Gardening in August

Practical gardening advice for British gardens.

Find out what to plant, prune and fix this week. Every guide is written for UK soil, weather and growing seasons.

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Semi-ripe cuttings of hebe and choisya laid out on a bench beside secateurs in a Staffordshire garden in August

Seasonal pick Semi-Ripe Cuttings: The Bend Test That Times It

1410+ practical UK guides

30+ years gardening experience

Staffordshire clay-soil trials

How we test our advice

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Your garden this weekend.

Three timely jobs, matched to the season and the latest UK forecast.

This weekend

Sat -- -- Sun -- -- -- --

This month

What to do in August

All monthly tasks

Plant now

Prune now

Watch out for

In bloom

Useful now

Seasonal picks.

View the seasonal calendar

Fan-trained peach against a brick wall showing red blistered curled leaves from peach leaf curl in spring

problems

Peach Leaf Curl: Prevent and Cure It

Peach leaf curl blisters and reddens new peach leaves each spring. Learn why a rain shelter beats every spray and the resistant variety that dodges it.

Rose leaves showing bright orange rust pustules on the undersides in a UK garden border

problems

Rose Rust: Spot It Early and Stop It

Rose rust brings bright orange pustules under the leaves from May. Tell it from black spot and break the cycle with autumn leaf clearance and potash.

Fresh shelling peas, flat mangetout and plump sugar snap pea varieties beside a British vegetable plot

growing

Best Pea Varieties for UK Gardens

Compare the best pea varieties for UK gardens, early crops, sweet shelling peas, mangetout, sugarsnaps and late disease resistance using trial evidence.

growing

Best Runner Bean Varieties for UK Gardens

Compare the best runner bean varieties for UK gardens, flavour, reliable pod set, containers and long harvests using Which? and Suttons evidence.

Explore the garden

Find the right guide faster.

Start with what you want to grow, improve or put right.

Growing vegetables

Sowing, feeding and harvesting advice for UK plots.

Growing fruit

Fruit trees, soft fruit and berries for British gardens.

Flowers and plants

Choose plants and keep them healthy through every season.

Lawn care

Practical fixes for feeding, mowing, weeds and bare patches.

Garden design

Plan practical, attractive gardens of every size.

Wildlife

Make more room for birds, pollinators and pond life.

Pest control

Identify the cause, then use the least disruptive treatment.

Seasonal calendar

Month-by-month planting and garden task guides.

A diagnostic close-up of UK stone fruit showing brown rot (Monilinia) on a ripe plum, with the brown soft rot patch and visible greyish fungal spores

Featured guide

Brown Rot UK: Stone Fruit Control Guide

Brown rot on UK stone fruit: identify Monilinia laxa and fructigena, sanitation, pruning for airflow, copper sprays and the disposal of mummified fruit.

Read the featured guide

Planting calendar

Plan the gardening year.

Open any month for timely planting, pruning and maintenance advice.

01 January 02 February 03 March 04 April 05 May 06 June 07 July 08 August Current month 09 September 10 October 11 November 12 December

Vegetable planting calendar Seed sowing calendar Flower planting calendar

Garden UK directory

Find someone local to get the job done.

Browse genuine UK garden businesses by service and location. Contact them directly when you are ready.

Browse the directory List your business

01 Tree surgeons 02 Fencing and gates 03 Pond specialists 04 Garden machinery

Testing soil pH with a digital meter in a British garden

Testing soil amendments in Staffordshire

Advice grounded here

Written from experience, not rewritten from elsewhere.

Lawrie Ashfield has gardened in Staffordshire clay and West Midlands conditions for over 30 years.

Garden UK guides explain what was tried, when it was done and what happened next. That means fewer vague tips and more useful detail for British gardens.

Meet Lawrie and see how we test

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