August is all about balancing the final days of summer and higher temperatures with preparing your garden for the cooler months ahead. It's an ideal time to harvest the last of your summer crops and deadhead faded flowers, helping to encourage next year's blooms while taking care not to cut into new growth or developing buds.
Watering and weed control
With hot weather still forecast, it's also important that you water the garden deeply, particularly autumn bulbs and hardy annuals, which need adequate moisture to establish strong roots. Make sure to water during the cooler parts of the day, such as early morning or evening, to reduce evaporation and allow moisture to fully reach the roots effectively.
There are also plenty of simple jobs you can get on with now, such as keeping weeds under control to prevent them competing with your plants for nutrients and moisture, as well as adding a layer of mulch to help protect them. With autumn just around the corner, a little preparation now can help your garden stay healthy and give it a strong start for the months ahead.
Harvesting and deadheading
Many fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, plums, aubergines and cucumbers, will be ready to harvest and enjoy now. Once blooms have faded, make sure to deadhead them before new shoots or buds begin to develop, helping to avoid accidentally cutting off next year's growth.
Planting and sowing for next year
Sowing hardy annuals like cornflowers and calendula now will allow them to establish strong root systems before winter, giving them an ideal head start for healthy growth next year. As the sun dries out seed pods, this is an ideal time to collect seeds from plants such as poppies and sweet peas. It's also a great time to take cuttings from many plants, giving them the opportunity to develop roots and establish before being planted out next year.
For autumn flowering bulbs, getting them in the ground in August will help them establish before the weather cools, ensuring a lovely display come autumn.
