Hoarding for the Future

High summer is here - the buzz of insect life and exquisite butterflies is all around us. Now that your garden is blooming, you can also see clearly where you would like to plant something extra. An elegant tree, a compact shrub, a combination of perennials? Visit our garden centre for inspiration and advice. The handy thing is that most garden plants are grown in pots nowadays, which means that you can plant them all year round. Look out for a lovely flowering buddleia, plant it now and make your garden even more beautiful. Plus you'll get many more butterflies in your garden.

Seed Collecting

• Do you enjoy growing plants from seed yourself? Then now is the right time to collect seeds.
• How about making it a treasure hunt and getting some help from the kids?
• Many plants are bearing ripe seeds now, such as the campanula, mullein, primula and maiden pink.
• Dry the seeds and then store them - preferably in acid-free paper bags - in a dry cool spot.
• Then you can have the fun of going out into the garden together next spring to plant them.

One more flowering
The flowers on some plants have already finished flowering. If you ‘dead head' them (remove the dead flowers regularly), it helps the plant thrive and flower more. On some varieties such as lupin, delphinium, Geum, Alyssum and Alchemilla a second flowering or follow-on flowering can then happen in favourable conditions. This means that you can enjoy scent and colour in your garden even longer. After pruning, give the plants a quick pick-me-up by watering on a high potash feed.

Roses
Remember to check roses regularly for pests, blackspot and other diseases. Spray if necessary with a recommended fungicide and/or insecticide. If your garden is in need of some flower power, roses are the perfect solution. We have plenty of quality potted roses in stock.

Pruning
You can prune fast-growing hedges such as privet and leylandii hedges again in August. Do not do it later in the year. The shoots that grow on the hedge after pruning need to have plenty of time to ripen before winter comes.


Ericaceous plants
Rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas will be setting their flower buds for next year, so it's important that they never go short of water at this time of year or the flower buds may fail next spring. Feeding will also produce more and better flowers. Mulching with bark or similar products will help maintain soil moisture levels and insulate the roots from damaging high temperatures.

Watering
Make sure your plants produce a display to be proud of by giving them just the right amount of water they need. Well-established plants may not need regular watering but newly planted ones, bedding plants and plants in containers will.

Fertilise the lawn
If the grass is growing well, the blades remain succulent and the lawn is easy to mow. You can now give lawn feed one more time. After this, only give special nitrogen-free autumn fertiliser. The grass must be able to ripen before winter in order to be more frost-resistant.

Lawn preparation for September
September is the best time to sow a new lawn or lay turf, but it pays to prepare the area now. To beat perennial weeds, spray with a weedkiller containing glyphosate. Once the turf has been removed, work over the soil to a depth of 9" with a fork and spade, removing weed roots and large stones, and incorporating compost or composted bark. Rake and level the soil, walk over it to settle it, rake again and then leave it bare to allow weed seeds to germinate. These can be sprayed or hoed off ready for sowing or turfing next month.

Planning autumn planting
Start planning that new border. Look for plants with a long flowering period and those that have two or more seasons of interest with flowers, fruit, colourful stems and interesting foliage. Choose plants with different foliage colours and shapes, and remember that while evergreens help bring structure and winter interest they may need livening up with deciduous plants. Use winter bedding plants to increase the season's interest, and plant bulbs for extra splashes of colour. Now is a good planting time for Madonna lilies (Lilium candidum). The bulbs of colchicum and autumn-flowering crocuses (such as Crocus kotschyanus, pink flowers, and C. speciosus, lilac) need to be planted in August. Plant Colchicum 10 cm deep, Crocus 6 cm deep.

Planted Containers
If your garden's starting to look a bit jaded, inject some autumn colour with containers. Plant them up yourself with favourites such as pansies, evergreen shrubs such as euonymus, and under planted with spring-flowering bulbs. Or make it really easy by taking home our ready-planted containers.

Vegetables
The harvesting season is now in full swing now, so make sure you pick crops that are ready. Leave them too long and they'll lose flavour and tenderness. Now's a good time to sow winter varieties of spinach and maincrop turnips, also endive, radish and spring cabbage for next year. Having spent lots of time and effort growing your fruit and veg to perfection, protect it with fleece or small-mesh plastic netting - or, if you have a large area, put up a fruit cage.

Pest watch
Pests and diseases thrive in hot weather, so check plants regularly for tell-tale signs. Mildews and red spider mite are always worse in warm, dry conditions and these can soon get out of control. Earwigs eat the leaves and flower buds on plants like clematis, dahlias and chrysanthemums, and even slugs and snails can be on the prowl at this time of year.

Vine weevil
As vine weevil beetles tend to lay eggs in late summer and early autumn it pays to protect vulnerable plants in pots - such as begonias, fuchsias, cyclamen and sedums - with Bio Provado Vine Weevil Killer. A wide range of pests can be controlled by spraying with Ultimate Bug Killer.

Spring Flowering bulbs
Start planting up some spring bulbs. We have lots in store to choose from, including favourites such as daffodils and crocuses, and something rather grander, such as crown imperials. For colour now, add evergreen shrubs such as rosemary and euonymus, winter-flowering pansies and primroses to give you interest through autumn and winter.


Indoor plants
Cyclamen can be started into growth by watering this month after their summer rest. Freesia corms can also be planted, plunge pots outside for six weeks before bringing inside to flower in winter.

Plants of the month
Keep the summer colour going with our plants of the month. There's plenty to choose from including roses, fuchsias, penstemon, lavatera, hydrangea, caryopteris, phygelius, and perovskia, and dozens of different herbaceous perennials. Ensure your garden's a riot of colour and get planting today

Cuttings
August is the best time to take cuttings from half-hardy bedding plants such as fuchsias, pelargoniums, marguerites and trailing petunias. Also from tender perennials such as osteospermum and those not reliably hardy such as Penstemon, as insurance. Once done, cover the pots with a polythene bag or with a propagator lid and place somewhere warm and sheltered but out of strong, direct sunlight. Don't forget to pick up everything you need for taking successful cuttings including pots, compost, dibbers, rooting hormone, labels and propagator lids.

Outdoor living - don't forget that gardens are for enjoying.
So make sure you sit back, relax and enjoy your garden this year from the comfort of your own garden furniture. Or entertain friends and family with a slap-up barbecue. And if you plan to stay out late add some easy-to-install garden lighting.

Grow Artichokes
You may plant Globe Artichokes in the vegetable plot but you can grow them in the flower borders as a very attractive plant with large silvery leaves. Do not let the heads form if they are in the first year, just cut them off. When they come in the second year remove them just before those fleshy leaves form the flowers, you will get two flushes. Boil the heads in salted water and cook until tender, when cool peel each scale, dip in vinaigrette and chew the flesh off delicious. If you haven't grown them this year sow next March.


Grow Courgettes & Marrows
Courgettes & Marrow plants are now starting to reward us with a bountiful supply of fruits. Courgettes come in all different colours and shapes today. Easy to grow and great to eat it is important to keep cutting the Courgettes when they are tender, just four to five inches long. If you let them grow longer they will stop producing. If you are growing Bush Marrows let them develop and check they are firm before cutting.

Grow Onions
Growing your own onions this year? Wait until the foliage starts to yellow slightly and the tops fold over. Lift from the ground and if the weather is dry, lay out somewhere in a sunny position. It should take a couple of weeks to ripen the onion bulbs in the sun, store good ones and any damaged ones use them straight away. How about stringing them together like the French do or just hang them up in some old tights.

Watering Vegetables
Keep all those vegetable crops well watered this month, if not, Spinach, Lettuce and Beetroot will bolt and go to seed. Beans also need regular amounts of water to keep them cropping, late sown Runner beans, if looked after, will crop all the way through to those early frosts. For those of you growing pumpkins for competitions, a liquid feed will help as well as water; they have a long time to grow yet in readiness for Halloween.

Harvesting
Let's talk harvesting French & Runner Beans, Beetroot, Carrots, Broccoli, Courgettes, Peas, early Potatoes and even Tomatoes. Has it been worth having a go at growing your own? Tomatoes need regular watering and feeding so don't let them dry out or they will get blossom end rot. Watch out also for aphids on your peppers and aubergines and spray with one of those safer sprays. Be patient, with the warm summer, crops could be good - so lots to look forward to.