August

What to do now - September

What to do during August in your garden and greenhouse.

Wildlife gardening jobs for August

Five ways to boost your garden in August

Your monthly gardening checklists

Flowers

Collect seeds as they ripen, from plants such as aquilegias, sweet peas and love-in-a-mist, choosing a dry day
Deadhead dahlias and other perennials to encourage a constant display of blooms
Keep camellias and rhododendrons well watered through late summer while their flower buds are forming
Prune lavender once flowering is over to maintain a compact, bushy shape, but avoid cutting into old wood
Prune rambling roses, removing up to a third of stems that have flowered, and tie the rest to supports
Keep pots and hanging baskets flowering by watering and deadheading regularly, and add tomato feed fortnightly
Take softwood cuttings of woody herbs, including lavender and hyssop, choosing non-flowering shoots
Sow hardy annuals in sunny spots to provide early summer colour next year
Set up an automatic watering system for pots and hanging baskets if you're going away on holiday - in the case of a hosepipe ban, drip or trickle irrigation systems are usually exempt, check your local water board for restrictions
Strim or mow areas of wildflower meadow, now that the plants have scattered their seeds
Take softwood cuttings from penstemons, choosing healthy, vigorous, non-flowering shoots
Remove any spent hardy annuals if you don't want them to self-seed
Plant autumn bulbs, such as colchicums, sternbergia and nerines, in pots and borders

Save seed from Aquilegias for more blooms next year

Save seeds

Fruit and veg

Be vigilant for signs of tomato and potato blight, removing affected plants immediately to prevent spread
Summer prune both free-standing and trained apple trees, to encourage good fruiting in future years
Plant well-rooted strawberry runners into new beds
Pinch out the tops of outdoor tomatoes, as further flowers are unlikely to produce fruits that have time to ripen
Order saffron crocus bulbs (Crocus sativus) to plant in September, so you can harvest your own saffron this autumn
Use netting or fleece to protect blackberries and autumn raspberries from birds
Lift onions and shallots once their tops die down, then leave to dry in the sun
Cut back leaves on grapevines to let the sun ripen the fruits
Sow hardy crops such as land cress, rocket and lamb's lettuce for winter pickings
Harvest fresh herbs to freeze in ice cubes for winter use, or to hang up and dry, then store in jars
Plant a kiwi plant, to climb over a trellis, fence or arbour
Water crops regularly, especially during hot weather, use water from a water butt if possible. In periods of drought, there may be a hosepipe ban so water your crops with a watering can
Plant blueberry bushes into acid soil

Freeze herbs in an ice-cube tray for portion size storage

Culinary herbs

Greenhouse

Set up a capillary matting system to ensure plants have enough water if you're going away on holiday
Plant cold-stored potato tubers in large tubs in a greenhouse or cool porch, for harvesting at Christmas
Pouring water over the greenhouse floor every morning during hot weather can help to increase humidity - during periods of drought try to use grey water to help reduce mains water use
Plant up pots with 'Paper White' narcissus bulbs for fragrant indoor displays this Christmas
Remove the lower leaves of cordon tomatoes up to the lowest truss, to let more light and air reach the fruits
Start watering dormant cyclamen to bring them back into growth after their summer rest
Plant autumn flowering bulbs, such as nerines, lachenalia and veltheimia in pots indoors, for autumn and winter colour
Look out for pests and diseases on greenhouse plants, and treat any you find immediately
Harvest tomatoes, cucumbers and chillies regularly to encourage more fruits to form
Tackle vine weevil infestations by watering pots with a solution of biological control nematodes
Shade delicate plants in the greenhouse to avoid sun scorch on hot days

Fragrant Narcissus for Christmas

House plants

Feed houseplants once a week with liquid fertiliser, continuing through to autumn
Water your house plants more regularly as the temperatures warm and light levels increase, check the soil before watering. Take a look at our guide to watering house plants
Repot any houseplants that have become top heavy or pot bound into larger containers
Ensure house plants are not getting scorched by summer sunshine. Either move further from the window or choose house plants that will thrive in a sunny spot
Some house plants, like snake plants, are particularly prone to collecting dust on their leaves. So be sure to give these a wipe regularly
Put houseplants outside for the summer in a warm, sheltered spot to enjoy the fresh air and extra light
Take leaf cuttings from houseplants, including African violets and begonias
Take leaf cuttings from succulents, such as echeverias, crassula and sedums
Check your house plants for pests like aphids, scale insects, thrips and mealybugs
Take large-leaved houseplants into the garden and hose them down to clean off accumulated dust

For more house plant advice and inspiration visit our Growing and caring for house plants page

Garden maintenance

Cut laurel hedges with secateurs rather than a hedgetrimmer, to avoid half-cut leaves that turn brown
Clear weeds from cracks in paving and driveways before they get established
Remove problem lawn weeds, digging them out
Sow green manure to fill any bare ground
Summer prune wisteria by shortening all long sideshoots to about 20cm
Keep deadheading border plants, unless you want to collect their seeds
Remove suckers from roses or around the base of trees
Collect seeds and ripe seed pods from your favourite flowers and vegetables
Prop up any clumps of tall border plants that are starting to flop, using canes and string, or twiggy sticks
Prepare soil for sowing a lawn or laying turf during September and October
Go on regular snail hunts, especially on damp evenings, to reduce populations
Turn compost to speed up decomposition
During periods of drought or dry weather, be sure to water wisely, listen to this podcast episode with Arit Anderson for some top tips

Summer prune Wisteria

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