British horticulturist and TV presenter Monty Don has urged Brits to do one thing this month, to prepare their gardens for another gruelling winter. He warns one simple error will cost you your beloved wildflowers and bulbs
August is a crucial month for gardeners – but one simple error could cause mayhem.
Despite the odd shower and grey sky, summer has been pretty average this year. We’ve not witnessed any freak storms or flooding that would turn our gardens into swamps, and have had enough scorching temperatures for our grass and blooms to flourish. However, as the colder months approach, it’s time to get your garden in tip-top shape so it can survive what will inevitably be another gruelling winter. British horticulturist Monty Don says now is the time to trim your hedges, cut long grass, deadhead your dahlias, an sow your autumn salad crops.
Writing on his eponymous blog MontyDon.com, the celeb gardener urged Brits to cut their flowering meadows as ‘short as possible’. This exposes areas of bare soil so fallen flower seeds from blooms like daffodils and crocus can start to germinate. He says it might be worth hiring a ‘powerful cutter’ or strimmer to achieve this, but argues a scythe will also do the trick. “Once the grass is cut it should all be raked up and put onto the compost heap (making sure that it is thoroughly dampened with a hose unless it is a very small amount),” Monty added. “It is important to remove all cut grass as otherwise it feeds the soil as it decomposes and this will encourage lush regrowth at the expense of the wildflowers and bulbs. However, as long as the grass cuttings are collected, it may be kept mown short right up until winter.”
If you’re planning a weekend getaway before the summer holidays come to an end, the TV presenter says now is a good time to ‘prepare the garden’ by mowing the lawn, weeding, and making sure your plants are ‘well supported’. “Pots are most likely to suffer in hot weather and an irrigation system is ideal, but at the very least give them a good soak before you go,” he added. “Ideally move smaller pots into the shade and group them together which will reduce evaporation. If you have sweet peas or vegetables ready to harvest ask friends or neighbours to come and pick them.”
What’s your top gardening tip for August? Let us know in the comments section below
