Windy August is not a hot favourite amongst gardeners. In some regions it will be miserably cold, windy and dry, and elsewhere miserably cold, wet and still dark when you wake up in the mornings. But take heart! The promise of spring, with the sweet scent of jasmine, is already in the air…
Your main job is to: Get the soil into prime planting condition by adding copious amounts of compost to new and planted beds. Do not dig it in, you will just encourage dormant weeds to germinate. Spread it out in a thick layer on top of the soil and around the root area (not against the stems of plants) and rake it level.
Limpopo
Deal with contained beauties: Feed all colourful potted plants and hanging baskets. Repot orchids that have finished flowering, using a commercial orchid mix.
Get the lawn ready: Give it a short cut, feed with a specialised lawn fertiliser, water well and topdress with quality organic lawn dressing.
Ring the changes: Winter seedlings that have finished flowering can now be replaced with summer flowers like celosia, snapdragons and marigolds.
Good garden management: Think of investing in rainwater harvesting by installing water tanks. You will be surprised by how much water and money you can save. If you are considering a new pebble/paving area, remember to lay weed guard down first to combat weed growth – also a time- and money-saving activity.
Eastern Cape
Make them blue: After pruning the hydrangeas, fertilise with an acid fertiliser to make the flowers blue.
To plant this month: Look out for proteas, pincushions and ericas to plant now. Summer-flowering bulbs like amaryllis, begonia, pineapple lily and dahlia bulbs should be available too. Double up on flower power for spring with geraniums, petunias, dianthus, diascias, nemesias and suteras. Also sow seeds of marigolds and zinnias. Add rewetting granules to the soil, use slow-release fertilisers and keep on deadheading annuals and perennials to ensure a long flowering period.
A new lease on life: Consider potting over old and tired indoor pot plants and buy some fresh ones for inside. Keep their leaves clean and start feeding regularly with liquid plant food.
Western Cape
Flowering favourites: The brightly coloured flower heads of pincushions (Leucospermum) differ in shape and size, and they are available in a variety of warm colours. Pin cushions makes distinctive and long-lasting cut flowers. They perform best in a sunny and airy position in the garden, with well-drained soil.
Water regularly until the plant is fully established. Remember to spread a layer of compost around the plant as mulch. Recommended hybrids are: ‘High Gold’ (bright yellow), ‘Rigoletto’ (red), ‘Succession’ (dark orange), ‘Raziya’ (deep red). Chamelaucium, commonly known as the Geraldton wax flower, is another shrub to go for. Spectacular masses of flowers cover the entire bush and last for weeks. The leaves are highly aromatic when crushed and the plants are tough and drought tolerant when well established. Check out all the wonderful new hybrids available at your local nursery!
Living off the land: Choose vegetables and herbs that you use regularly in your kitchen and are easy to grow. You can start off by sowing beetroot, baby marrows, carrots, chamomile, parsley, nasturtiums and chives.
Don’t forget to: Plant masses of clivias to add spring to your shade.
Gauteng
Pruning: Do not be tempted to prune frost-damaged plants just yet, even if they look sad. Pruning now will encourage soft new growth that will be killed off by late frost.
Awakening the lawn: After scarifying the lawns by cutting low, spiking, feeding and topdressing around the end of August, also repair ragged lawn edges as they are easier to trim if neat. Do this by laying new sods or pieces from a healthy patch of the lawn on a bed of fine compost, and make level with the existing lawn.
In the veggie patch: For something light and fresh, start planting different salad varieties. You can also be very fashionable by planting a variety of salad types in pots or wooden boxes. Sow some nasturtium seeds between the leafy stuff – the flowers and leaves are edible and great for salads. The plants are known as great companions that will keep pests like aphids away.
Mpumalanga
Prime planting: Most gardeners love daisies, and when it comes to flower power there is simply nothing lackadaisical about them. Some of the most desirable members of the Asteraceae family are already in flower in August, so fill up your pots with marguerites (Argyranthemum). Paint a carpet of vibrant colour in the rockery with African daisies (Arctotus), of which we see many new hybrids every year. For retaining walls and banks you can invest in Cape daisies (Osteospermum), which are now available in modern ranges with trendy colours. They flower continuously from spring to autumn and are great for pots and hanging baskets too.
Bugs, pests and problems: Snails and slugs will give it their best shot to feast on all your soft new spring plantings. Do battle with them by planting barrier plants like mint, garlic, chives, geraniums, foxgloves and fennel, which these pests hate, around susceptible plants.
KwaZulu-Natal
Flowers to grow: In temperate areas one can start sowing summer flowers to fill gaps in borders in prepared seed trays. It is a cheap way to garden if you keep this up throughout summer. Sow seeds of ageratum, cosmos, lobularia, cleomes, godetias, lavateras, marigolds, flox, sunflowers and nicotiana now. Keep the soil ever just moist until germination and the seed boxes protected from cold spells.
Busy time in the veggie patch: Plant out rhubarb, shallots, garlic and globe artichokes. In frost-free areas, make first sowings of summer crops like runner beans, dwarf beans, maize, sweet corn, pumpkins and squashes. Topdress perennial crops like asparagus and globe artichokes. Plant out seedlings of early tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in frost-free areas. Plant seed potatoes in rows. Also start sowing early crops of sweet basil, coriander and rocket.
Tooty fruity: Plant out young strawberry plants and sow seed of Cape gooseberries.
Free State
Company for roses: If you have a small rose garden which has just been pruned and need a good companion plant, use parsley seedlings as a border – they enjoy the same growing conditions.
Prime time for pelargoniums: They are great in the garden and lovely for pots and hanging baskets in many glorious colours. Supply at least five hours of sun each day and feed them often as they are hungry plants.
Alkaline soil: Start thinking of collecting the following for your summer garden: Californian poppy, campanula, dianthus (pinks), irises, kangaroo paw, lavender, sage, rosemary, westringia and thyme. Keep sown seed protected from cold.
More bang for your buck: You can divide overgrown flaxes and ornamental grasses at the end of August to get more plants.
For more information on bringing life to your garden, visit the Life is a Garden website or join the conversation on their Facebook page.
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