Generally

The third week of August, I cry “where has the month gone?” Well I’m a happy bunny today because yesterday I visited my allotment plot. Yes I have an allotment plot. The weeds are only knee-high! To follow my meandering on my allotment click here.

In the meantime here is what you should be doing this week in the garden:-

• Prepare soil ready for sowing a lawn or laying turf during September and October
• Top up water levels in pebble fountains and pools
• Deal with problem lawn weeds, digging them out or applying herbicide
• Order spring-flowering bulbs to plant this autumn
• Deadhead border plants, unless you want to collect their seeds
• Spray gladioli to prevent thrips damage to leaves and flowers
• Pick herbs and everlasting flowers for drying
• Buy or build compost bins to help recycle all your kitchen and garden waste
• Collect seeds and ripe seed pods from favourite flowers and vegetables

In The Flower Garden

• Save seedfrom ornamental annual quaking grass and many other garden plants
• Water camellias regularly as drought can cause the buds to drop next spring
• Summer prune wisteria, shortening long sideshoots back to five or six leaves
• Deadhead roses, unless you want them to form autumn hips
• Trim lavender immediately after flowering to maintain its shape, but avoid cutting back too far into old wood
• Hoe weeds regularly to prevent seedlings establishing
• Trim conifer hedges, evergreen hedges and topiary
• Deadhead dahlias to encourage further blooms to form
• Cut down perennials past their prime
• Sow hardy annuals, like poached egg plant, for early flowers next year

The Greenhouse

• Feed tomatoesin growing bags and pots with a liquid high-potash fertiliser
• Plant nerines, lachenalia and veltheimia bulbs in pots
• Take leaf cuttings from begonias, Cape primroses and African violets
• Sow winter lettuces in pots
• Pot up clumps of chives to use in winter. Cut down the leaves to stimulate new growth
• Order garlic ready for planting in autumn
• Water pot cyclamen saved from last year to start them back into growth
• Buy prepared hyacinth bulbs and plant as soon as possible so you get flowers for Christmas
• Plant pots of ‘Paper White’ narcissus for indoor displays
• Remove lower leaves from cordon-trained tomatoes up to the bottom truss, to let light and air reach the fruits

The Fruit and Vegetable Garden aka My Allotment

• Harvest young marrows but leave some to fully ripen for storage and winter use
• Trim leaves from strawberries that have finished fruiting
• Plant out rooted strawberry runners into new beds
• Pick early varieties of apple as they ripen including ‘Discovery’, ‘Laxton’s Epicure’ and ‘George Cave’
• Sow parsley in pots for winter and spring use
• Thin out heavy crops of plums to prevent branches snapping
• Hang wasp traps in fruit trees
• Pinch out the tops of outdoor tomatoes, as further flowers are unlikely to produce ripe fruits