HEATING, EATING AND CHILLING OUT
There is, however, plenty of choice to cool off with too. Cosmos adds a soft touch with its pristine white or pink flowers. Architectural Echinops provide metallic blue perfectly formed spheres and inky blue cornflowers add depth to the cottage garden.
It is certainly an exciting month to slowly wander around the garden, or relax on the patio amongst the unforgettable delicate beauty of Fuschias. Later in the month, it’s time to take cuttings of these and also collect seeds from other favourite garden plants. There may also be an opportunity assess and plan the layout of herbaceous borders on paper ready for the ‘autumn move around’ which resembles a garden version of musical chairs.
(Paul Tovey)
As the song goes – We’ll meet a Clem
Not planting Clematis deep enough is a big mistake which many people make - the wilt is an airbourne disease which attacks these plants and weakens them almost immediately regardless of growing conditions.
It is vitally important they are planted deep to ensure they bush out and become strong.
Wilt affected Clematis should be cut back hard to ground level. A couple of inches of compost mulch should then be applied to the base of the plants.
WHY NOT give your houseplants a one-off treat by standing them out-of-doors during a downpour.
They will enjoy the extra light and humidity if left outside, but be careful to expose them to scorching hot sunlight.
IN THE cottage garden Nigellas may have set and dried their pods. Split them open and scatter the tiny black seeds in any spare spots of soil for a romantic swathe of blue in late spring.
Shady characters – who’d have ‘em?
SHADY places of the garden are often looked as problem areas where plants are reluctant to thrive, but surprisingly the opposite is true. The extra light through bare trees early in the year favours bulbs and primroses, before the heavy green canopy emerges. This summer shading provides favourable conditions for a host of summer plants happy to put on a show well on into the autumn. As long as they are kept moist, the following varieties are well worth a go:
Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’ has shiny maroon leaves and tiny sprays of white flowers in summer. They prefer a moist, fertile soil.
Heuchera ‘Amber Waves’ has golden yellow foliage, tinged with pink. Tiny sprays of cerise-pink flowers are an added bonus.
Hosta ‘Undulata’ is a pretty slug resistant variety, with large steely-blue leaves.
Astlibe ‘Fanal’ has small palmate green leaves topped by spires of deep red blooms all summer. These later turn brown for winter decoration.
Astilbe ‘Sprite’ has bright pink spires above fresh, light green leaves.
Fuchsia ‘Genii’ combines soft golden foliage with crimson and purple bells.
Petiphllum Peltatum produces large shiny green leaves up to two feet across, shaped like an upside-down umberella. Find out why this plant will feature in this November’s newsletter.
Be sure to look to the Fuchsia
TAKE cuttings of Fuchsia by selecting non-flowering stems, around 3-4 inches long and removing the lower leaves. They will root very easily in water or in a shaded cold frame.
Once they have rooted pot them on and over winter place them on a good light and in a frost-free place.
Make your evergreen the best you’ve seen
AUGUST is a good month to prune evergreens and conifers so that the resulting regrowth will look as attractive as possible for the winter. Give them a good feed to help them on their way.
August has the hots for you
AUGUST will begin with a return of the familiar hot weather that this summer has blessed us with.
A brief thundery breakdown around the 8th should be followed by a return to fine hot weather. Make the most of it because from mid-month it is likely to be unsettled with some notable strong winds bringing bright showery conditions. A drier end to the month.
Be adventurous – visit another Cosmos
COSMOS add a refreshing touch to the autumn border. Either deadhead to promote more blooms or let them run to seed which can be saved and sown next spring.
It’s all down to the grass system
ORNAMENTAL grasses seem to be at their best this month. Run your fingers through the heads and scatter the seeds on the wild garden for a magical effect next year. Combine these with your Nigellas.
Like all good shepherds – "Watch your Phlox!"
PHLOX add a real colour burst to herbaceous borders in August. The colours are mostly concentrated around white, pink or purple but are surprisingly vibrant. They are easy to grow in sun or semi shade but must have a moisture retentive soil.
They respond well to being divided every two years and being fed with chicken manure a couple of times each season.
Why not tell your friends about Bloomin’ Great?
WHY NOT tell your friends about Bloomin Great? This edition and previous ones are available to read on-line, so get them all to log onto: https://www.angelfire.com/tv2/bloomingreat/. Why not put your ideas forward for future features by E-mailing us at: Email: bloomingreat@postmaster.co.uk.
See you next month!
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