It’s easy to get caught up in what you’ve already got growing in the garden, particularly when many plants come into a prime pruning season from August. But that doesn’t mean you can’t keep adding to your green space, even amongst your mowing, watering, and pest-control efforts.
If you’re looking to sow new plants, hardy annuals are where you should focus. These will grow over winter and flower the following spring. When it comes to planting, juicy strawberries and bold blooms are worthwhile, explains the Thompson and Morgan gardening team. They said: “August is also the time to start planning ahead if you want colourful autumn and winter blooms, or plenty of produce for your plate over the colder months.”
What to plant in August
Cauliflower
Young cauliflower plants, whether started from seeds indoors or bought as plug plants, should be planted outdoors in August. Thomson and Morgan’s gardening experts explain that this applies to summer-autumn varieties like the ‘All Year Round’ kind, which will be ready to eat in autumn if planted out early this month.
Ensure cauliflower plants are moved to their final growing site when 10–15cm (4–6in) tall, at about six weeks old, says the Royal Horticultural Society.
Indoor-raised plants must be hardened off before transplanting, to gradually acclimatise them to outdoor conditions.
Winter cabbage
This month is an opportune time to finish planting out winter cabbage like the Jewel variety. Ensure you do it early in August to secure a healthy crop to enjoy with your wintery meals.
Always plant 45cm apart, as Winter Jewel cabbage gets quite big, said the gardening pros.
Kale
Leafy kale is another one to finish planting outdoors this month to secure a winter and spring harvest.
Plant raised seedlings or plug plants outside and cover with mesh netting to protect from pests.
Strawberries
Strawberry plants produce several long, leafless stalks called runners, which can be used to quickly raise new plants.
Newly potted strawberry plants and rooted runners can be planted out in August, but the gardening experts warn that they should be grown exclusively in an area where you haven’t grown strawberries for three years or more to avoid disease.
“Planting now will allow them to establish well before winter”, said the Thompson and Morgan team.
Pansies
It may seem far off, but winter is fast approaching in gardening terms. That’s why now is an opportune time to sow winter-flowering pansies for a bright, cool-weather garden.
Alliums
Ornamental onions are attractive to pollinators and perfect for August planting.
The flowers are magnificent when they bloom with bold purple heads, which are often large and round, and are followed by an attractive seed head.
According to the Royal Horticultural Society, this flower thrives in full sun and is drought-tolerant.
For best results, weave these easy-to-grow plants through sunny borders or combine them with feathery grasses in a sheltered site with free-draining soil and plenty of sun (to avoid the flower spikes getting blown over).
Calendula
A naturally hardy flower, calendula can be planted wherever it fits the bill in your Autumn garden vision.
For best results, sow these between August and September to watch them bloom with golden hues by Spring.
Cornflower
August is the best time of year to sow cornflower for May blooms. These quick growers produce a cosmic blue hue on the petals and are a great addition to any garden.