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August can be a productive and enjoyable month in the gardening calendar. Borders are bursting with colour, vegetable plots are providing an abundance of fresh produce, and long evenings offer the perfect opportunity to relax outdoors.
While it’s tempting to simply enjoy the results of your hard work, a few important gardening jobs this month will keep your garden thriving well into autumn and help set the stage for next year’s displays.
August is all about keeping your garden looking its best while making the most of summer harvests. Continue deadheading flowering plants, water camellias and rhododendrons during dry spells, and keep containers fed to encourage more blooms. In the vegetable garden, harvest crops regularly and sow salads and herbs for autumn picking. It’s also a great time to plant autumn-flowering bulbs, support garden wildlife with fresh water and raise your mower blades if the weather turns dry.
August borders should still be packed with colour, but many plants benefit from a little maintenance to keep performing.
Regular deadheading encourages plants to produce more flowers instead of diverting energy into seed production. Focus on:
If you’re growing roses for their colourful autumn hips, stop deadheading now to allow hips to develop naturally.
👉 Expert Tip: Deadhead little and often. Spending just ten minutes every few days can significantly extend flowering into autumn.
Some gardeners don’t realise that camellias and rhododendrons begin forming next year’s flower buds during late summer.
A lack of water now can reduce flowering next spring, so water deeply during dry periods.
Applying mulch around the base of plants helps:
Several popular garden plants benefit from pruning this month.
Trim faded flower stems to keep plants compact and tidy. Avoid cutting into old woody growth.
Cut back long whippy shoots to five or six leaves from the main framework.
Remove approximately one-third of the oldest flowering stems and tie new growth into supports.
Once harvesting has finished, cut all fruited canes back to ground level.
Containers often need the most attention during August.
Water regularly and feed flowering plants every one to two weeks with a high-potash fertiliser such as tomato feed.
For healthier plants:
Container-grown tomatoes, chillies and courgettes will particularly benefit from continued feeding.
August offers the best of both worlds, with plenty to harvest and plenty still to sow for the months ahead.
Warm soil and cooler nights create ideal conditions for many crops.
Suitable vegetables include:
These quick-growing crops can provide fresh leaves well into autumn.
Many herbs can still be sown directly outdoors.
Good choices include:
Many herbs dislike root disturbance, making direct sowing preferable.
Microgreens are among the quickest and easiest crops you can grow. Most varieties are ready to harvest within two to three weeks and require very little space.
Popular options include:
Simply sow seeds densely onto growing media, keep moist and harvest when shoots reach 5 to 10cm tall.
August rewards gardeners with some of the biggest harvests of the year. Keep harvesting regularly, particularly courgettes and beans, as frequent picking encourages continued production.
| Vegetables | Fruit |
|---|---|
| Courgettes | Plums |
| Tomatoes | Peaches |
| Runner Beans | Early Apples |
| French Beans | Blackberries |
| Carrots | Raspberries |
| Beetroot | Early Pears |
| Potatoes | Strawberries |
| Onions | Redcurrants |
| Cucumbers | Blackcurrants |
As summer displays begin to fade, autumn-flowering bulbs can help bridge the gap between summer and autumn colour. Nerines and colchicums are traditionally planted from late summer onwards and will reward you with flowers just as many other garden plants begin to slow down.
While most spring-flowering bulbs are planted later in autumn, August is a good time to start planning next year’s displays.
Hot weather can make life difficult for garden wildlife.
Keep:
If hedgehogs visit your garden, leave out fresh water and a small amount of wet or dry hedgehog food, or meat-based cat or dog food.
Never offer bread or milk, as these can harm hedgehogs.
Leaving a few seed heads on plants such as teasels also provides valuable food for birds later in the year.
👉 Pro Tip: Place a few stones in shallow water dishes to provide safe landing spots for bees and other pollinators.
August is a busy month in the garden, bringing together the rewards of summer with the opportunity to prepare for the seasons ahead. A little time spent on essential jobs now will help keep your garden healthy, colourful and productive well into autumn.
Visit us in Kington. Browse our range of seasonal plants, autumn-flowering bulbs, vegetable seeds and gardening essentials, and speak to our knowledgeable team for practical advice tailored to your garden
