Top tips on what needs doing for Help your garden see out summer in a blaze of glory
The autumn, and how to make sure it’s all lovely now
FOR MILLIONS of us this year the great British garden has been a haven of peaceful predictability amid a background of chaos. As our lives were turned upside down by coronavirus, those of us lucky enough to have our own outdoor space were able to escape the seemingly endless bad news and contentedly get to work amongst nature.
The Stay At Home order may have gone, but the affection for the tranquility and calm of time spent in our gardens will endure long after the crisis finally subsides.
Now though, just having had a spell so hot that gardening might have seemed arduous, autumn isn’t all that far away, really.
There’s plenty to be done in the coming weeks and months – including lots that you can do to see out summer in spectacular fashion.
August is a perfect time to take stock of what has worked in your garden during the spring and summer months, and what can be improved upon for next year.
It’s a great idea to have a look at your borders and notice where there are gaps and areas of less interest, notice how your mix of perennials has worked and whether you need to introduce some more structure into the magical mix in the form of evergreen shrubs or evergreen herbaceous perennials.
Whilst beautiful perennial borders are a delight to the eye, they also must have some areas of interest throughout the year which can be achieved with some careful planning and note taking at this time.
Once you have cast a critical eye across your flower beds, now is the time to get stuck in with some more physical tasks.
Last but by no means least, simply “enjoying” the garden is an important a “task” as any.
More people have turned their attention to nature and the therapeutic benefits of growing and nurturing.
So, it is vital, of course, to keep up the good work in the garden, but also to remember to keep taking the time to sit down and appreciate the fruits of your labours, particularly as the weather mellows.
WISTERIA
If you haven’t addressed your wisteria already, August is a good time to get snipping, cut back this year’s new vigorous shoots to five or six leaves to keep it in check! This (see left) gives you the opportunity to ensure its growth is contained and trained to the desired size.
TOMATOES
Many of us are already harvesting tomatoes but there’s still lots to remember to make the most out of your plants. Make sure that your tomato plants have sufficient support, they will most likely be quite large by this stage, so it is important that they have a strong bamboo cane to cling to, you may even need to upgrade to a larger one. Pluck out shoots between main stems to keep the plant’s energy focused on making lovely juicy fruit for the last crop!
This is only really needed if your tomato plant is an indeterminate variety (its growth level is not pre-determined), if you have a variety that knows its limits then plucking out new shoots is not necessary, if anything, more of a hindrance.
A quick glance at your seed packet should help; if that’s long gone but you know the variety, a Google search will tell you if it’s one or the other! Oh, and make sure to keep feeding your tomatoes every couple of weeks.
TIDY PERENNIALS
Some will be looking a little how most of us are feeling at this stage. Hairdressers have reopened so why not bestow the same luxury upon lacklustre perennials and give them a nice chop?
Lots of hardy geraniums will be very leggy; give them a good cut right back to the base and you may get further flowers.
Once your lavender has finished flowering, remove the spent flower heads, and cut back this year’s foliage by a few inches to keep it looking neat and tidy.
If this isn’t done there’s the danger of creating a shrub that’s all leg and no head.
KEEP SHRUBS IN CHECK
If you have Buxus (box) it’s important to make sure that there are no signs of box blight or box caterpillar. If you have nice healthy plants keep them pruned to your desired shape as it is at this stage in the season you may notice you have random growth.
If Buxus has become problematic, there is a great pest and disease-free alternative, Ilex crenata, which largely does the same job, though at higher price.
If you are looking to replace rounded Buxus balls, try Pittosporum “Golf Ball”, a cheaper alternative to Ilex and much faster growing.
WILDLIFE
What would a garden be without the perennial visitors? Look out for birds in hot weather – keep bird baths topped up and sit back and enjoy the entertaining performance of a wood pigeon splashing around.
Another movement that is really taking hold is leaving your lawns a little longer. Giving your grass a break from the mower is really kind to insects that thrive in longer grass, providing room for more species to emerge and encourage greater biodiversity.
Aesthetically it has its perks as well, giving a more whimsical and magical feel to your garden.
DEAD-HEADING
Many of us take great pride in our potted gardens, and now is certainly not the time to relax – you can extend the flowering period of some lovely flowers well into the autumn by ensuring you keep dead-heading.
Given how warm it has been lately, during a hot spell it is important to water pots late in the day so the water doesn’t evaporate immediately.
A water butt is a great way to be economical with your water usage and is also kinder to plants than mains water as it contains no added chemicals.
LATE SUMMER COLOUR
If you notice unsightly gaps in your borders and are looking for late-summer colour, you can easily plant some bright and bold perennials.
Salvia “Amistad” has fabulous dark purple flowers and will keep flowering through to late autumn, growing to several feet in height, so it is best positioned at the back of a border.
If you are looking for something that packs a real punch, Echinacea is a brilliant option teamed with lovely drifts of ornamental grasses such as Stipa tenuissima or Miscanthus sinensis; both grasses will hold their structure and give movement to your borders throughout the winter.
Agastache is another colourful perennial for late summer and autumn colour; try “Blue Fortune” with its liquorice scented leaves.