Alan Titchmarsh has shared his top August gardening tips, with a simple evening task that gives plants the whole night to recover. Britain's summer weather has presented a genuine challenge for gardens, with plants and flowers battling against heatwaves and temperatures exceeding 30°C.
Watering in the Evening
With hosepipe bans now implemented and soil becoming increasingly parched, it can be difficult to determine how best to rejuvenate your garden during the final days of summer. Titchmarsh advises watering your plants during the evening hours, allowing them the entire night to absorb moisture.
However, he recommends avoiding plants that are clearly "past their best" and concentrating on what matters most - those yet to bloom or which have already flowered.
Prioritize Containers
His guidance indicates that during hot, dry conditions, watering your containers should take absolute priority, as these areas typically dehydrate most rapidly. Neglecting this increases their vulnerability, particularly as the UK experiences increasingly warm conditions.
Watering becomes vital during dry periods, yet Titchmarsh recommends against watering your lawn. If it has dried out and turned brown, it's likely beyond saving, and watering merely promotes lusher growth that demands increasingly more water - it's better to allow it to recuperate in autumn.
Lawn Maintenance
However, lawn maintenance needn't be abandoned entirely. As the grass grows longer, you'll still want to keep your lawn tidy and trimmed. When mowing time arrives, avoid cutting it too short and stubbly. The Gardener's World presenter suggests leaving a few inches, which will help to "keep it looking greener".
Stay Patient
Titchmarsh encourages gardeners to be gentle with themselves during this period, as extreme heatwaves can still undo all your efforts. He noted that while it's tempting to feel "down and dispirited", to remember that the rain will return after months of lack of water and heaps of sunshine.
The gardener shared some sentimental August advice, saying: "There will be parts of your garden which will survive. Even your lawn, which seems to have been burnt to a crisp, will 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.
