August Gardening Advice

So far this summer we have had some very extreme weather which is largely understood to be the result of climate change. As the climate warms the rise of floods increases. This is because it’ll rain less often, but more heavily as warmer air can hold more moisture. The big butterfly count is still currently running with the Butterfly Conservation until Sunday the 7th of August, it's not too late to get involved! Learn more about the big butterfly count here. 

We have a wide range of wildlife friendly hedging and shrubs but here is some of our favourites...

The flowers of Lavandula angustifolia appear in summer and are incredibly popular with bees and butterflies. The evergreen foliage provides year-round interest and perfectly complements the masses of colourful flowers.

Common Privet and wild Privet are relatively low-maintence garden hedging, when the flowers blossom they provide a stunning feature in July and August which attract a wide range of butterflies!

All Hebe's are perfect for attracting butterflies, their nectar rich flowers bloom in clusters through March to May. Hebes are a hardy, low maintence shrub that do well in pots or in the ground.

Ivy benefits butterflies in a number of ways. In autumn its flowers attract late-flying species such as the red admiral. The holly blue butterfly lays its eggs on the flower buds in late summer, and the dense mass of leaves provides shelter for butterflies that overwinter as adults, such as the brimstone, peacock and small tortoiseshell. 

Taken from Gardeners World.

Alder is a great choice for in the garden, it's very low maitence and is a great widlife friendly native option. Alder acts as a wildlife sanctuary for birds, caterpillars, butterflies and many other varieties of insects.

Now is the time to give your hedges a good final trim before the colder weather comes. The exception to this would be some conifers as they will continue to grow until October.

Deciduous hedges to clip:

Continue to deadhead shrubs, such as roses, to extend flowering into early autumn. Spindly specimens that have lost leaves can be cut back a little further when deadheading, to encourage new growth. Thoroughly soak drought-stressed plants and shrubs, especially newly planted ones. Use grey, recycled or stored rain water wherever possible. Info taken from RHS

Regular mowing is best for a healthy lawn, reducing the cutting height in hot weather to help prevent drying out. Keeping the blades slightly higher helps the grass resist the extra summer wear. In warm weather the lawn can dry out and turn brown. It will recover once rain returns.

Any ideas of your own? Let us know! Tweet us @best4hedging or let us know on Facebook.