AUGUST IN THE GARDEN
Apart from sitting back and enjoying your garden in what should be a warm and pleasant month there are quite a few tasks to carry out.
It is a good idea to go round and collect seeds of your favourite hardy annuals and perhaps of some perennials. Lupins are a good subject to grow from seed every two years so the plants will be strong and vigorous and able to withstand the aphid onslaught. Lupins have their own huge brownish coloured aphid, I have found ‘Roseclear’ works well to destroy them; soapy water spray is fine for a mild infestation but will need to be repeated weekly. If you have been lucky enough to find a dark blue flower among your Nigella, Love in the Mist, do take seeds from that flower as it is a far better colour than the usual pale blue. Otherwise no need to collect those seeds as they seed themselves copiously. Similarly if a good colour appears among poppies do save the seed. Collect sweet pea seed when the flowers are over. Carry on deadheading plants to maintain bloom.

Take cuttings of Penstemon, Osteospermum and Geranium for next year’s display. I lost all bar one of my penstemon cuttings this spring so I will have to take more care this time.

Keep watering hanging baskets and tubs even when it rains as the rain does not always penetrate the top growth and feed regularly. Start watering potted cyclamen and when growth reappears pot them on into fresh compost.

In the vegetable garden watch out for potato and tomato blight and remove affected tomato plants and cut off foliage from the potatoes. Consign this to the bonfire or send to the council tip as green waste. As it has been so
wet it would be a good idea to harvest second early potatoes to avoid horrid slug damage. Green house tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers will need daily
watering if sunny and weekly feeding. Keep picking beans and freezing them, or give them away if you
have a glut.

Bees
We have had a swarm of bees in the garden. This was very exciting as it wasquite a large swarm hanging in an apple tree. Spetchley Park Gardens have had two swarms recently so I rang their Head Gardener Kate who was able to give me phone numbers of local beekeepers. One of who quoted me this old saying ‘A swarm in May is worth a load of hay, a swarm in July isn’t worth a fly.’ It was the end of July and he said it was too late in the season. Anyhow another beekeeper was only too happy to come and gather the swarm.