AUGUST … and everything after
AUGUST … and everything after
… is an Album by Counting Crows as the musically inclined may remember! However, I recently read somewhere that August is ‘the Sunday of Summer,’ and although we are still in the throes of Summer, we may also be aware that Autumn is approaching. Nowhere is this more evident than in our gardens, where Alas! many of our Annuals are past their best and slowly ‘going over’ despite our best efforts to maintain them and try to prolong their blooming season.
Of course, there is still plenty of variety to be had in these later Summer months. Plants to consider, and that you may well have already, for a prolonged showing of colour well into Autumn could include Violas, Cyclamen, Asters, Cosmos, Marigolds, Chrysanthemum’s, Geraniums, begonia and impatiens. Many of these garden favourites are still going strong!
It is also important to water wisely during this time and make sure the compost is always moist but not drowned! It is best to water from below the flowers directly into the soil. But beware, as overwatering can cause roots and any cuttings you take to rot.
It is also a good time to chop back lavender and other shrubs that have long passed their best. Cut down to just above the wooded parts, as you then avoid cutting away the energy required for next year’s growth, this is especially true when pruning lavender as cutting into the woody bit can finish them of completely … We don’t want that! Cut stems diagonally where possible. Rose bushes should be pruned once the rose is spent. Do this by cutting just above the first set of five leaves … not three!
Deadheading is especially important now to keep those blooms coming and coming!
Geraniums are still flourishing but gently remove perished petals without disturbing the rest of the bloom. This keeps the plant looking tidy and when the whole of a single bloom is spent, it can easily be removed at the base.
Greenhouse tomato growers should now notice tomatoes ripening nicely and will soon be ready to harvest.
That’s it for now folks!
Sue - The Go Lightly Gardener
