Gardening? In August? Who wants to think about gardening while it is icy cold and windy outside?
Even though we are not quite done with winter, now is the time to start planning and planting for warmer weather.
With spring being just around the corner, garden centres are stocked with instant colour.
You can also start putting out seeds for our feathered friends that are slowly returning to the garden.
JJ van Rensburg, General Manager at Garden World, gave the following tips for preparing your spring garden:
– Scarify your lawn. This is done by giving the lawn a low cut, firm raking and spiking to remove the old thatch that developed below the grass cover in summer. To cover any depressions and bare patches apply a thin layer of lawn dressing as well as a slow-release fertilizer. You can use organic 5:1:5 or 3:2:1.
– Spent blooms from your winter bulbs need to be removed and fertilizing should continue. Allow the leaves to die back on their own.
– It is not yet time to start planting your summer bulbs in earnest. This can only be done at the end of August when the soil temperatures have started rising.
– Your hardier summer annuals like alyssum, dianthus, marigolds and lobelias can be planted now. To prolong their flowering season you can remove the spent blooms from your pansies and petunias.
– All the old winter growth and dead wood from trees and shrubs need to be tidied up. The last of the winter leaves can be collected and added to your compost heap.
– General fertilizer like Vita Grow or Bio-Ocean can be used on your flower beds to promote early growth. Remember to use smaller amounts more often to lessen the risk of burning the roots.
– Before starting the fertilizing programme, try to remove weeds from your lawn as much as possible. Use a selective broad-leaf killer on any unwanted weeds. This will not kill your lawn, only the weeds. Super Lawn Weeder or Versus can be used for this purpose.
– Dig compost into all your flowerbeds. This will help retain moisture and improve the soil structure.
The website www.lifeisagarden.co.za also has a few tips for August gardening:
– Plant all lavenders now. You will create a wonderful purple-pink splash of colour by using the different variants together. More colour can be added by planting different types of spring daisies and vygies.
– Now is the time to start pruning as it encourages strong and lush spring growth. After pruning mulch with a thick layer of compost.
– Containers housing plants that do not need re-potting yet, can be rejuvenated by removing the top layer of the old potting soil. Replace this with a mix of potting soil and compost with a layer of mulch and slow-release general fertilizer. Water well afterwards.
– To enhance your own recycled home-made compost add the old winter veggies. Do not add any veggies that succumbed to disease to the compost heap.
– An edible sowing guide for August in the Highveld areas include Italian parsley, spinach, Swiss chard, lettuce, carrots, beetroot, radish, beans, sweet peppers, tomatoes and celery. Follow the instructions on the seed packets. Plant these seeds in a seed tray at first to protect them from cold snaps.
Use these tips and start preparing your spring garden today!
