move your containers into the shade if you’re going away, as this will reduce the risk of your plants and soil drying out
Hanging baskets can be placed on your fence, outside your front door or even in your kitchen for access to your own fresh herbs or edible produce. Now is a great time to start trying out new salad leaves plants as our seed sale is now on as part of the Dobbies BIG summer sale
August can be a very hot, dry month. It’s important to make sure you keep your plants hydrated, especially your container plants, but also make sure to keep an eye on your shrub, tree, and herbaceous borders. Water these daily if necessary
Add a liquid fertiliser such as Dobbies Seaweed Liquid Feed to encourage growth and flowering through to autumn. Regular feeding and dead heading will also help your garden looking its best until the next season
AUGUST FRUIT & VEG
National Allotment Week takes place on the 12th – 18th of August with the theme of biodiversity. Allotment gardening contributes positively to biodiversity and the environment as the world faces more climate challenges. The NAS hope that this National Allotments Week will inform and educate gardeners old and new about the benefits of allotments such as encouraging pollinators and wildlife, eco-friendly pest control, companion planting, soil health and much more!
To ensure you’re encouraging fresh growth in your herbs make sure to cut them back if they're looking tired
Harvest French and runner beans, carrots, cucumber, spinach, courgettes, peas, peppers, chillies, beetroot, aubergines and tomatoes if ripe. Your second early and maincrop potatoes will also be ready to harvest this month
Continue to water tomato plants consistently and regularly, adding a high potassium tomato feed for healthy growth and fruiting. If you’re growing pumpkins for autumn festivities, then they need to be continually watered so they continue to grow and be ready in time
If you have empty spaces in your vegetable patch after harvesting the last of your summer produce, sow fast-growing salad seeds like lettuce and radishes to save your beds looking barren – and you get to enjoy fresh leaves in your summer salads!
Harvest blackberries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, the last of your raspberries and any apples already growing in your garden. Prune these plants once you’ve picked their fruits
MAINTAIN TREES & SHRUBS
Make sure to dead head your summer flowering plants regularly as they begin to fade to extend the flowering season well into autumn - particularly any Dahlias and roses. Any herbaceous plants that have already finished flowering can be cut back and tidied too, while some plants such as hardy Geraniums will grow back with a second flush of foliage and flower for a late season display
Many roses will put on another display of fresh blooms, particularly some of our Dobbies varieties which are renowned for their fragrance and long season of colour. Dead head flowers that have finished and boost with rose fertiliser to encourage healthy growth of a late summer display
Tie in rambling roses as horizontal as possible. Training new growth in this way helps to encourage an abundance of flowers to grow
INDOOR GARDENING
Dreaming of a holiday in the tropics? By transforming your space with a variety of houseplants, you can bring the tropics to you! Our houseplant of the month, the Bromeliad brings an exotic feeling of sun-kissed climates into your home. They enjoy warm, humid conditions, such as in a bathroom or kitchen, or you can stand them in a tray of damp gravel to keep them moist. These plants absorb nutrients and moisture through their leaves, so when caring for them make sure to mist the leaves as well as the roots. Many bromeliads have a well in the centre of the rosette which should be kept topped up, ideally with rainwater or distilled water. Make sure to empty and refill it every month or so, so that the water doesn’t become stagnant
GENERAL MAINTENANCE
Now is a fantastic opportunity to start thinking ahead to next year. With spring flowering bulb collections available in-store and online this month, you can start to shop for inspirational new varieties and colour mixes, as well as all the traditional favourites
You might also want to take a step back from gardening this month and decide if there’s any area of your outdoors you want to improve. Maybe you want to try planting different seeds or bulbs in your borders or transform your garden completely through a landscaping project. Take notes and start planning for after the winter
STAY SUSTAINABLE THIS SUMMER
It’s important to try and use water sustainably in the garden, especially during warmer weather where drought may occur, or hosepipe bans might be put in place. While you can use a watering can throughout a hosepipe ban, it’s even better if you can collect rainwater as it's better for the environment and your plants
One easy way to collect rainwater is to leave your watering can outside so it naturally fills up with rain. You should also install a water butt in your garden to collect rainwater – read our full guide on harvesting rainwater to learn more
We’d love to see what tasks and projects you’ve been up to in the garden this month – take a picture and tag us on socials @dobbiesgardencentres so we can see your gorgeous outdoor space!