Garden chores in August: the ultimate checklist for your late-summer garden
August is a lovely month in the garden. Temperatures are often summery, the vegetable patch is bursting with fresh vegetables, and your summer-flowering plants are at their absolute peak. It’s the perfect month to sit back in a deckchair and enjoy all your hard work. But that doesn’t mean the garden comes to a standstill! August is a crucial transitional month. By tackling the right gardening tasks now, you’ll not only keep your garden in top condition for the rest of late summer, but you’ll also be gradually preparing your plants and lawn for autumn.
The lawn in August: protecting it from the heat and drought
In summer, your lawn is put under a lot of strain. The heat, periods of drought and children playing on it all take their toll. It is therefore absolutely essential to give it the right care in August.
- Increase the cutting height: don’t hesitate to set your lawnmower or robot lawnmower one notch higher, to around 5 to 6 centimetres. Taller grass casts shade over the ground and its own roots. This means moisture evaporates much more slowly and your lawn will turn yellow less quickly. Also, it’s best to mow at the end of the day to prevent the grass from getting scorched.
- Smart watering: during heatwaves, avoid watering your lawn a little every day. Instead, water it very thoroughly once every 4 to 5 days. This allows the water to penetrate deep into the soil and encourages the grass roots to grow deeper. This will result in a more resilient lawn that is better able to withstand drought.
- Stop applying nitrogen: it is tempting to give your lawn one last boost, but applying nitrogen-rich fertilisers after mid-August is strongly discouraged. The nitrogen content would then be too high for autumn, which would weaken your lawn and increase the risk of fungal diseases in winter.
Tip from Marcel
Has your lawn really suffered from the heat and does it have lots of bare or yellowed patches? Be patient and wait until the end of August or September to reseed it. The soil will still be warm by then, but the extreme heat will have passed and rainfall will often be more plentiful. These are the ideal conditions for grass seeds to germinate!
Get your secateurs ready: what should you prune in August?
August is the ideal time to do some pruning, just before many plants begin their autumn dormancy.
- Hedge trimming: do you want your hedges (such as beech, yew or privet) to stay neat and tidy right through to winter? Then give them one final trim before the end of the month. Always carry out this task on a cloudy day. If the sun is too strong, you risk scorching the cut surfaces and the leaves underneath.
- Pruning lavender: by the end of August, lavender has usually finished flowering. This is the time to prune it quickly! Cut off the faded flowers, taking care to remove a little green foliage as well. This helps to keep the bush nice and compact. However, never prune right back to bare, dry wood, as the plant will not grow back from there.
- Wisteria: you can now prune this fast-growing plant back heavily. Cut back the long, wild side shoots to about 15 centimetres from the main branch. This helps to control the plant’s growth and encourages bud formation, ensuring abundant flowering next year.
The flower border and potted plants
To ensure your border stays colourful for as long as possible, your ornamental plants need a little extra care at the moment.
- Deadheading (removing wilted flowers): for roses, dahlias and other plants that flower continuously, it is important to cut off wilted flowers every week. As the plant no longer needs to devote its energy to producing seeds, it will simply continue to produce new flower buds.
- Look after your potted plants: in the summer sun, potted plants dry out very quickly. Water them every day when it’s hot, preferably early in the morning or late in the evening. Don’t forget to add a little liquid fertiliser to the water every week; the nutrients in the potting compost are depleted by August.
- Support fast-growing plants: August is also known for its sudden summer storms. Secure tall plants, such as delphiniums, sunflowers and dahlias, firmly with stakes so that they do not snap in strong gusts of wind.
In the vegetable garden: harvesting and planting
For the amateur gardener, August is undoubtedly the best month of the year. The hard work you put in during the spring is now paying off a hundredfold.
- Keep harvesting: harvest your vegetables regularly. Courgettes and green beans, for example, taste best when they are not yet too large. What’s more, regular harvesting stimulates the plant and encourages it to produce new fruit continuously.
- Prune back the side shoots on your tomato plants: Check the axils of your tomato plants every week to prune back the side shoots, and cut these wild shoots away without mercy. This ensures that all the plant’s energy is channelled into ripening the tomatoes that are already on the plant.
- Planting strawberry plants: you might not expect it at the end of summer, but August is the best time to plant out new strawberry plants! The earlier you plant them before winter, the better they’ll take root. This will ensure you have a bountiful, juicy harvest next year.
Do you need a sharp pair of secateurs to get your hedges into shape, or are you looking for the right plant food to give your summer-flowering plants a final boost? Have a look in our online shop and easily order everything you need for your late-summer garden. Good luck with your gardening tasks, and don’t forget to enjoy the wonderful results!
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