What To Do In The Garden In August

“August thunderstorms are masterpieces of bluster and bombardment…”  What a perfect quote for this August. Where has Summer gone? July was a washout and so far this month, August really hasn’t been much better. But, with my gardening head on, our garden in August is very happy indeed, as am I since I’m not having to water it every day. Instead, I’m cutting plenty of flowers and picking fruit and vegetables as well. Welcome to this month’s garden update, let’s take a look at what we’re enjoying here, as well as what to do in your garden in August.

What To Do In The Garden In August

As usual, I’ll break my monthly garden update down into sections: flowers, vegetables, fruits, jobs, wildlife, interspersed with my August gardening tips. So, that makes it easier for you to skip to whatever section you’re most interested in, depending on what things to do in the garden in August you’re most keen to know about.

The Flower Garden in August

Scent in our garden in August is still coming from some remaining Sweet Peas* in the cutting garden. I’m going to save some of their seeds, ready for sowing into Rootrainers* in November and overwintering in the greenhouse. Autumn-sown sweet peas grow away faster in Spring as they get their roots down earlier, so you can start picking your flowers earlier. Once our Lavenders have finished flowering, I’ll cut them back to but not into the old wood. Received wisdom says it’s time to prune Wisteria by removing all the whippy side shoots back to about five leaves from the main stem. But ours has just started flowering again so I won’t be doing that just yet.

Last month I talked about the beauty of structural plants, which set off all the showier blooms. This beautiful Grass with her striped, variegated foliage in one of our borders is a great example. As are our spiky Teazels, whose seed heads will be food for smaller birds. These are flourishing by our pond after I emptied an out-of-date seed packet into the soil rather than throw it away.

Annuals grow from seed, flower, set seed, and then die, all within one year’s growing season. And some of my favourites are Wildflowers, Cornflowers, Sunflowers, and the lovely pink Malva (Mallow) in this month’s cover picture. All of these have self-seeded from their parents in previous years, so there’s really input needed from me at all, which is perfect.

Perennials, on the other hand, are plants and shrubs that die back in Winter and come back again the following year, and you can never have too many of these great value garden essentials. As epitomised by my gorgeous Penhill Watermelon dahlia with her dinner plate sized pink blooms, and the legions of purple Verbena Bonariensis in the flower bed.

Other favourite perennials are Hydrangeas, they’re such easy shrubs to grow. The pink one is in full sun, the white one is in part shade by our front door, and the purple one is in full shade. The one that’s happiest is the white one, which I cut back really hard earlier this year, and she’s responded beautifully.

Happily, our Fuchsias, who overwintered in the greenhouse due to the horrendously cold Winter, are in full bloom again too. As are the lovely purple Sedums which are attracting plenty of interest from the bees and other pollinators.

The red Achillea, or Yarrow is still giving life to our herbaceous border with her ferny foliage and clusters of colourful flower heads. And the purple Joe Pyeweed is now towering above everything, adding some interesting height to the planting layout.

Old perennial favourites include our Agastache (Giant Hyssop, related to Mint) with her aniseed-scented leaves and tall purple flower spikes. And the pink Loosestrife which adds a powerful zap of colour to our flower beds.

Cooler shades and tones are my favourite colours in the garden and here’s why – look at the striking tumble of Geranium Rozanne, bee-magnet Echinops, and Clematis drawing the eye away from an ugly downpipe. A very harmonious palette of colours, don’t you think?

Despite the lack of regular sunshine, a couple of our Roses are flowering again – happily, both are by the front door, and they provide a fragrant and colourful welcome.

And the last splashes of August gardening colour come from these stunningly beautiful Echinaceas.  I’ve not planted them before as I thought they were difficult to grow, but I’m delighted to be proven quite wrong.

The Vegetable Garden in August

If you’ve ever wondered whether growing your own vegetables is worth it, take a look at our French Beans*, Courgettes*, and Sweetcorn*.  All three are romping away in the same bed – a great example of Companion Planting – and a far cry from how they looked back in June. I sowed all the plants from seed earlier this year and they cost pennies. And now we’re harvesting Beans and Courgettes EVERY DAY. The Sweetcorn isn’t quite ready yet but it won’t be long. Tip: once the tassels go brown, you can pop a corn with your thumbnail, and the juices are milky, they’ll be perfect.

The Carrots* and Spring Onions* are ready to harvest at last, and my tip of planting carrots and onions together has paid off. The smell of the onion deterred the carrot fly pest. And we’ve just picked the last deliciously tender Mange Tout, so I’ll be clearing the vines to make way for some new vegetables in due course (no idea what yet though!).

We’ve just started picking our olive-sized Cucamelons* (they taste like cucumber with a hint of lime) and we’re still picking a few Lettuce* leaves every day for our sandwiches. Tip: keep your Lettuce under cover, or in a greenhouse, so the pigeons don’t help themselves.

Other salad leaves we’re still enjoying are the Rainbow Chard* although the leaves are looking a little hole punched thanks to caterpillars. Tip: all parts of Chard are edible, so if the leaves get too big, tough, or lace-like, you can steam cook the stems instead. Our Chillies are coming on very slowly in the glass greenhouse, partly due to lack of sunshine in July. And I think we’re probably about to harvest the last of our Burpless Tasty Green cucumbers* from our new-this-year plastic lean-to greenhouse*.

Our ‘Rainbow Blend’ F1 Hybrid tomatoes* are also slow to ripen, again due to lack of sunshine. It’s very irritating after having painstakingly applied white shade paint* to the outside glass and perspex of our original greenhouse, to prevent it from overheating in sunny weather and cooking all my plants. But I’ve cut away all the plants’ leaves to help with air circulation and light distribution. I’ve also pinched out all their tips, to concentrate the growth into the Tomato fruits that have already formed.

If we do get any prolonged sunny weather this month, it’s a good idea to spray your greenhouse floor with water on really hot days to increase humidity. Don’t forget to open any vents and doors for ventilation.

Regular readers will know I’m a fan of the kitchen garden or potager garden method of growing herbs in amongst our flowers, fruits, and vegetables, rather than a dedicated herb garden. Partly for space reasons and partly because how pretty does this starry Fennel look in amongst the purple Verbena Bonariensis?

The Fruit Garden in August

The soft fruits harvesting continues this month – I’ve pulled lots more rhubarb but as we’re overflowing with my homemade Rhubarb and Ginger jam, I’m giving it away to friends. Tip: always pull your Rhubarb stalks, never cut them. And the bird-proof fruit cage I bought from Amazon* has saved not only our Blueberries but also our deliciously sweet tiny Wild Alpine Strawberries too. Tip: if you see any little Strawberry runners growing away from the parent plants, pin them down until they root, then cut the runner (umbilical cord) and transplant your new babies to a new position. Plants for free. 🙂

Our Blackcurrants and Gooseberries are over now but we’re still picking lots of Raspberries and Blackberries – we just need to get in early to beat the blackbirds!

We’ve also cut back a lot of the foliage on our Grapevine to let the light in on all the little bunches of Grapes for better crops. These fruits we do leave for the birds as although they’re quite sweet, they’re also full of pips and I’m not a fan of grape pips in my teeth.

Over in the orchard, it’s a mixed picture for our fruit trees. Our reliable old Apple tree is dropping apples faster than we can pick them, and this year Alan hasn’t had time to make juice, sadly. The Figs and Pears are looking good too, they should be ready to pick towards the end of September.

Last but not least, the Physalis, or Cape Gooseberry, has got lots of potential fruit growing away. I’m not sure when it will be ready to harvest, but I’m guessing when the papery outer casing has turned brown. Tip: this was a “Reduced Plants” find and nearly dead. I soaked it in a bucket of water for 48 hours and potted it on, and it’s thriving.

Gardening Jobs To Do in August

Gardening in August has a familiar theme – dead heading, tying in new growth, moving around plant supports as growing plants need staking, and watering. Although thanks to all the rain, only hanging baskets or container plants should need watering at the moment. Tip: keep deadheading (removing dead flower heads) on all your Summer flowering shrubs and plants to encourage new growth and fresh blooms.

Just like these flowers growing away next to our grapevine. Back in June I sowed some wildflower seeds into an old wheelbarrow filled with topsoil. And WOW, just look at them now. Confession: I tipped an entire box of seeds into the wheelbarrow before I looked at the directions on the back of the packet – the contents were supposed to cover 2.5 sqm… Tip: you don’t always have to obey the rules.

Thanks to all the rain, August lawn care is all about regular grass cutting. Although we still have lots of baby frogs jumping around in the borders, so Alan is mowing v e r y  s l o w l y  to give them plenty of time to get out the way.

Lastly, a tip for your houseplants.  If you haven’t done so already, take them outside and let them get some fresh air – even better if you do it when there’s a light rain shower too.

August Gardening For Wildlife

Our four ponds and all our flowering plants are doing a stellar job supporting the wildlife. And our two bee houses or bug hotels* for solitary mason bees and any other insect that needs a home are looking full now. Alan keeps our garden bird feeders topped up with quality wild bird food* and high energy fat balls* on a daily basis – partly to discourage the birds from feasting on our Raspberries and Blueberries.

Our ponds are home to all manner of frogs, newts, and other insects, which feels like such a privilege. If you’re looking for ideas and tips to encourage and support wildlife, here are some easy ways to make your garden more wildlife friendly, and some tips on how to create a butterfly garden. And you don’t need a huge space to do either, even a window box or balcony will do.

Our Garden In August

And that concludes my eighth garden post of 2023. I can’t believe how fast this year is going, but I hope you enjoyed my garden round up, and found it a useful guide and reminder of things to do in your garden in August. Next month, in my September garden update, I hope we’ll be harvesting more Tomatoes and Apples, and it’s a great time of year to continue collecting seeds, ready for sowing for in Autumn and next Spring. 🙂

Did you enjoy your virtual visit to our August garden and orchard? What were your favourite photos or top tips? What have you been enjoying in your outside space this month?

* This post features affiliate links but all opinions are my own (see my Disclaimer).