PICTURE-A-PLANT – AUGUST

VIRTUAL “PICTURE A PLANT”  SHOW 2020

Sultry late summer

August is usually one of the hottest months of the year – making watering essential. Try to use grey water wherever possible, especially as water butts may be running low if it has been a dry summer.

August is traditionally holiday-time, so you might need to enlist the help of friends and family to look after the garden while you are away. When you are at home, take the time to prune  Wisteria and summer-flowering shrubs such as lavender once they’ve finished flowering.

Please send us your flowers and plants for August.

Gladiolus is a genus of perennial cormous flowering plants in the iris family. It is sometimes called the ‘sword lily’, but is usually called by its generic name. The genus occurs in Asia, Mediterranean Europe, South Africa, and tropical Africa.

TOP 10 JOBS FOR THIS MONTH

1. Prune Wisteria
2. Don’t delay summer pruning fruits trained as restricted forms
3. Deadhead flowering plants regularly
4. Watering! – particularly containers, and new plants, preferably with grey recycled water or stored rainwater
5. Collect seed from garden plants


6. Harvest sweetcorn and other vegetables as they become ready
7. Continue cutting out old fruited canes on raspberries
8. Lift and pot up rooted strawberry runners
9. Keep ponds and water features topped up
10. Feed the soil with green manures

GIRDWOOD ROAD

A hive of activity in the garden.
White-tailed Bumblebee.
Flowering Courgette
Robustissima pink Japanese anemone. Hardy perennial – borders, cottage gardens, woodlands and the seaside.
Verbena – Pretty delicate yellow and pink flowers.
Bella di Notte – The scientific name of the ‘beauty of the night‘ is Mirabilis jalapa. It is part of the Nyctaginaceae family. 
Pretty colourful Petunia hanging basket.
Bella di Notte. It is so called because it is a nocturnal flower that releases a pleasant perfume after sunset. In fact, it only opens when the sun goes down and then closes again at dawn.
Another colourful blend of Petunias and Geraniums.

SUTHERLAND GROVE

Rowan Tree (Sorbus aucuparia)
Bane of witches, diviner of the future and producer of jam, rowan is an elegant tree with a mystical history. Its leaves and berries are a favourite for wildlife in woods and towns alike.
The Rowan tree has scarlet berries in the autumn, the seeds of which are dispersed by birds.