Hannah’s horticulture...

August jobs

Cripes it’s almost August already!

Though our weather hasn’t been the best, it’s been good for the garden and for the depleted groundwater reserves – Devon still has a hosepipe ban from last summer, it really was that dry.

Watering!

Even though we’ve had a lot of rain, some things don’t get watered very well and are still thirsty – pots and baskets in particular.

I also give the plants some much welcome feed, either granular or liquid. Seaweed based feed is a great idea, or a general purpose fertiliser will do just fine.

Given the rain we’ve had, it’s also a good idea to feed your lawn at the moment too.

I never feed a lawn when its drought stressed as there’s no point, the grass can’t absorb it and the fertiliser is wasted. Succession sow vegetables, and harvest those you’ve grown Spring onions, lettuce, herbs, even peas I am succession sowing for a longer harvest window.

And the fruits of grow your

If you have a question for her, email:hannah.hobbschell@ outlook.com including a picture own are really starting to pay off now, with sweet corn, peas, courgettegate, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, raspberries, strawberries and more all producing well. And potatoes will be ready to lift too this month.

Prune wisteria

Wisteria pruning needs to be done in August and again in spring to keep it under control and flowering ferociously. In August, you want to be cutting back the ‘whippy’ green shoots of this year’s growth to 5/6 leaves.

If it is a younger plant or you want it to get larger leave and train in some of the new shoots to form the framework for later on, and then cut back any extras as before.

Prune summer raspberries and other berries, and rambling roses

Prune out the old flowering and fruiting stems of raspberries, tayberries, loganberries etc, and rambling roses too. Then tie in the new canes ready for next year.

You don’t have to keep all the canes if there is no room or there is an over abundance of fruit!

With our loganberry, I restrict it to six canes which provides ample fruit (and better fruit as it is able to channel the energy into those canes alone.

Cut back strawberries and lift and pot runners to replace the oldest plants

Early August is the perfect time to sort out strawberries, and cutting off the leaves will encourage a fresh flourish of new leaves and runners, which helps the plant to stay healthy, young and productive. Strawberries are best only kept on a three-year cycle, so pot up the runners and discard the oldest plants in place of the new when they have filled out a bit later in the year.

Keep ponds and water features topped up, and bird baths too Water is scarce at this time of year for nature, and it’s not only birds who use bird baths and water features – bees, butterflies, and all sorts of wildlife will avail themselves of a kindly drink from your supplies, and in turn reward you with better pollination and more life in the garden to enjoy. Next time you’ll read a special New Forest Show spread from me, as I take a look at the garden and outdoor equipment, plants and furniture that could bring your garden to life or make it easier!

I love shows for finding those niche items that aren’t in garden centres always and for chatting directly to the craftspeople who make/grow/sell it. And that’s it from me, have a great month, whatever you get up to!