Gardening by Month - August

August is a great time to enjoy your outdoor space, and it’s a pleasure to potter in the garden. Extend the flowering period for your existing plants by feeding container plants and flowering plants in the garden to keep them blooming. Deadheading can also encourage more blooms.

If your garden is looking tired after the hot weather, our Plants of the Month are herbaceous perennials, with many flowering varieties to choose from. They bring instant late summer and autumn colour and can return year after year, so choose your favourites and get planting while the soil is warm.

For a burst of colour, dahlias create a wow factor when other blooms have faded. They come in a multitude of vibrant colours, shapes and sizes. Depending on the variety, you can plant them in containers or in your borders as low-growing flowers, right through to tall, stately background plants. Dahlias like full sun and tolerate most soil types but prefer sandy, well-drained soil. If your soil is heavy or clay, add horticultural grit and compost to lighten it or plant them in containers.

We’re now more conscious of the effect we have on the environment, so it’s good to move towards greener gardening. It’s easy to achieve, so here are some tips to get you started:

• Grow the right plant in the right place, then it will flourish naturally. Ask a plant expert at Garsons for advice, or check the planting advice for new additions to your garden.
• Keep on top of weeds by hoeing while they are still small.
• Ground cover plants such as heather and many others are natural weed suppressors.
• Apply a generous layer of mulch over your borders to suppress weeds.
• Choose drought-tolerant plants like lavender and geranium that don’t need much water.
• Invest in a water butt and a composter.
• Encourage wildlife by creating habitats: flowering plants for bees, indigenous hedgerows for birds, and shady areas for slow-worms. And remember to leave out fresh water at ground level to help wildlife during dry spells. Keep a bird table or feeder topped up to look after your feathered friends.

Let’s hope for sunshine in August, so we can carry on enjoying the outdoors. Until next month, happy gardening!