Garden Jobs for August

As I look out at my garden at the moment I see nothing but things to do. But happily the garden jobs for August are a lovely mix of positive things, like taking cuttings, and more chore-like tidying tasks.

Here’s what I’m up to this month – when the rain stops!

1. Prune Lavender

I have a lovely line of lavender which runs from the pathway near my back door around to the door of my potting shed. The variety I grow is the English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia. It’s hardier and longer-lived than French and Spanish lavenders and apparently it’s more attractive to bees. So that’s three ticks in my book! But as with all hardy lavenders, this variety need firm pruning in August.

The trick is to get the balance right. You must cut back quite hard – as otherwise your plant will become quite ‘leggy’. But don’t cut back so hard that you are cutting into old wood. If you do, you’ll reduce the flowering potential of your poor old lavender the following year. See what I mean about tricky! You also want to be careful not to remove green shoots.

Once you’ve done this your lavender will look less attractive – gone wil be the old flowerheads. But it’s well worth it. After all you want a nicely shaped lavender, full of healthy flowers next year. Furthermore, come the winter, the snake of neatly clipped lavender (as you can see below) will give my garden the illusion that it is tidier than it is!

2. Prune Wisteria

Another one of my big garden jobs for August has me again in ‘chomping’ mode – as my dear old dad used to describe any gardening job involving secateurs or shears. As August is the time for pruning the wisteria which grows all over the front of our tiny cottage. I know that if I don’t get on with this , the fast growing climber will soon become a complete tangly jumble. Actually, I’ll be honest, it already is! In the case of our cottage it starts coming in through the open windows given half a chance!

Wisteria is pruned twice a year with the first pruning being done now. The second is then in January or February.

For the August prune there are 6 easy steps to follow:

6 Easy Steps

• Simply trace each long shoot of new wispy growth back to the base
• Then count along the length of new growth for five buds (leaves)
• Cut after the fifth bud
• Cut at an angle in the direction that the fifth leaf is growing
• If you see long stems with old seed pods on them, cut those stems off too, to keep things looking tidy
• Stick the green leafy prunings into your compost heap, they’ll rot down quickly

Job done!

3. Deadheading

A simpler but no less satisfying of my garden jobs for August is deadheading. If you keep your deadheading regime up for dahlias and perennials such as astrantias, nepetas and campanulas you will keep encouraging more flowers. And I find my beds and borders automatically look sharper and fresher once I’ve deadheaded too.

To stop this job becoming a chore, I do a little every day. I keep a bucket with secateurs permanently under the outside table, that way I can do a little deadheading as I pootle around the patio or ramble around the garden.

4. Rambling Roses

Talking of rambling, while you have your ‘pruning head on’, If you have a rambling rose, (I don’t) August is also a good time to prune it. Essentially cut back a third of the growth that has flowered. Then tie any remaining stems to supports.

5. Watch Your Camellias

Each year one of the earliest delights in my garden is my camellia Dr King. As you can see, in March or April it offers up a glamorous display of blooms which rival anything the tulips have to offer. And this evergreen shrub has leaf interest all year round, and its flowers come back strong year after year.

However, all this blooming loveliness does not happen by chance. Camellias need some TLC. In particular when caring for camellias which are in containers, you must remember to keep them well watered in August. That’s because the summer months are when next year’s flower buds are formed – and August of all the months can be particularly dry. (Though I wouldn’t believe that looking out at all the rain!)

Watering Camellias

I know you are thinking “Louise, do you really need to explain to me how to water” – but let me just share a few tips as I have got this wrong before.

• During the summer months of July, August and September keep an eye on your camellias for dryness. Simply stick your trowel down about four inches, if the soil feels dry, water it well.
• Ideally use rainwater rather than tap water, as rainwater is slightly acidic and camellias are acid-loving plants.
• If you are growing a camellia in your garden rather than in a pot, watering is less important as the plants are less dependent on you. That said, if you have a newly planted camellia I’d still water them regularly for the first year or so just to ensure they settle in properly.
• If you don’t water your camellia in August and it dries out too much trust me, you will pay for it! Your camellia will look all fine. It will develop buds and you will think you’ve got away with the neglect and are the world’s best gardener. Ah, but months later, the little buds will become duds…they won’t turn into flowers. Or to add insult to injury they’ll even drop off in the spring. Gah!!

6. Take Softwood Cuttings of Perennials

I try and take softwood cuttings of my favourite perennials – such as salvias and penstemon during a few summer months. I have several goes for a number of reasons. Firstly, and most importantly, of all the garden jobs for August it’s possibly the most fun. Secondly, I can never have too many plants. Thirdly not all of my cuttings will work.

Today I’ll focus on salvias as they are such troopers. Salvias are real workers in a garden. They come in all sorts of lovely colours, and they flower for absolutely ages. But they can suddenly die on you, especially if there’s a harsh winter with one too many frosts. Fortunately they are sooo easy to propogate through softwood cuttings. Here’s how.

The Method

• Take a non-flowering side shoot that’s about 2-3 inches long
• To prepare the cutting, trim its base – just below a leaf node (that’s the spot where the leaves join the stem)
• Using a sharp knife or scissors remove the lower leaves – leave the cutting with two leaves at the top
• If the two top leaves are very large, possibly trim them in half
• Dip the base of the cutting in rooting compound (you can skip this step and it may well work)
• Fill a pot with free draining compost – say potting compost mixed 50/50 with gardening grit
• Using a knife or perhaps a pencil create a space for the cutting close to the edge of the pot
• Depending on the pot size you can put multiple cuttings to a pot
• Then give the pot a good drink

After Care

• Place the pot of cuttings somewhere that’s sheltered, not in full sun, but that gets lots of light
• I put mine indoors on a well-lit windowsill
• Keep the air around the cuttings moist while they ‘take’ – some people put polythene bags around them, but I can’t be bothered with that. I just give them a spray with a mister a few times a day
• After three weeks the cuttings should be ready to put into pots on their own
• I then ‘over winter’ the cuttings indoors on the same windowsill as they need to be kept in a frost-free place while they fully develop

Then come the spring after all the frosts have passed you gradually acclimatise them to the outdoors… before permanently planting them out. Easy peasy.

So those are my 6 top garden jobs for August. A lovely mix of tidying and creating – my idea of gardening heaven! I better get a wiggle on and start them…Happy gardening x