Gardener’s World – August 2024

The warm weather has arrived, and tomatoes are ripening. If they are in a greenhouse they need plenty of ventilation; water sprayed on the floor helps to increase the humidity as they can overheat. Lavender is flowering and if you make lavender bags or put it in bowls, now is the time to pick it. Choose freshly opened flowers, hang bunches upside down to dry in a well-ventilated, dark place like a shed or garage.

Phlox, one of my favourite perennials, are flowering well and seem to have liked the earlier damp conditions as they have grown quite tall. They come in many colours. If the soil becomes too dry they will wilt, but just give them a can of water to revive them.

If you have any Box topiary or hedging, now is the time to trim them, choose a cool, damp day; if it is too hot and sunny they will scorch. If they are in pots give them a feed of fertiliser and a good water and they will soon reshoot. Box is easy to grow from cuttings. Strip off the bottom leaves from a cutting 5-6 inches long, plant in loamy soil and in a few months you will have new plants for free. One drawback with Box is the Box Tree caterpillar which can appear when the temperature and humidity rise and can quickly de-foliate the plants, so inspect them regularly. Keep dead-heading roses and sweet peas. It’s an almost daily job but worth the effort.