August garden rescue tips

Thursday, August 27 2009 17:38:18 by Editor

The top ten tips for reviving a tired looking garden in August have been suggested by a prominent horticulture writer.

Val Bourne, writing for the Daily Telegraph, has compiled a list of ways to maintain summer colour and keep a tidy appearance in outdoor spaces.

Top ten tips include tidying topiary, removing annual plants that have already finished flowering, deadhead and tidy up flowers, stems and leaves and place items such as containers to draw the eye towards them.

One of the actions recommended by Ms Bourne is to create movement by planting grasses.

She said: "Plunder the grasses on offer because once the heads begin to sway in the low autumn sunshine the garden begins to shimmer and shake."

The Royal Horticultural Society also offers a number of pieces of advice for gardeners looking to keep the summer alive in the garden including on how and when to deadhead.

It notes that dead flowers use up energy that can be used for new growth if they are not removed.