August in the Garden 

The gardens have shifted already towards the end of summer and the flowers that were at their best during July are already fading and being replaced by those who enjoy the later part of the season such as the asters. 

The dahlia bed and the hot border are looking especially exciting currently and the amount of runner beans and courgettes threaten to overwhelm us!  

The garden team have been busy deadheading and harvesting every day as well as keeping on top of the weeds which have thrived after the rains recently. Deadheading is vital to keep our plants flowering and looking their best for as long as possible. 

Jobs in the garden this month include wisteria pruning to keep it under control and improve flowering for next year. We have also been pruning our apples and pears this summer and the harvest is looking good, which is good news for our cider and juice making in the autumn.  

Seed collection, seed sowing of biennials and propagation of our tender perennials as well as the division of our bearded irises (we do this every 4/5 years) are priority tasks this month as we start getting ready for next year with new planting combinations across the garden.  We also start ordering our bulbs and plan our spring borders and pots. 

The kitchen garden is really at its peak this month, our sweetcorn is looking fantastic although Storm Floris has done its best to knock them over; tomatoes, chillies and peppers are doing well in the glasshouses and we have all agreed that the new potatoes this year have tasted amazing – the variety is called Sienna and it has proved a hit! Our second earlies and main crop potatoes will be ready soon.  The runner beans, French beans and squash need constant harvesting, and our volunteers are doing a great job in ensuring we keep harvesting little and often.  The brassicas are doing well although the cabbage white butterflies have had a late summer attack resulting in us checking every day for eggs and caterpillars! 

All in all a very busy month for the team – ensuring we keep the gardens and glasshouses looking as good as possible for our visitors whilst allowing the garden to start to relax a bit and prepare for the next season – I hate to say it but it will soon be Autumn!  

Please come and visit us in the garden soon and remember we desperately need your vote for the RHS Partner Garden of the Year competition which finishes in September.  We have been shortlisted as one of the best gardens in the Scottish Region and it would mean the world to us to have our hard work rewarded and hopefully win this year!   

To place your vote, follow the link below and select Scotland at the top of the form. 

https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/partner-gardens/rhs-partner-garden-of-the-year/vote