August Diary

Camelia

The first signs of spring will appear some time this month, and with them early bloomers like magnolias, azaleas and pieris. You can get a head start on the busy spring gardening season now by planting the last of your summer-flowering bulbs, pruning camellias to shape, and fertilising grass for a healthy, vibrant summer lawn.

What's flowering in August?

• Trees and shrubs: Acacia (wattle), azalea, boronia, buddleja, camellia japonica, correa, Geraldton wax, grevillea, hardenbergia, diosma, magnolia, michelia, waratah, flowering cherries, peach, plum and quince.
• Annuals and perennials: Hellebore, poppy, Marguerite and Federation daisy, pansy, polyanthus, primrose, sweet pea and viola.
• Bulbs: Clivia, daffodil, freesia, hyacinth, snowflakes.
• Climbers: Jasmine, bleeding heart, orange trumpet vine.

What to plant in August

• For colour to take you into spring, plant ageratum, candytuft, cleome, delphinium, larkspur, linaria, lupin, dianthus, snapdragon, statice, alyssum, Virginian stock, impatiens, marigold, petunia, phlox, verbena.
• This is the last month to plant bare-rooted roses, deciduous fruiting and flowering trees.
• Summer-flowering bulbs such as agapanthus, bearded iris, canna, daylily, gladiolus, hippeastrum and tuberous begonia should be planted now.
• Fill your veggie patch with artichoke, carrot, lettuce, parsley, parsnip, radish, silverbeet, sweet corn and pumpkin. You can also plant some tomatoes toward the end of the month.

Which plants to feed in August

• Fertilise citrus with specially formulated citrus food if you didn't do this in July. Your next biannual feed will be in February.
• It's your very last chance to treat colour-changing hydrangeas with a blueing compound if you want blue flowers in December. We recommend Yates Hydrangea Blueing Liquid Aluminium Sulfate. Remember - white hydrangeas will always stay white, but blue/purple and red/pink hues are interchangeable with some clever soil conditioning in winter!
• Feed roses with a complete rose food to help the developing buds and new spring growth. Mulch with sugar cane.

Which plants to prune in August

• Prune sasanqua camellias to shape if necessary after flowering.
• Finish pruning winter-flowering roses.
• Prune your hibiscus shrubs to prepare them for spring growth.
• It's time to remove unsightly frost damage on plants, but only if there is no chance of further frosts in your area.

Garden pests, weeds and diseases to look out for in August

• Spray and feed all citrus and rose bushes after pruning with lime sulphur, to prevent scale on trunks and branches.
• Keep watch for aphids on new growth and buds.
• Slugs and snails are looking for tasty veggies, bulbs and flowering seedlings so protect them with snail pellets such as Multiguard. Always use in accordance with package instructions.
• Hungry caterpillars are on the hunt. Keep them away with Dipel or Success Ultra.

August's general garden and lawn care tasks

• Fertilise lawns in preparation for spring growth.
• Spray lawns for bindii. We recommend Bin-Die, which comes in a convenient hose-on pack.
• Repot your indoor plants. Here's your step-by-step guide.
• Remove any brown or shrivelled fronds from indoor ferns.
• Regularly water azaleas to extend blooming. Avoid wetting the flowers as this spreads petal blight.
• Try not to over-water flowers as this will cause rot.

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Courtesy of Flower Power: https://www.flowerpower.com.au/