We have reached the point in the summer when all your labour in the garden should be resulting in strong and beautiful plants, and you should be enjoying your outdoor space and the lovely weather. Although I believe there are still a few tasks that are worthwhile working on. This week we will give you a few ideas of gardening tasks to complete in August.

 

Keep Your Plants Watered if you’re going on Holidays

 

You'll need to make arrangements for care while you're away if you're going on vacation and don't want to return home to depressing-looking plants.
Consider setting up an automatic watering system, these normally operate by attaching them to a tap or water butt so they can drip-water your plants. As an alternative, place all pots and containers in your most shady location, place trays under them, and fill with water the day before you leave. On this day, be sure to give the entire garden a thorough soak.

Additionally, don’t forget to keep watering your garden in a regular basis, because it will still be thirsty. Avoid giving plants frequent, light waterings; this fosters the development of roots close to the surface, making plants more susceptible to drying out. Instead, fully moisten the soil around plants so that the water can permeate it and saturate the roots.

Keep a close eye on your potted plants and hanging baskets throughout the summer since they are especially susceptible to drying out.



Keep Taking Care of your Baskets and Containers


It’s normal that, by this time in the summer, your flowers may start to seem a little worn out, but there are a few easy things you can do to freshen them up.
If you remove all the dead stems, lanky growth, and faded flowers your plants will be much neater and it’s more likely that they will keep blooming.

This month is an excellent time to fertilize your container plants because it's possible that they've already used up all the nutrients in their compost. Ideal is a general-purpose plant food made for shrubs and flowers. These are available in both liquid and granular form.

Keep giving your hanging flower baskets and containers regular watering as well, especially if the temperature is quite high.


It’s Time to Collect you Seeds

 

August is perfect for you to start gathering seeds because plants that have finished flowering will be forming seed heads. It's incredibly simple to save seeds from your plants, which is a terrific method to get more plants at no cost.
The day you harvest your seeds should be dry. Just below the seed head, cut the stem, then place it in a paper bag or envelope so you can shake the seeds out and throw away the remaining seed head. Don't forget to mark each bag!

Avoid collecting each and every seed head. Leaving a few on the plant can later in the year add structure and appeal while serving as a food source for nearby wildlife.

 

Weed your garden at least once a week

 

August gardening inevitably requires keeping an eye out for weeds. You must complete this task throughout the summer if you don’t want a significant weeding project later on. Keep pulling weeds periodically to prevent them from becoming too entrenched. There are many ways to deal with weeds, including hand removal or the use of weedkiller.