Gardening Calendar - August

August is usually one of the hottest months of the year, making watering essential. Try to use grey water wherever possible, especially as water butts may be running low.

This is also the time to prune wisteria and summer-flowering shrubs such as lavender once they’ve finished flowering. Perennials will need pruning in late summer as removing dead flower heads will encourage plants to grow and ensure you have a glorious succession of flowers as we march into autumn. Autumn division is a great way to reinvigorate established clumps of early summer flowering perennials and make new plants.

Containers which had controlled-release fertiliser added to the compost at planting time will start to run out of steam, so begin feeding once a week with a tomato feed. Keep camellias and rhododendrons fed and watered through late summer while their flower buds are forming, for a great display in Spring.

Prune rambling roses, removing up to a third of stems that have flowered, and tie the rest to supports. Summer prune both free-standing and trained apple trees, to encourage good fruiting in future years.

Daffodils are spring’s most cheerful flower and early autumn is the best time to plant these and other Spring flowering bulbs, in preparation for beautiful displays in containers and borders next Spring. Sow hardy annuals and biennials now in sunny spots to provide early summer colour next year.

Strim or mow areas of wildflower meadow, now that the plants have scattered their seeds. Look out for wildlife during the hot weather, topping up water features like ponds and bird baths to help visitors to your garden stay cool. Always ensure bird baths are cleaned regularly.