Another month of ever-changing weather and those changes often hourly. Disruptive not just to the garden but to the gardener. It has once again been about snatching the moment and one evening I found myself frantically setting out bedding plants using a bulb planter, racing against an advancing storm cloud. In truth the alternating warm and wet has really created some growth in recent weeks and beans that were standing still are cropping, whilst tomato trusses are ballooning. Of course, the weeds have enjoyed it too and there has been real worth in regular and vigilant light weeding.

My biggest curse has been with newly seeded blackberry brambles, which have sprouted up everywhere. There is no finer distribution of seed than that delivered by the digestive tract of the blackbird. If you spot brambles don’t chop them, dig them.

As we move into August, keep up with the feeding and harvesting (which includes dead heading). Plants will all go past their peak quickly if you don’t maintain them. The dead heading can apply to all subjects, early herbaceous plants need repair, as do spring flowering shrubs and if roses are trimmed back, many will throw late flower into September. Wisterias can also be pruned now the flowering is over.

If you are in the mood for seed sowing, then there are plenty of things to play with. Lettuce, chicory, turnips and rocket will all do well from an August sowing and if you want to get a few flowers underway, then some of the hardy annuals and biennials can be sown now for next season. Calendula, Cornflower and Escholtzia will all stand across the winter as will Sweet Williams, wallflowers and forget me nots. You will enter the new year with some advanced, strong plants and you’ll benefit from some early colour too.

If you find yourself in a garden centre then you can start to consider spring bulbs. Daffodils, Tulips, Hyacinths, Crocus and snowdrops are all there. Do look beyond these old faithfuls and try your luck with some of the more unusual items too, like Puschkinia and Triteleia

And finally, watch your greens, the Cabbage white butterflies are about and the caterpillars will be along shortly. They will have a go at all of the cabbage family including Sprouts and sprouting, so drop a bit of net over plants if you can. Caterpillars have voracious appetites.

Happy Gardening.

Chris Evans
www.dundrynurseries.co.uk
www.thebutterflygarden.org