JOBS FOR AUGUST

Flowers  Prune the current season’s growth off Wisteria to five leaves to encourage flower buds to be produced for next season’s display.

Continue to feed your hanging baskets and containers but change now to a high potash feed such as Tomato fertilizer.

Continue to regularly deadhead Roses unless grown for their ornamental hips.

Prune Rambling Roses that flower on the previous season’s growth.  Remove a third of the oldest stems and shorten side shoots by two thirds on those remaining.

Shrubs  Take non-flowering semi-ripe cuttings of this season’s growth to increase your stock of  your favourite kinds.

Finish pruning of evergreen and deciduous hedges to avoid die back.

Lawns  Raise the height of the cut and mow less often in dry weather and stop applying Nitrogen feeds to lawns now.  Apply an autumn feed next month.

Fruit  Complete the removal of fruited canes of summer fruiting Raspberries and tie in new canes to supports.

Harvest the very early ripening Apples and eating straight from the tree is best as they go “woolly” very quickly indeed.

Vegetables  Now is the time of plenty in the vegetable garden.  Harvest crops on a very regular basis before they go old.

Sow Spring Cabbage now for crops next May, use varieties such as Pixie and Durham Elf.

Sow leafy greens now for autumn and early winter use, such as Corn Salad, Land Cress, Rocket, Spinach and Winter Lettuces (such as Winter Density).

Pests and Diseases  Protect ornamental plants which are susceptible to vine weevil.

Plants at this time of year become very susceptible to powdery mildew.  Spray with a suitable fungicide at the very first signs of the disease.