Alan Titchmarsh has shared five key August gardening tasks to help British gardeners recover from a gruelling summer of heatwaves, with temperatures exceeding 30C, hosepipe bans, drought and bone-dry soil.
Train and prune climbers
First on the list is training and pruning climbers. According to Alan, most will have stopped growing, and many will have finished climbing by now. He believes this is the moment to begin containing them and directing them where you want them to go.
He told his YouTube channel, Gardening with Alan Titchmarsh: "One climber many are confused about is wisteria. July and August is one of two times in the year where you want to prune it, to encourage it to stay within bounds and to flower well next year."
"Look for the long shoots and shorten them back to a foot from where they come out of the stem. Then shorten them in January to about finger length. With any luck they'll start flowering again next spring." He also suggested climbing roses as another candidate for pruning during August.
Plant evergreen hedges
Next is planting evergreen hedges, whether for privacy or to reduce noise pollution. The expert believes now is an ideal time to get those hedges in the ground, as long as gardeners ensure they don't dry out.
He said: "The soil is warm, and provided you don't let it dry out, root growth will be quite rapid in setting up the plants for the winter ahead, so in the spring, they'll grow away rapidly."
"If it's privacy you're looking for, evergreen hedges are the best option because they won't lose their leaves in winter. Another good reason is to combat noise pollution." Alan recommended Euonymus or the Portuguese Laurel for privacy, or the Yew for reducing noise pollution.
Start making compost
Another important task is starting a compost heap. August is a period when a great deal of garden material is being cut back, including lawn, hedges and pulled weeds. Thanks to the scorching summer temperatures, compost breaks down considerably faster than in winter.
Alan says: "Summer is a great time to get cracking on your compost. If you've never built a compost heap, or you have a really tiny garden, a great place to start is with a compost bin made from pressure-treated soft wood."
"You can buy them in kits and they're relatively easy to put together. If you get one where the boards slot in and out, it's easy to access the compost when it's ready to be used."
"Then you're ready to start creating the compost. I always begin with waste from the garden, leaves, particularly soft leaves, are a good addition, and grass clippings can go in, but mix all the ingredients together to get your heat to heat up fast."
The seasoned gardener also suggested incorporating crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, potato and carrot peelings, banana skins, lettuces and broccoli. Once all ingredients are prepared, place them into the bin and mix thoroughly so it breaks down more quickly, adding water to speed up the process.
Be kind to yourself
This is particularly crucial if your garden is suffering due to the relentless hot weather. Alan said while it is easy to be "down and dispirited" as gardens scorch due to continuous sunshine and minimal rainfall, the rain will eventually return.
Alan concluded: "There will be parts of your garden which will survive. Even your lawn which seems to have been burnt to a crisp, it'll come back.. So, be patient. It will come back and you'll realise that even in tough times like those we've had this particular month, it's still worth being a gardener."
Planting ornamental grasses
According to Alan, incorporating grasses into your garden maintains the visual appeal right through winter. He said: "Lots of them will go through the winter in the state they are dried but looking wonderful particularly when they're frosted."
"For me they're great glue in borders between contrasting flower colours."
Catch Alan on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh this morning (Sunday, August 9) from 9.30am to 11.25am on ITV.
