Welcome to the English Garden newsletter

The strawberries and raspberries have been eaten and the raspberry canes cut back and given to the goats - who just love their leaves! If your strawberry plants have produced runners now is a good time to pot them up.

Jobs in an English Garden for August

Keep containers well watered if it is dry - this is something we have not had to do in England this year - we have hardly had three dry days in a row!

Pull out any summer bedding plants that have finished flowering and plant forget-me-nots or wallflowers in the holes.

Don't forget to keep deadheading - roses, perennials and annuals such as pansies and marigolds will then keep flowering for you. Of course if you want to keep the seeds then don't deadhead!

Sweet peas must be picked regularly as this stops them going to seed and provides you with a delicious scented bouquet of flowers for your sitting room.

From the middle of August you can trim lavender bushes that have finished flowering. This will remove old flowers and shoot tips. Take care not to cut back too heavily into any old wood.

If you cut your gladioli flowers to use inside or when they have finished flowering do leave the foliage as this helps to build next's years corm.

On a bright morning after any dew has cleared cut any achillea, helichrysums(strawflowers)Statice you want for drying and hang them upside down in a warm, airy place so that they can dry naturally.

August is a good time for cutting herbs to store for the winter. They can either be dried or frozen.

You can start to plant bulbs for the spring - daffodils and sweet smelling varieties of narcissi.

You can also plant autumn flowering bulbs such as the beautiful autumn flowering crocus.

Enjoy your English Garden in August and don't forget to take the time to sit down in it and savour all those wonderful flowers!


Here's the latest article from the English Garden site at BellaOnline.com.

Hedges, Fences and Walls in an English Garden
Learn which type of barriers and backdrops will suit your garden to set off your flowers and provide shelter and screening.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art52247.asp

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Hellie T., English Garden Editor
http://englishgarden.bellaonline.com

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