August: A month to enjoy before the work and planning begins

Caitlin’s right… it is a tricky month to be a gardener, especially this August. But it’s not your fault; Many of us haven’t had a drop of meaningful rain since June, and the ground is parched.

Lots of trees are stressed and suffering, most plants are gasping for a drink, and lawns across the country resemble sandy plains. It’s not just our gardens that are frazzled either; we suspect most humans find the prospect of “serious gardening” in thirty degrees unbearable. It’s too hot to wear gardening gloves, anyway.BUT if you must do something productive in the garden this month, here are some things you can achieve while you wait for the water in your ice cube trays to freeze:

Adam suggests cooling your pots and containers by moving them into shade, so they catch a break from the searing sun. They’ll need watering and remember the smaller the pot, the quicker it’ll dry out. Moving them into shade will keep hold of that water for much longer.

Speaking of water, now your plot is panting it’s a great time to assess best watering practise. There’s nothing like a drought to make you think, “I wish I could rehydrate my garden better”, but if you’re only thinking about this now, then you’re a season too late.

So, plan for next summer by being clever with your water butts, think how you can use run-off guttering and rainwater capture to make the most of what falls from the sky, even if the structures are temporary to get you through the driest part of the year.

Perhaps you’ve got your own suggestions on how to make water go further in the garden? Feel free to share with the group. We’re all very thirsty.

Do you have a miserable plant specimen in your plot? As Frosty says, take a photo, to help you remember to do something about it come autumn. The golden rule is right plant, right place, so if you have a floppy hydrangea in a south facing border, lift and move it into a shady spot when the heat drops and the rain comes.

Mulching is a great way to stop moisture from evaporating off your containers, and the same rule applies in open ground. Soak the compost or ground first – and we mean REALLY soak it, a pathetic sprinkle won’t do much – and then apply a good inch or two of mulch to lock-in that water. You can use almost anything as a mulch, but composted bark, home-made compost or straw are most popular. Think of mulch as sun cream for your soil; an organic shield that keeps the stuff underneath nice and moist.

Adam: ‘Anything you can tidy up, tidy up… the rest of it, I tend to let it be.’

Now is a good time to prune any dead stuff, from dead-heading small flowers to taking-off larger branches. By removing dead and dry flowers, foliage, stems, and branches you’ll be diverting plant energy into the living bits, instead of putting stress on the plant to retain the dead parts. But make sure it’s proper dead before embarking on large scale pruning. If in doubt, seek an expert opinion.

But the main thing in August is to enjoy the garden. New planting can wait until September. For now, make sure you have a place to sit in the sun, or in the shade, and take some time to plan for all the lovely autumn bulbs you’ll be dibbing when the nights draw-in. Now, go see if those ice cubes are ready, and fix yourself a cool drink.

Let us know about your August plans in our comments and keep up with our latest episodes of Outsiding here.