August – The windy month, but an exciting one, for spring and summer is just around the cornert!

Your Winter Garden should now be full of bloom, and they will remain colourful longer if you pay attention to keeping the dead flower heads picked off.

All outstanding winter work should be completed as quickly as possible. This will include the planting of trees, shrubs and hedges and pruning, especially of fruit and rose trees. Even though the trees are probably showing signs of growth, it won’t hurt them to be cut back now and, for the beginner, late pruning is to be preferred as it is easy at this time of the year to see which is old and dead wood.

Do not be tempted to cut off the leaves of your bulbs which have finished flowering as they require these leaves to make food for the developing bulb.  

As the weather warms cut back fuchsias by a third and mulch their beds with compost. Towards the end of August, start pinching out the growing tips of shoots as soon as they develop two pairs of leaves as this will result in bushier flowering plants.

Repot container grown plants into a pot one size bigger if they look cramped.

Hydrangeas that were not given a summer prune can be pruned now!  Do not cut back frosted growth on plants that have been damaged by the cold, until all danger of frost has passed.

Ensure that all roses have been pruned by now!  Increase watering to twice a week.