10/08/2026
Your August garden checklist!☀️✅
🍃 After flowering, trim back lavender stems by around a third to keep plants compact and tidy. Avoid cutting too far into old, woody growth, as lavender may not regrow well from it.
🍃Keep deadheading dahlias and other flowering bedding plants throughout August. Removing faded blooms encourages plants to produce more flowers and can help keep the display going well into autumn.
🍃Maincrop onions are ready to lift when the leaves start to yellow and flop over. Allow them to dry in a sunny, well-ventilated spot before storing. Second early potatoes can also be lifted once the foliage has yellowed and died back.
🍃Keep checking tomato and potato plants regularly for signs of late blight, particularly during warm, humid weather. Look out for dark brown or black patches on the leaves and stems, and remove affected foliage promptly.
🍃During dry spells, concentrate your watering on plants that need it most. Containers, hanging baskets and shallow-rooted crops such as tomatoes can dry out quickly, so check them regularly and water thoroughly when needed.
🍃Keep camellias and rhododendrons well watered during late summer, particularly in dry weather. This is an important time for them as they develop the flower buds that will produce next year’s blooms.
🍃August is a good time for the final trim of many hedges, including beech, box and privet. Check carefully for any active bird nests before cutting, as nesting birds can still be present even towards the end of summer.
