August Sowing and Planting Guide for Vibrant Veggies and Flowers Throughout the Year
August is a bustling month in the garden, with a variety of tasks to tackle and plants to nurture. Here's a rundown of what to expect this month, based on the recommendations of garden designers and authors, Benjamin Pope and Aaron Bertelsen.
Best Flowers for August
Summer bloomers such as dahlias, sunflowers, lilies, agapanthus, and late-blooming roses will bring a splash of vibrant color to your garden. These flowers are perfect for adding a touch of beauty to your outdoor space during these warm summer months.
Gardens to Visit
Explore botanical gardens or heritage gardens renowned for their summer displays, emphasizing flowering perennials and summer bulbs. This is a great opportunity to gain inspiration and learn about different plant varieties that thrive in the summer season.
Gardening Jobs
Focus on deadheading spent flowers to prolong their blooming, watering deeply but less frequently, preparing soil for autumn planting, harvesting vegetables and herbs, and dividing perennials as needed. August is also the ideal time to lift and divide bearded iris and order new cultivars.
Vegetable Sowing
Autumn and winter salads can be sown in August to reach a substantial size before the days become short. Good cultivars for autumn and winter salads include lettuces 'Winter Density' and 'Winter Gem', mustard 'Red Frills', rocket, and lamb's lettuce 'Favor'. Beetroot can also be sown in August for hardy leaves that make great additions to salads.
Carrot seeds can be sown directly into the garden or a pot, and protected with fleece or fine, insect-proof mesh. Carrots are recommended for sowing in August to avoid damage from carrot fly. Carrot roots do not like disturbance, so it is best to sow them into an area of the garden that has not had too much muck or compost.
Spring cabbage can be planted out in August and will grow steadily through winter, delivering a crop in early spring. Spring cabbage prefers firm soil and requires about 20cm between seedlings. To avoid club root, do not grow spring cabbage on the same patch of ground as last year.
Other Recommendations
Oriental brassicas and perpetual spinach are plants that will enjoy the months to come, where day length and temperature make them less likely to bolt. It is recommended to keep spring cabbage on a six-year rotation, like potatoes and tomatoes.
Netting can be used to protect spring cabbage from cabbage whites and pigeons. August is also a good time to sow most biennials, such as foxgloves and verbasums.
For more detailed advice directly credited to Benjamin Pope and Aaron Bertelsen, consult their publications or official websites where they provide monthly gardening advice. Unfortunately, I found no online references in the current search results to their August gardening guidance regarding the best flowers, gardens to visit, or gardening jobs specifically for August.
- In August, cultivating a variety of flowers like dahlias, sunflowers, lilies, agapanthus, and late-blooming roses not only brightens your home-and-garden lifestyle but also adds a touch of beauty to your outdoor space.
- The summer season presents an opportunity to explore botanical gardens and heritage gardens renowned for their summer displays, serving as a source of inspiration for different plant varieties that thrive during these months.
- To maintain a flourishing garden, August tasks include deadheading spent flowers, watering deeply but less frequently, preparation for autumn planting, harvesting vegetables and herbs, dividing perennials, sowing autumn and winter salads, and lifting and dividing bearded irises.
