Poppy pops up

IT’S THE start of a new month and our parched gardens have been refreshed by welcome rain.

The hot, dry weather tested my resolve not to water and in the end I gave in, concentrating on the vegetable area and new plantings.

Some of the trees and shrubs were beginning to look very sorry for themselves, with one or two appearing to be going into an early autumn phase judging by the amount of foliage around their feet.

With the new month comes the seasonal jobs and August is no exception.

Although we have had some rain, watering remains one of the most important tasks to keep in mind, especially if plants are to left for a week or two during a holiday.

Container plants are relatively easy to deal with. Wherever possible move them into a cool, shady spot. Even the most ardent sun lovers will be fine for a while if placed out of direct sunshine.

Stand the pots in trays which can be filled with water. Although this wouldn’t usually be a good idea, plants will be fine standing in a little water for a short while; better this than them trying to survive desiccated earth for a number of days.

While container plants have to be given priority as far as watering is concerned, those out in the garden will usually manage to survive dry spells.

New plantings are the most vulnerable as they won’t have managed to send out deep roots to find available moisture. If watering becomes necessary remember to give these plants a really good soaking rather than the odd sprinkle.

Use at least a large watering cans worth of water, preferably two, and pour it on to the soil slowly to allow the water to soak through. It’s probably best not to water lawns; they will recover and although the crispy brown foliage isn’t a good look at least mowing is one less task.

In the veg plot

WHAT a time it is in the veg plot in August. The hard work of the past few months is paying off and we are gathering French beans, potatoes, lettuce and endless courgettes. In the wings are broad beans, runner beans and outdoor cucumber.

There is still time to sow chard and spinach for a later autumn and early winter crop.

Take advantage of areas that become vacant this month when garlic is pulled or as potatoes are harvested.

The soil just needs to be raked over to create an even, fine tilth and the seed can be sown as usual in rows of shallow channels.

I like to sow some in trays as well in case those out in the ground fail or are disturbed by wildlife. Once the plants are large enough to handle they can be put into their permanent spot to grow.

Seed collecting...

AUGUST is a good month to collect seed from flowering plants as they finish blooming.

Keep an eye on earlier flowering specimens such as poppies and aquilegia which will have a few dried pods that rattle with seed. This can be collected and saved for sowing next year or can be sown straight away in a clear patch of soil or in trays of seed compost.

Alternatively, just allow the plants to drop the seed naturally and look out for the seedlings as they appear.

Some of the earliest flowering aquilegia will have set seed weeks ago and it is worth having a look around the parent plant to see if anything has germinated already. If so, the seedlings can be potted up and grown on in a shady spot to be planted out in their permanent place next year.

Our vegetable garden seems to be a good place for collecting seedlings and I’m beginning to get a good eye for spying desirable plants among the mass of weeds that also grow there.

Over the past couple of years, I have spotted pink and yellow potentilla, aquilegia of varying shades, alchemilla, pulmonaira and verbena bonariensis.

The best this year has been a wonderful poppy grown from a tiny seedling replanted when I was digging the potato bed.

From this small start grew the most wonderful double intensely red poppy, a couple of feet tall and with many stems and flowers. It was truly gorgeous and I am keeping an eye on the seeds, ready to gather some as soon as they ripen.

It will be interesting what will grow from them next year.

Gardening TV and radio

Tomorrow

8am, BBC Radio Humberside, The Great Outdoors. With Blair Jacobs and Doug Stewart.

8.30am, BBC2, The Beechgrove Garden.

9am, BBC Radio York, Julia Lewis.

9am, BBC Radio Leeds, Tim Crowther and Joe Maiden.

9am, BBC2, Gardeners’ World.

2pm, BBC R4, Gardeners’ Question Time. Chairman Eric Robson and the panel of gardening experts advise gardeners from Midlothian.

Tuesday

8pm, ITV, Love Your Garden. Alan Titchmarsh and his team are tasked with creating a shady garden for two children who need to wear special goggles in sunlight. They both suffer from a rare genetic condition which severely restricts their eyesight and want to have a place to play outside during the day.

Friday

3pm, BBC R4, Gardeners’ Question Time. Matthew Biggs, Bob Flowerdew and Anne Swithinbank join chairman Eric Robson in Essex where they advise gardeners from Upminster.

8.30pm, BBC2, Gardeners’ World. Monty Don seeks out the hidden wildlife in his garden and Carol Klein looks at the best plants to attract bees and butterflies.