What to do in your garden in August.
Officially the end of winter and the promise of spring is around the corner. An ideal month to plant new shrubs, trees and fruit trees. Division and re-potting are the buzz words for August, time to re-pot overgrown indoor and outdoor containers, make spring gardening resolutions and sharpen all garden tools in time for the awakening of nature!
Flowers
- If you have not yet pruned your Roses and fruit trees, do so NOW.
- Feed your pruned Roses with Talborne’s Vita Fruit & Flower 3:1:5 (18) or Ludwig’s Vigorosa.
- Feed your spring flowering bulbs and spring flowering annuals with Hadeco’s Bulb Food, Multifeed Classic or Margaret Roberts Supercharger.
- Look out for Dahlia, Gladioli and Zantedeschia (coloured Arums) bulbs.
Lawns
- Weeds start appearing as if by magic – weed them out before they set seed.
- If your lawn has a mat of dead undergrowth, rake it out this month so that the lawn can start afresh in spring. Aerate the lawn and then apply with Wonder’s Vitaliser Lawn and Leaf 7.1.3 (15) SR or a suitable organic substitute like Bio Ganic for Lawns.
Vegetables, Herbs & Fruit
- If you want to germinate and grow some of your own vegetables for summer you can start sowing vegetable seeds like Runner Beans, Bush Beans, Beetroot, Broccoli, Chilli, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Eggfruit, Green Pepper, Leeks, Lettuce, Melon, Onion, Parsley, Peas, Parsnip, Pumpkin, Rhubarb, Spinach, Radish, Spinach, Squash, Tomato, Turnip and Watermelon.
General Tasks
- Re-pot overgrown indoor and outdoor container plants.
- You can still divide and replant any overcrowded perennials like Agapanthus, Hemerocallis and Dietes.
- Watch out for lily borer on bulbs and Clivias.
