Jobs to do in the garden in August

August can be a hot month so make sure that you water regularly – ideally using water collected in a water butt. Although a lot of plants will start going over during the month there are still some essential tasks to do:

  • Give mixed hedges a summer cut now all the birds have fledged.
  • Continue pruning wisteria, cutting off the ‘wispy bits’ back to two or three buds and making sure that gutters and drainpipes are clear.
  • Prune lavender once it has finished flowering by cutting back two thirds of the growth making sure that you don’t cut into old wood. This will prevent your lavender becoming woody.
  • Continue deadheading perennials such as heleniums, dahlias, penstemon and phlox.
  • Continue deadheading and tying in climbing roses.
  • Tie in new growth of rambling roses ready for pruning in January.
  • Cut back macedonia and achillea to encourage a second flush of growth and flowers.
  • Cut back and tidy up hardy geraniums and alchemilla mollis.
  • Cut back deciduous honeysuckle once it has finished flowering, removing a third of the flowering shoots.