Five Things to do in the garden this August

After the cold snap, we experienced all across South Africa in mid-July, most gardeners may look at their garden and wonder if it’s even worth gardening this time of the year. With spring a month and a half away, this is in fact the ideal time to prepare the garden for the flush of coming spring growth. Below are five tasks for the gardener to do this coming August.

 

Prune Trees and shrubs.

This is the best time of the year to prune fruit trees, Bonzai, and feature trees. Start with using clean tools and cutting back any dead material. Secondly, open up the canopy and any inward growth but keep a natural shape to ensure the tree’s long-term health. Find the right guide for the type of tree you pruning since various fruiting trees require precise pruning. Roses can handle intense pruning and will flush in the spring while

 

Sort your seed bank.

Take some time and sort out your seed bank. Taking stock of what you have available and planning a seeding schedule for the coming season is an excellent way to plan your summer garden.

 

Plant annuals

It’s not too late to get a last bit of colour out of winter—plant petunia, pansies, and primulas … for a last bit of  Winter colour leading into spring. There are beautiful annuals for both sun and shade available to lighten up the last bit of winter. If you don’t know what will survive in your space, ask your local nursery for advice

 

Cut overwinter grasses and seeding plants.

If you have a wild meadow and kept the seedheads for texture over the winter, now would be a good time to trim them back to the ground, allowing seedheads to seed in the meadow freely. Generally referred to as ‘chop and drop’ this practice prepares the meadow for the new season.  As the days start to lengthen the seedlings will germinate and with the natural mulch protecting their roots will quickly spring into life

 

Tackle that garden project

While your garden rests awaiting spring lift and separate clumping grasses and plants, It’s also wise to take the chance to implement some hardscaping or install that pond you always wanted in your garden. Whatever you want to do, this is the best time to allow planning to establish and grow all summer, leading to quicker naturalizing and a fuller garden.