Gardening Tips for August
There’s lots to be getting on with in August and long summer days allow you to garden well into the evening
What Tasks Can I Get Up To In The Garden This August?
It’s getting hot in here! August can be a very hot month and as such drought warnings can be put in place. It’s important to make sure you keep your plants hydrated so watering is key this month, especially in containers, but also make sure to keep an eye on your shrub, tree, and herbaceous borders
Where needed, water containers daily and 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 autumn
Gardening for Small Spaces
- 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
- 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 insects to their garden, they make for great plants to attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Hebes need soil that is free-draining, and most prefer a warm spot in your garden meaning 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 – make sure to plant into our Dobbies Mature Plant Compost, available in-store or online
- Hanging baskets can be placed on your fence, outside your door or even in your kitchen for accessible access to your own fresh herbs for cooking, and now is a great time to start trying out new plants as our seed sale is now on, available in-store and online from just 49p
Stay Sustainable This Summer
- With warmer weather persisting throughout August and in some places even drought and hosepipe bans it’s important to try and use water sustainable in the garden. Whilst you can use a watering can throughout a hosepipe ban it’s great if you can collect rainwater as it's better for the plants and the environment
- One easy way is to leave your watering can outside so that when it does rain it naturally fills up! Also, when washing your fruits and veg in the sink, put a bowl under the tap to save the water, and pour into your watering can for use in the garden
- You should also install a water butt in your garden to collect rainwater for free, plant-friendly water to use in the garden. Gardening products can also help to reduce your water consumption, such as these water retaining granules which hold 60% of their weight and can hydrate for longer – available in-store and online for just £3.99
Grow Your Own Delicious Produce
- With our seed sale now on starting from just 49p, it's is a great time to stock up on seeds and give growing your own a try. Autumn vegetable plants such as beetroot, radishes, turnips and cabbages can now be planted as well as potatoes to have for your roast on Christmas Day!
- National Allotment Week takes place on the 7th – 13th August with the theme of Soil Health. Good soil health is widely accepted as way to improve yield when growing edibles but also 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 benefit of caring for the soil and the creatures that inhabit it
- Shop everything you need for your allotment in-store and online at Dobbies
Add Dimensions with Beds and Borders
- These tasks will keep your beds and borders in top condition. Prune early summer flowering shrubs, such as Deutzia, Weigela and Philadelphus and remove branches that have flowered with secateurs or loppers to allow new growth to mature that will carry next year’s display
- It’s time to think ahead to next year, and with spring flowering bulb collections now available in store and online, it’s a great time to shop inspirational new varieties and colour mixes as well as all the traditional favourites. As gaps appear in beds and borders, early autumn is the ideal time to plant bulbs, including Alliums, Crocus, Daffodils, Narcissi and Snowdrops
Add Some Colour To Your Flower Garden
- As your summer flowering plants begin to fade make sure to dead head regularly to extend the flowering season well into autumn, particularly Dahlias, and roses. Any flowering herbaceous plants that have already finished flowering can be cut back and tidied, whilst some 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 flower colour. Dead head flowers that have finished and boost with rose fertiliser to encourage healthy growth and a late summer display
- Tie in whippy growths on rambling roses to bear next year’s trusses of flower, positioning each stem as near to horizontal as possible. Training new growth in this way helps to encourage a prolific flower display along their length
- Another plant of the month, the Cyclamen, is a great option for providing colour when little else is flowering in the garden, especially in early winter or late spring. When planting make sure not to plant them too deeply or else they might not flower and grow them in part shade, well-drained soil
- We have everything you need for our Plants of the Month from compost and feeds to gardening tools – shop in-store and online
Grow from Patch to Plate in your Kitchen Garden
- To ensure you’re encouraging fresh growth in your herbs make sure to cut them back if they're looking tired
- Continue to water tomato plants consistently and regularly, adding a high potassium tomato feed for healthy growth and fruiting, and keep picking courgettes when they are young and tender to encourage more to follow. Pumpkins need to be continually watered so they continue to grow in readiness for autumn festivities
Curate the Exotic Look
- Dreaming of the tropics? Your dreams can become a reality by transforming your space with a variety of plants. Our houseplant of the month, the Bromeliad brings a sense of the tropics and sun-kissed climates to 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 – empty and refill it every month or so, so that the water doesn’t become stagnant
Well, that should be leaving you plenty to be getting on with in the garden this August! We would love to see what tasks and projects you’ve been up to in the garden so make sure to tag us @dobbiesgardencentres so we can see all your gorgeous gardens!