August in the Garden

August is a fantastic time to get out in the garden and enjoy the last of the summer sunshine. 

Planting Sedums

Sedum plants are one of the more versatile plants, and will thrive in almost all conditions. They are often referred to as “Stonecrop” as many gardeners joke that they practically need about as much care as much care and maintenance as a stone!

Sedums require no additional water or fertiliser, and overwatering or overfertilising can hurt them a lot more than not fertilising or watering.

Sedum is also easily planted. The shorter varieties will normally send out roots wherever the stem is touching so they can be planted by simply laying the sedum in the ground where you want it to be planted.

You can break off one of the stems of a taller variety and shove it into the ground. The stem should then root and hopefully this will establish a new plant in a season or two.

Feed Potted Plants

As a general rule of thumb, potted plants should be fed once every two weeks. This should be upped to once weekly in periods of warm weather and when the plant is growing more aggressively, and increased again to twice weekly for fast growing plants and heavy feeders.

Try to feed a small amount consistently rather than large feeds every once and a while, and increase the amount you feed your plant as the rate of growth increases.

We recommend using liquid feeds in potted plants as many people tend to overdose their plants when using solid feeds.

Flowering plants should be given diluted liquid tomato feed.

Fill in Beds and Borders

Late-season gaps are next to impossible to avoid in perennial gardens. One thing you can do to hide some of these gaps is add some annuals. Annuals grow quickly and give a great abundance of flowers. Not only will they fill in the gaps around your beds and borders, but they also add some fantastic colour to your garden.

Perennials are also a great option for filling these gaps. Shopping for perennials at this time of year offers you a great opportunity to see what’s blooming around now. They are also fantastic for adding that splash of late-summer colour to your flower bed or borders.

Weeding Your Vegetable Patch

Weeds can quickly take hold of a vegetable patch if not properly maintained, and it can be difficult to keep on top of them without the use of harmful chemicals and weed-killers. One option is to use a hoe. Allow the weeds to grow for a couple of weeks before slicing them with a hoe.

Prune all summer flowering shrubs once the blooms are finished

Plants with spent flowers can take energy away from other flowers that may still be trying to grow. Grab the spent flower and use a pruner or secateurs to cut away the spent flower at an angle to prevent water from getting into the open stem and contaminating the plant.

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Get in Touch!

If you have any questions about sedums, feeding potted plants, filling beds or borders or weeding contact us on social media- @CountryLifeGC (Links in footer). If you have a specific problem such as pest damage it’s really helpful to send us a picture- we’d love to help!

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SHOP PRODUCTS

All products mentioned in the above blog can be bought on countrylife.ie or in you local CountryLife branch. To find your nearest store click here.

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