August Garden Checklist

Welcome to your August garden checklist! As summer peaks, your garden is bursting with life.

Here's how to keep it thriving through the hottest month of the year. August is the culmination of months of effort and as a bonus hot weather can mean that there is less lawn mowing and weeding to do as plants seek to conserve water - so you can sit back and enjoy the garden.

Watering and weeding

• Keep watering regularly, preferably early in the morning or late in the evening to reduce evaporation. Focus on the roots rather than leaves and make sure containers don’t dry out - they may need water morning and evening in really hot weather.
• Weeds will compete for water and light so keep weeding borders and Kitchen Garden to make sure your chose planting doesn't miss out on nutrients and water.
• Keep an eye open for self-sown seedlings such as foxgloves, forget-me-nots and aquilegia and pot them up for planting next spring of giving away to friends.
• Mulching can be a great way to retain moisture and suppress weeds.

Lawns

• Don’t feed or water lawns in high summer - the water will be wasted and a few decent showers of rain will soon put grass back on it’s feet again and green things up.
• Keep mowing if the grass is growing but you may well find that it slows right down to conserve energy in hot weather, giving you a break too!
• If you’ve been away on holiday and come back to an overgrown lawn make sure you cut it back in stages rather than all in one go - you will just end up with a sea of stubble.
• Raise the blades of the mower and just top it first time round and then lower the blades gradually until it’s back to the usual level.

Flower Garden

• Deadhead spent flowers to encourage new blooms and prevent self-seeding - if you want to propagate from your own seeds collect them now and store in a dark cool place.
• Divide bearded irises and replant them with corms exposed to the sun - they love to be baked over the summer!
• Check that tall plants are staked and supported to avoid damage from wind or rain and to keep heavy blooms from breaking stems.
• Trim back summer-flowering shrubs after they have finished blooming.
• Plant autumn-flowering bulbs and perennials for late-season colour.
• Prune Wisteria if you haven’t done so already.

Vegetable Garden

• Regularly harvest ripe fruits and vegetables to encourage further production.
• Direct-sow fast-growing crops like radishes, lettuce, and spinach for a late-season harvest - see our guide to vegetables to grow in August.
• Use a crop cage of micromesh netting to protect from Carrot Fly.

• Keep an eye out for pests and diseases, and address any issues promptly - a slug trap will keep your salad crops protected.
• Think ahead and add some support to brassica plants before they get too tall - Autumn winds can flatten top heavy plants and reduce your fresh mid-winter crop.

Read more on the perfect Vegetables to Grow in August here

Fruit Garden

• Prune summer-fruiting raspberry canes that have finished cropping. Also, prune trained fruit trees and bushes.
• Feed fruit trees and bushes with a high-potassium fertilizer to support fruit development.
• Protect fruit from birds with netting, ensuring it's securely fastened and not trapping wildlife - if you grow fruit regularly then a fruit cage is a great investment and will increase your harvest hugely.

Greenhouse 

• Ensure good airflow by opening vents and doors on hot days.
• Use shading net to prevent overheating.
• Monitor for pests like red spider mites and whiteflies, and take action as needed.
• Water plants regularly, but avoid overwatering.

Wildlife and Pond

• Keep bird baths and ponds topped up with clean water.
• Continue feeding birds and providing fresh water, especially during dry spells.
• Remove blanket weed and debris from ponds to maintain water quality.
• Prepare your pond for Autumn by adding a pond cover or net to prevent leaves falling in the water.

Other jobs

• Clean and sharpen garden tools to keep them in good working condition.
• Start planning for autumn planting and order bulbs and seeds in advance.
• Turn your compost heap to speed up the decomposition process.

There is still plenty of time to spend in the garden with a good couple of months before any real danger of frost so enjoy the harvest and take time to see what's worked (and what hasn’t) in the garden this year so you can plan for next.