In The Flower Garden This August

August is a beautiful and busy time in the flower garden. Here are some top tips to keep your garden looking its best this month: 

 🌸 1. Deadhead Regularly 

• Why: Encourages more flowers and keeps the garden tidy.

• What to deadhead: Roses, dahlias, cosmos, rudbeckias, geraniums, delphiniums. 

💧 2. Water Wisely 

• Early morning or evening is best.

• Use a soaker hose or water directly at the base of plants to reduce evaporation and avoid mildew.

• Focus on containers and newly planted areas which dry out fastest.

🌱 3. Keep Weeding 

• Warm weather = fast weed growth. 

• Regular weeding prevents them competing with your flowers for water and nutrients. 

✂️ 4. Prune Summer-Flowering Shrubs 

• Prune lavender once it’s finished blooming—cut back to the green growth but avoid old wood.

• Trim wisteria (summer prune): cut whippy side shoots back to 5 or 6 buds.

🍂 5. Prepare for Autumn 

• Start planting spring-flowering bulbs like crocuses, daffodils, and hyacinths. 

• Consider buying bulbs now while stocks are good. 

🌻 6. Feed and Mulch 

• Feed containers weekly with liquid feed (tomato feed works well for flowers too). 

• Top up mulch to conserve moisture and suppress weeds. 

🐞 7. Look After Wildlife 

• Leave some seed heads (e.g. echinacea, sunflowers) for birds. 

• Keep bird baths topped up and clean. 

🌾 8. Divide Irises 

• August is ideal for dividing bearded irises after flowering. 

• Replant rhizomes so they sit just above the soil to bake in the sun. 

🌿 9. Take Cuttings 

• Take softwood or semi-ripe cuttings from salvias, pelargoniums, fuchsias, and penstemons to propagate for next year. 

🌤️ 10. Enjoy the Garden! 

• Sit and enjoy your hard work—late summer evenings are some of the best in the garden.