In her Late Summer column, Rosie Maye tells readers about a range of topics to care for the trees, shrubs and flowers in your garden.
Rosie reminds readers to cut back catmint or nepeta. This is a great alternative to growing lavender in our Irish climate. It gives a lovely, relaxed feel to the edges of paths or borders, with a profusion of blue flowers.
By July, the first flush of flowers has started to fade so it is a good time to give the entire plant a haircut. Older stems will start to lie flat by early July and you will notice new growth springing up from the centre. Cut the old growth right back to the base. The plant will look a bit sparse for a few weeks, but within a month or so, the regrowth will cover up the cut stems. Catmint will continue to flower until the first frosts when you can cut it back completely.
Now is also a good time to save seeds from poppies. Annual poppies, which include Papaver somniferum, are great for bringing bright pops of colour into your borders.
Most bloom in early summer, with a few late flowers continuing through July. The seed heads are beautiful too and are very useful in flower arranging.
By the end of August, the seeds should be ripe, and you can either allow them to drop and self-sow or you can scatter where you want them to grow next year.
The seeds are ripe when little holes appear under the cap of the seed capsule. Cut the ripe poppy head in dry weather. this will prevent seeds from going mouldy.
There are hundreds of seeds in each seedhead, so have a bowl ready to catch them. Label and store the seeds in paper envelopes.
Rosie Maye – Top tips
August is a good month to prune wisteria. over the summer it produces long whippy growth. Prune this back hard to about 30cm or about four or five leaves.
Regularly deadhead dahlias to keep them producing flowers. Don’t just cut off the flower, follow the stem all the way down to where it connects to the main plant and make your cut.
Keep watering container-grown plants and feed flowering plants with tomato food.
To ensure beautiful blooms on spring flowering camellias or edgewothias, make sure they are well watered during dry spells, as they form their flowers in late summer.
For these and lots more advice and checks for your garden read the full Rosie Maye column in our Late Summer Issue or subscribe today.
