In the UK, August is a busy time in the garden as it marks the end of summer and the transition towards autumn. Here are some essential gardening jobs for August including growing herbs, sowing seeds and proporgating.

Watering:

August can be a dry and warm month, so make sure to water your plants regularly, especially during prolonged dry spells. This can be a time consuming job, but vital to keep your plants looking good.  If you are too busy to water each day perhaps check out my blog from June which focuses on different types of watering systems. You can find it here.

https://chesterandcooke.co.uk/2023/06/gardening-jobs-for-june/

If you are growing herbs on your windowsill don’t forgot to water those too.

Gardening jobs for August – Deadheading & Pruning:

Remove faded flowers from plants to encourage new blooms and prolong flowering periods. I find taking time to do this each evening gives you a chance to step back and enjoy your garden and evaluate  your progress. This is a great time to fill out your garden planner, to help you achieve blooms all year round.  If you haven’t already got yours just sign up below to get your free download.

Prune summer-flowering shrubs and hedges after they have finished flowering to keep them in shape.This really makes a big difference to your garden, having well shaped and pruned shrubs really gives the cared for and manicured look. Even if you are getting behind on the weeding.

 

Harvesting in August:

If you have a vegetable garden, August is a time for bountiful harvests. Pick ripe fruits and vegetables regularly to encourage further production. Tomatoes, aubergines, global artichokes, potatoes and plums will all be ripening up now and be ready for harvest so keep a close eye on these.

Your herbs will also be looking good if you have an outside herb garden.  Growing herbs is really enjoyable and did you know you can freeze herbs in ice cube trays so they are ready to use when needed.

If you don’t have an outside herb garden, have you considered a windowsill herb planter?  These are great to have and really enhance your cooking. Check out this blog on 5 reasons to use a herb planter.

Weeding & Lawn Care:

Keep on top of the weeds, as they can quickly take over during the growing season. Keep mowing the lawn regularly but raise the cutting height during dry periods to prevent the grass from scorching.

Gardening jobs for August – Propagation:

Take cuttings from your favourite plants to propagate and grow new ones. This is a great process to learn, if you are keen to get your garden full especially with your favourite plants.

So what is propagation – Basically this is the process of reproducing your plant by taking a cutting  (cut off a small piece of your parent/donor plant)and growing it on. It is quite an easy process but it’s a good idea to read through this guide to give you the best chance of success. Tips like how to choose the correct donor plant, where to take your cuttings from? And how big your cutting should be and how many leaves and nodules it should have?

But best of all, have fun doing it. It will really inspire you to create a garden that is full of top quality healthy plants that are your favourites and will help you achieve blooms all year round.

For a how-to on propagation check out this article.

Sowing Seeds & Planting in August:

You can still plant late-season vegetables, biennials, and perennials for next year’s display.

Sowing seeds like spinach now which will be ready to harvest in October, and also the lovely Rocket, with that strong peppery taste. I will always remember my son being so excited when we said we were growing rocket, until he became disappointed that it wasn’t going to fly us to space. But growing herbs with your children is always a great thing to do on the windowsill, its fun, quick and you can show them how to put them in your cooking too.

Flowers you can sow in August are marigolds, cornflower and California poppies (which are really hardy) for a display in May time.

Leftover seeds need to be stored in a good quality seed box, to help ensure their viability for next year. At Chester & Cooke we have an award winning seed box which we also sell as a gift set with divider cards so you can get your seed collection really organised. Read about the features to look for in a seeds box HERE – as it is really important to get the correct container to store your seeds. You can shop seed boxes here.

 

Feeding:

Give your plants, especially containers and hanging baskets, a boost with a liquid or granular fertiliser.

Greenhouse care:

Over more recent years we are seeing record breaking temperatures, into the 40 degrees Celsius. A greenhouse is on average 8 degrees hotter than outside. So it is really important that you ventilate and shade your greenhouse on hot days to prevent overheating. There are different ways to provide shade such as internal and external blinds, paint and netting shade. Each having their own benefits. Read about shading and how to ventilate your greenhouse here.

Gardening jobs for August – Bulb planting:

Plan and prepare for autumn bulb planting, so you have a beautiful display in spring. I just love this job. It is so exciting to get your garden planner out and decide where you need those extra blooms and what they will be. You can find your own FREE copy of my garden planner here. It is a great way to help achieve Blooms all year round.

I find this website really helpful because they help you understand what plants will be suitable where. The Anglia bulb company has a great system where you can select when you want the bulbs to flower, So this is great for planning ahead. Don’t forget to check the conditions and suitability of the plant for your garden.

https://www.angliabulbcompany/springhas 

How to use your Planner

Take a walk around the garden and make a note of anything in bloom, where you have foliage and where you have gaps. Making notes on your garden planner, taking photos or videos is also really useful.

Now it’s time to do some research on what plants will be suitable for August and for the areas that are in need of plants. Make an assessment of the areas that need plants at this time of year making notes of the soil and position, which will then help with your research

Obviously if you are planning for blooms this month, you won’t see the blooms till next year, So if you are using my planner try to plan ahead to establish what you can sow or plant earlier to enjoy later in the year. This time next year hopefully you would have worked out a plan and been planting throughout the year. Sowing seeds early and getting prepared for your beautiful garden is really enhanced when you use a garden planner.  You will gradually create your garden to have some element of blooms all year round.  

 

Get the Chester & Cooke Garden Planner

I hope you have enjoyed reading about gardening jobs for August. Get sowing seeds and growing herbs but remember that August is also a time to enjoy the fruits of your labor and take a moment to relax in your garden, perhaps with a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade or your favorite beverage.

You can purchase any of our Seed Boxes, divider cards and other gardening products in our shop here.

Thanks for reading. 

Happy gardening!

Liz