August is the time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of labour in the garden

DURING the summer your garden is an extra room that can be used on a daily basis – whether its additional play space, a home entertainment area or simply to attract wildlife. To make this happen there are a few steps to follow. Clear away bits and pieces you no longer want or need to give the feeling of space and stop using parts of the garden as ‘storage’ areas for old or broken garden furniture, pots or playthings. Next, have a look at you ‘garden room’ backdrop. Is there enough greenery and colour, or is it time to top up with a few plants that will provide a little bit of lushness and vibrancy? If you have a smaller garden, then think about using your walls and fences as extra growing space – ideal for wall hanging pots and pouches. Not only will this leave room on the ground for lounging or playing family games, it will create a natural, green wall that is easy to maintain and will last for a good few weeks and months. You can still get a variety of plants that keep flowering well into late summer that add a touch of colour and drama. Plus, if you plant some of them in pots and containers then you can move them around to create different areas and out of the way of any toys the may be flying around. Try mixing Salvia and Japanese Anemone alongside Cosmos with its feathery leaves and saucer-like white and pink flowers. Geraniums will keep flowering through to September/October if you look after them and deadhead them on a regular basis. Apart from deadheading and making sure everything in watered, if there is one job to be done this month it’s to trim back any wisteria. Pruning back new whippy growth on wisteria helps the plant to focus its energy on next year’s flower buds rather than leafy growth. It also keeps it healthy by allowing more light and air around the plant. New shoots are easy to spot as they reach several feet long and often twin around each other.se. For fruit and veg growers, now it the time to help plants survive the heat by watering well during dry spells, using rainwater or recycled grey water where possible. Rooted strawberry runners can now be planted, and it’s a good time to sow green manures that act as a soil improver and, when dug in, conserve nutrients and improve soil texture. Some of the other garden jobs for August suggested by the RHS are: - Prune rambling roses once they have finished flowering - Collect seed from garden plants - Harvest vegetables when they become ready - Lift and pot up rooted strawberry runners - Keep ponds and water features topped up - Feed containers and border perennials with a liquid tomato food to encourage early autumn blooms - Water containers and new plants, with grey recycled water or rainwater if possible