I have to confess this August cutting garden post could end up being a short one. For the last five years August has been our family holiday time. The garden gets left to fend for itself. Weeds tangle, the earth dries and I return home to a bit of a jungle.
I plan for this. Since taking on weddings, timings have always worked just right. There is usually a big one (for me) late July meaning the beds get cut back and have two weeks to replenish. Just like myself.
This year is no different. The last wedding left the table yesterday and within a few hours I’d pulled out the remaining sweet peas and hastily planted some dahlias. A week of rain has meant everything is well watered. I’ve left the hose out for my kind neighbour to give everything a splash whilst we’re away. Things should be good.
I have really tried to fill the beds with cut and come again flowers like these cosmos, dahlia’s and zinnia. The cosmos have been putting out blooms for a few weeks and will be in flower for weeks to come. The zinnia and dahlia are just getting going.
My dahlia’s always take forever to start flowering. Apart from the year when my children were tiny and I spent an afternoon frisby-ing rusks into Milly’s pram so I could plant out late May. They take a while. There have been a few tantalising blooms so far but I’d like a few show stoppers when I return!
August is a quiet month with not the usual amount to do. Nature gives a natural pause before the jobs of late summer and autumn kick in. There are always plans to be made however.
Over at the allotment there are some wild beds that need attention. There are grasses to be cut back, cardboard to be laid and manure to be piled. It’ll take time but a bed full of roses will be worth it. In the cutting garden I make mental notes of what has worked well and what to remove. The addiction of growing flowers means there’s always another variety to try and grow. Apart for making a few notes there is nothing physical to do, unless you count eating blackberries!
Comments
Did you enjoy reading my post? Please do leave a comment and let me know what you think, I love to hear from you.