TINA WOODHAMS GARDENING NOTES FOR AUGUST
August is known as the Harvest Month and is said to be named in honour of the Roman Emperor, Augustus. The 1st August is recognised as Lammas day, the festival of the beginning of harvest when the first sheaf of corn was offered and blessed in the church and loaves baked from the flour of the first grains.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the great drought of 1976 where temperatures regularly hit the mid-30s and much of the country suffered a lack of rain for 45 days. Sounding familiar?
Heat and humidity creates a favourable environment for insect pests. Aphids are active this time of year and ladybirds will happily feed on a wide variety of small insects and insect eggs. Encourage them into the garden by companion planting with marigolds and nasturtiums.
It goes without saying that continued watering is an essential task this month along with regular deadheading to keep pots and perennials in tip top condition. Don't forget to treat them to a weekly liquid feed! Water slowly, directly into the soil to get to the root system and not onto the leaves. Fill the pot to the rim and let it soak into the soil before repeating. If the surface of the soil is dry, the water will overflow over the top of the pot and be wasted. It’s important to keep the soil healthy – so don’t oversaturate it as this will flush out essential nutrients. Grouping pots together will increase the air humidity in that area.
In the borders some of the early summer flowering plants may be looking past their best, so boost colour in the garden by planting up containers with new fuchsia, dahlia or tall late perennials which can then be strategically placed into any empty gaps. Once finished, the pots can be emptied and dug directly into the border for colour next year. Prune wisteria, cutting back the whippy green shoots of the current year’s growth to 5 or 6 leaves.
August is a busy time for harvesting edibles. Regular cropping of vegetables, especially courgettes, beans, peas and salads will encourage further produce.
Remove the bottom leaves from your tomato plants to ensure good air circulation and allowing the sun to ripen the fruits. The hotter weather makes tomatoes prone to blossom-end rot which is caused by an erratic supply of moisture, so ensure you water and feed on a regular basis.
After harvesting summer fruiting raspberries, the spent canes may be cut to soil level leaving the new canes to develop for next year.
Our gardens would not be complete nor function without wildlife. Keeping patches of longer grass in areas of your lawn will provide insect habitats and some shelter from the sun. August is a key month for butterflies and plants such as buddleja, dahlia and geranium offer a valuable source of nectar.
Happy Gardening!