We love gardens here at Jelson Homes, and we know you do too. We like to give all our green-fingered purchasers a head start, by ensuring all our homes come complete with turfed front and rear gardens, and rear gardens fenced as standard, ready for you to move straight in and create your own little oasis. We also like to share our gardening tips for summer so you can get more from the outdoors.
If you’re anything like us, you probably spend most of August in the garden, and more time than you would do at any other time of year. We’re well into the school holidays, the sun is at its hottest and the days are long enough to enjoy being outside in the warm weather for well over half the day.
All the hard work you’ve put into creating your beautiful summer garden earlier in the year means you can now sit back and enjoy alfresco dining, splashing in paddling pools and lazy evenings with a glass of your favourite tipple on the patio.
So, what is there to do this month to make sure your garden keeps looking good all year long?
The short answer is ‘not too much’! August is a month for keeping on top of things rather than doing any heavy digging. Here are our top five late summer gardening tips for August:
1. Divide and rule
This is a great time to divide up any plants that have grown a little out of control, such as poppies, lilies and ornamental grasses. Just lift them gently with a spade, avoiding damage to the root ball, and use a sharp spade edge or knife to cut the clump into smaller portions. Replant as soon as possible and water well.
2. Don’t fade away
Hanging baskets and summer containers bring beautiful, stunning colour to your garden but can often look a bit overgrown by August, especially if you’ve been away on holiday and haven’t kept up with the daily watering regime. There’s no harm in replacing some of the sadder-looking specimens with fresh flowering plants. Just mix in a bit of fresh compost and make sure you keep them well-watered.
3. Green and pleasant lawn
The grass should be looking its very best now – vibrant, green and moss-free. Keep on top of your lawn with a weekly mow and water it sparingly. If it rains regularly, you shouldn’t need to water it at all. In very dry spells, a drenching every 10-14 days is recommended, as long as there are no hosepipe bans in force. August is also a good time to feed your lawn in preparation for the autumn months.
4. Water, water everywhere
Everything needs watering well this month, in particular containers, baskets and newly planted flowers and shrubs. Rainwater is much better than tap water as it contains nitrogen which boosts growth. It’s also more environmentally friendly than turning on the hosepipe. So think about installing a water butt to collect rain throughout the year which you can then distribute with a watering can.
5. Potter around
Yes, there’s still weeding and deadheading to do, of course – but by far the nicest way to approach this task is in the early morning when the sun’s out and you stroll round the garden with a coffee in one hand and secateurs in the other. Gardens are for enjoying and not everything has to be hard work!
For more gardening tips and advice, check out our lifestyle blogs. If you’re looking to upgrade your garden by moving to your dream home, you can take a look at all of our available developments in the East Midlands here.