AUTUMNAL AUGUST

AS a kid I can remember insisting that August should be an autumn month because it started with the same letters.

Dad patiently explained that wasn’t how it worked and that technically the autumn months are September, October and November.

He always backed this up by saying that the colourful rowan berries depicted the start of autumn, which 30 years ago would have been September-ish.

But for the last few years the rowan berries have decorated their boughs in August.

Both my brother and I still insist on exclaiming “autumn’s here” when we see the laden rowan trees.

Whilst not entering into the debate, in his latest blog Monty Don nonetheless reminds us that the year is already half over and the evenings are drawing in.

The mornings have certainly felt more autumnal of late and together with the really warm spring ensuring everything is forward in the garden, it definitely does feel more like autumn than summer as we head into August. So there.

Whatever the season, there is still lots to do in the garden and whilst the urgency has gone out of a lot of growth, wet days and warm ground will mean many plants will have a “second wind”.

Cut back early flowering herbaceous stock and you may be lucky enough to get a second bloom, and deadheading roses regularly will encourage new flowers too.

Keep cutting sweet peas to ensure repeat flowering, as once they are allowed to go to seed they are less enthusiastic about flowering.

And as Monty recommends, keep staking.

There will always be something you forgot to support and rogue thunderstorms and heavy rain will soon flatten anything that is unsupported in late summer.

I do admire the way everything seems so well behaved at Long Meadow.

Even Monty’s Bear’s Breeches were “braced” and upright this week, whilst mine are around the bear’s proverbial ankles!