It’s a month of rich pickings...
Rich purple Phlox stand tall above the deep velvets of Potentillas, whilst Echinaceas and Monardas thrust open their refreshing, but still, eye-catching paler pink daisies.
Coreopsis add rich gold tones to the border and are a fine contrast to the moody blues of Veronicas. Acanthus combine a shimmering silvery pale-purple that is almost white with a dusky maroon which epitomises a drawing-in August evening.
This laid-back month is a superb one to enjoy entertaining in the garden and outdoor lighting will enhance the moods and nuances of your plot and show off the best of the blooms rather than the housekeeping.
This is also the best month to enjoy the fruits of your labours – quite literally as pickings of top fruit and soft fruit combined with vegetables such as beans and tomatoes add an edible dimension to your kitchen.
Water, shear and head in the right direction
THE LONG hot summer continues to be a major issue and is affecting the appearance of the whole garden. Of course, we have to be extra-vigilant when it comes to watering, water only those plants that need it (thoroughly) and preferably only at night. Lawns do not need water and will gradually recover during the autumn.
Thinking of Tom-orrow
THERE is nothing like the taste of home-grown cherry tomatoes. These should be picked regularly as they colour up.
By the end of the month, the small hard green fruit trusses should be removed to allow the plants to focus its energy on ripening the larger paler fruits.
Plenty of water should be given during warm or hot spells and continue to feed with Tomerite, or better still, your own home-made liquid fertiliser.
Be cunning with your Phlox
PHLOX provide some of the most vivid of all the border-flowers in August and, although their display is usually restricted to a few short weeks, it is well worth waiting for.
These plants are easy to grow, once established, in a sunny position on a fairly moist well-drained and rather rich soil.
They can be divided every three years in late autumn or winter. Or the whole plant can be lifted and root-cuttings taken and planted in pots in winter to get them established. A small cold-frame or sheltered corner will help them along.
Behold the grown ‘rangea
THE TREE Hydrangea, second-named Paniculata ‘unique’, has a vigorous arching habit and can be grown as a large shrub, or tree – if the lower branches are removed to develop a trunk.
It displays very large conical flowerheads with rather-lace-cap white florets and these turn quickly to a dusty pink when we reach the autumn months.
The foliage, which is rather deep-green, turns bright yellow in October or November, before falling.
The bare winter-structure continues to display the straw-brown flowerheads which look nice when coated in frost.
This shrub can be kept smaller by pruning it back quite hard anytime between late autumn and April. This is because it flowers on both the current season’s growth and stems, in contrast to most hydrangeas. They tend to need the previous season’s stems to be left in order to flower on the next season’s growth.
This shrub will thrive in both sun and shade and once established, will tolerate somewhat drier soils than most of their brother or sister varieties. A well-prepared soil with plenty of added compost is always beneficial, as is the case with most shrubs.
It can grow to around 20ft in both height and width, although many plants that are left to grow do actually stay a little smaller to as low as around 10ft-12ft. Annually pruned shrubs can be expected to grow around 4ft-5ft higher each time they are cut-back.
CUT BACK Alchemilla Mollis as soon as the flowers fade to prevent them from self-seeding all over the border (and even the lawn).
The plants will then produce fresh turquoise green leaves ready for the lawn.
For ground cover – you should Sedum in action
TAKE cuttings of Sedum Acre and simply push them into compost which has been mulched around Hostas and Astilbes.
When the leaves of the latter hosts die back, the sedums will provide bright green ground cover to take place for the winter months.
Three of a kind for your cottage garden:
NO TREE looks particularly outstanding in August because it is a very transitional period. This is because the fresh-growth period and blossoming is long behind us and the autumn colours are still quite a long way away. Nevertheless, if you need a tree for a small area, Robinea will provide a small canopy of pleasant yellowish green foliage and many slow-grow variegated conifers are producing attractive fresh growth.
BUDDLEIA, otherwise known as the ‘butterfly bush’ does what it says on the tin. It attracts many species of butterflies, particularly the Cabbage White and Red Admiral varieties, as well as many bees. This shrub is free-flowering in nature and will remain so, providing it is cut back severely each February or March. Its nectar-rich blooms fade into attractive autumn seed-heads.
CHOOSING a bulb for August is something that’s even harder at this time of year. Habranthus Robustus is a small bulbous plant, flowering only for a week or two this month, but well worth growing. It produces small, usually pink, crocus like flowers - but held up firmly at right angles. The bulbs can be planted in April in a lightish soil in a dry, sunny postion right at the front of a border - give them a little space.
Time to box clever
NOW is the ideal time to take semi-ripe cuttings of box (buxus sempervirens).
Simply, insert these cuttings into pots of compost and leaving them in a sheltered position in the garden or even underneath plants in the border. A spring inspection next year should reveal a high success rate.
It’s a mixed bag!
AUGUST is expected to see a return to nearer normal summer weather conditions, after the heat of recent weeks. Some heavy showers or thunderstorms are expected, although plenty of dry, bright periods should occur. Some nights may be chilly, especially around mid-month.
