Gardening tips for August

Lawns
Lawns can start to look a bit yellowy and dry in August as it bears the heat of the British summer. The best way to keep your lawn healthy is to set up a sprinkler that you can move to different parts of the garden every couple of hours, to make sure that every part of your lawn is watered sufficiently. It is best to wait until after the midday sun has lost its heat before watering, as this will cut down on the amount of water wasted through evaporation.

Flowers galore
August is the perfect time to sit back and enjoy all your hard work, as bedding plants should be flowering away beautifully. To keep them looking their best, keep beds and hanging baskets fed with liquid feeds (as per the instructions on the packet) and remove and dead flowers regularly.

Bulbs
It is best to plant daffodils and other spring bulbs in August. Plant them in a decent amount of soil with some fertiliser or farmyard manure to give you the most beautiful flowers possible next spring. The sooner you get your bulbs in the ground, the more of a boost your plants will get from the warm August temperatures.

Holidays
August is the month that many people go on holiday in this country. It is important to remember that your plants still need looking after while you are away relaxing! Ask a friend or neighbour to water your plants in hot weather if you can. If this is not possible, wood chippings soaked with water can be put around the roots of a plant to help prevent too much water being evaporated.

Take care of your five a day
The key to looking after any vegetables you have growing in your garden is picking them regularly. The more you pick, the more your veg will grow, so carry on picking even if you have plenty of stock. Some vegetables such as beans and peas can be frozen, onions and tomatoes can be used in sauces and pickles, whilst squashes can be used to make soup and then frozen. Waste not want not!