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In this month’s edition of the podcast we talk to a couple of garden designers at the 2014 RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower show. We also look at seasonal gardening jobs to do in the garden during the month of August and a selection of plants that look good in the garden at this time of year.

Interviews with Hampton Court Garden Designers - 5' 54"

At the 2014 RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower show we talked to two garden designers who designed wildly different gardens from each other:

• Jack Dunckley – Regular Hampton Court garden designer, despite being only 21, with the "The Just Retirement Garden", winning a Silver-gilt medal
• John Warland – "The World Vision Garden" was the third in a trilogy of gardens built to commemorates the Ethiopian famine 30 years ago

Click here to view photos of the 2014 RHS Hampton Court Palace flower show on our Facebook page.

Plant of the Month - 19' 35"

Our plant of the month for August is Knautia macedonica.

• Hardy perennial that likes full sun
• Flowers: Long flowering, July to September; Deep purple-red pincushion-like. The flowers, which are held on tall stems above attractive finely-cut foliage, are similar to those of Scabious
• Attracts bees and butterflies, making it a useful plant for a wildlife garden
• RHS perfect for pollinators award
• Soil: Moderately fertile, well drained allowing excessive winter wet to drain away
• Height up to 80cm, spread 50cm; staking may be required before the flowers appear
• Average growth rate
• Cut back to the ground in autumn

Jobs in the Garden - 26' 56"

• Propagate Plants from Semi-ripe Cuttings - Many plants can be propagated this month from semi-ripe cuttings. Examples include Penstemons and Fuchsias. Select non-flowering side-shoots, cut just below a leaf joint so that you are cutting off a shoot with four or five pairs of leaves. Strip the bottom two pairs of leaves and dip the cuttings in hormone rooting powder. Firm the cuttings into a pot of cutting compost, half a dozen per pot is fine and place in a cold frame. Many of the cuttings will have rooted by the spring.
• Holiday Watering - If you are going away on holiday this August, don’t forget to have plans in place for watering your precious plants e.g. neighbours and automatic watering systems
• Prune Summer Flowering Shrubs - Many shrubs that have recently finished flowering can be pruned this month. These include Philadelphus and Weigela. Cut out the shoots that have flowered and if the centre has become congested you can prune up to one-third of the oldest stems down to ground level. After pruning, give the shrub a bit of a boost by mulching around the base with some well-rotted garden compost or manure.
• Plant daffodil bulbs ready for their spring show
• Support branches of fruit trees that are heavily laden with fruit
• When raspberry canes have finished fruiting prune them to ground level
• Tie flowers that are flopping over on to stakes
• Dead-heading
• Regular lawn mowing (raise the height of cut in very dry weather)
• Trim border edges
• Regularly spray roses against greenfly and blackspot
• Damp down greenhouse paths regularly to create a humid atmosphere that pests such as red spider mite do not like
• Water and feed containers and hanging baskets regularly
  

In the Vegetable Garden - 31' 18"

• Sow seeds outside of: Lettuce, Radish, Cabbage and Onion
• Harvest: Peas, French beans, Tomatoes, Onions, Radish, Carrots, Turnips, Beetroot, Spinach, Cauliflowers, Cabbages, Lettuce, Globe artichokes, Broad beans, Runner beans, Marrows, Courgettes, Cucumbers, Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Broccoli, Celery, Sweetcorn, Aubergines, Peppers and Pumpkins

Plants of Note - 33' 24"

Two plants that we felt were worthy of note for this month are:

Phlox paniculata 'Mount Fuji'

• Cultivar name sometimes called 'Fujiyama'
• Hardy perennial
• Average growth rate
• 75cm tall, 1m spread
• Likes full sun or partial shade
• Soil: Moist, well-drained, fertile soil
• Flowers: Late flowering, clusters of small, White flowers from August to October
• Strong fragrance; attracts bees and butterflies
• Foliage: Dark green
• Like lots of feed; use some well-rotted manure in spring
• Dead head to prevent seeds setting
• Cut down to the ground in autumn
• Divide larger established plants in autumn or spring
• RHS Award of Garden Merit
  

Ceratostigma willmottianum 'Forest Blue' - Chinese plumbago

• Hardy, deciduous shrub
• Fast growth rate
• 1m tall, 1.5m spread
• Full sun
• Soil: Fertile, light, moist, well-drained soil
• Flowers: Small clusters of light blue flowers, 2cm wide, from August to October
• Foliage: Lance shaped, turn a rich red in autumn
• Cut back flowered stems to 3cm of the old growth in spring
• Propagate by semi-hardwood cuttings
• Generally pest free
• RHS Award of Garden Merit
  

Forthcoming Garden and Flower Shows - 43' 01"

• 14 - 17 August: Southport Flower Show

Useful Links

• Buy Plants Online from Crocus