
5 beautiful flowers I always plant in August as a professional gardener – they're easy to grow & great for small spaces
In fact, there are five easy blooms you can add to your garden right now that will brighten your space next spring.
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While September may be in sight, most of August is still ahead of us and it can be prime time to sow certain flowers.
Easy to grow, attractive to pollinators, and are suitable for even the smallest spaces, these plants are the perfect addition to any garden.
Writing for Netmums, a professional gardener revealed the best flowers to add to your garden right now.
Cornflowers
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Cornflower are easy to grow from seed and add a pop of colour to everything from window boxes to flower beds.
This flower blooms best in direct sunlight and prefers well-drained soil.
You will want to spread the seeds far apart, lightly watering the soil after.
They are also brilliant for attracting bees and butterflies to your outdoor space.
This will help your garden to flourish even further with increased pollination.
Sowing cornflowers in August will give your bright beautiful flowers next spring or early summer.
Pot Marigold (Calendula)
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According to the gardening pro, pot marigolds are "sunshine in flower form".
They are bright, easy to manage, and are perfect for a day of gardening with your little ones thanks to the large seeds.
These can be sown directly into planters and tend to germinate quickly.
You should plant these at least eight weeks before the first autumn frost for the best results.
Pot marigolds are known to grow quickly and are not fussy about the soil.
They also have the potential to flower until autumn if the weather stays mild.
These flowers also attract pollinators and they even have petals that are edible.
Forget-Me-Nots
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These "small but mighty" flowers are a must for your August flower beds.
Forget-me-nots prefer partial shade, something to remember when planting for next year.
Sowing these around autumn time can lead to earlier blooms in spring.
Keep the soil consistently wet while sowing and make sure to deadhead once these flowers do pop up.
Sowing them now will give you a blanket of beautiful blue daisies next spring.
Forget-me-nots can flourish in bordered flower beds, pots, and even window boxes.
California Poppies
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California poppies are often described as a "bold, bright, and easy" addition to your garden.
Offering orange and yellow blooms, these flowers love the sun and don't mind poor soil.
Make sure to place these plants exactly where you want them when sowing as they do not transplant well.
Give them a light watering after sowing and then allow the soil to dry out.
In fact, they even thrive on a bit of neglect and can be directly sown into bare patches, making them ideal for less dedicated gardeners.
And like the other flowers on this list, they will add some joy to your outdoor space come spring.
Wild Carrot
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Referred to by gardening enthusiasts as a "hidden gem", the wild carrot plant adds an interesting look to your space with "lacey white flower heads".
These tiny umbrella-like flowers are also really good for bee populations.
Also known as Queen Anne's lace, these flowers need moist soil during germination but tend to be quite drought-tolerant once established.
They add a soft and gentle feel to your garden and help wildlife to flourish.
So why not take five minutes and sprinkle some of the above seeds in your garden this August?
You'll be glad you did when your flower beds begin blooming after the long winter.
More on gardening
One homeowner turned their garden into a Bridgerton paradise with a charity shop find.
B&M has also slashed the price of its viral rattan sofa in a huge garden sale.
Plus, the £1 Tesco buy that can protect your plants in the rainy weather.
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The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
A professional gardener's guide to summer pruning
As summer progresses and early perennials fade, shrubs can begin to look unruly and hedges wayward. At this time of year, many gardeners feel the urge to reach for their secateurs. But what should be pruned now, and which plants are best left untouched? According to Guy Barter, chief horticulturist at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), now is the ideal time to "prune the last of those shrubs that flowered in spring, such as philadelphus, ribes and forsythia". He advises gardeners to "cut out a proportion of the stuff that has flowered". A productive pruning session would see a gardener "typically taking out one stem in three" as low down on the plant as possible, he says. Here is a guide to what exactly to prune at this time of year – and how. Cut back earlier flowering perennials 'Early flowering perennials often get mildew and you can cut them back as hard as you like, give them a good water and they will regrow and often flower again in September,' Mr Barter says. 'Other perennials like hardy geraniums can be cut back now and although they won't flower again this year they will produce nice fresh green leaves.' Prune evergreen shrubs 'It's a good time to prune evergreen shrubs because if you prune them later their roots have got to survive all winter without enough leaves. If you can't prune them early on, leave it until spring,' Mr Barter suggests. Coarser shrubs such as osmanthus, choisya, elaeagnus and euonymus are all suitable candidates. Clip lavender Once your lavender has finished flowering, give it a good trim with shears to tidy it up. You should cut off the dead flowers just beyond the base of the old flower stems, but make sure you don't cut into dead wood or it won't recover. Prune wisteria Cutting wisteria back to a couple of leaves in late summer will reduce its vigour and divert its energies into producing flower buds, Mr Barter says. Shortening the current year's green shoots to five or six leaves will encourage bud formation and control size. You will need to prune it again in January or February tidy up the plant, remove unwanted growth and prepare the plant for the next growing season. These prickly shrubs will have picked up a lot of growth over the summer, so the emerging berries may be hidden by foliage. If this is the case, prune new growth just beyond the berries so that you can see them and they will ripen in time to give you a dazzling display in autumn. Doing it now will also ensure that the shrub looks tidier and will keep its shape better. Shorten apples and pears 'They follow the same principle as wisteria, so shorten back new growth to a couple of leaves which reduces the tree's vigour, lets light in to ripen the fruit and promotes the formation of fruit buds,' says Mr Barter. Summer pruning is mainly for apples and pears trained as cordon, espalier, fan, pyramid and spindlebush. Do it when the bottom third of the new shoots is stiff and woody. Check hedges Ensure that there are no birds' nests in your overgrown hedge before tackling it in late summer, Mr Barter advises. 'It's an offence to disturb nesting birds, so if you're sure there are no birds' nests in your hedge you can trim away. Otherwise, wait 'til September. 'Virtually every hedge will be growing, like Lonicera nitida and privet, and they need a good haircut twice or three times a year, but doing one now is good. 'Conifer hedges like Leyland cypress or western red cedar (Thuja plicata) can be trimmed now but be careful not to cut back into old wood. Deciduous hedges like beech and hornbeam can be pruned now as well and will look smart all winter.' What shrubs should you leave in summer? Late-summer flowering plants including buddleias and caryopteris are best left until spring to induce new growth in summer, Mr Barter advises. 'Some deciduous plants such as deutzia or weigela which haven't taken off yet, you might want to leave 'til winter. 'When you prune in the summer you are reducing the plant and taking its resources away. 'If it's looking a bit weak and straggly, either don't prune it at all or prune in the winter when its resources are in the roots. Then, when you prune in the winter you get vigorous regrowth. 'If it's a well-established plant that is big and you want to curb its size, then summer prune because it takes more of the go out of the plant.'


The Sun
a day ago
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The 4 unknown laws you need to know if your neighbour's tree hangs over your garden & the weird ‘branch' rule
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The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Lidl is selling 29p seeds to transform your garden & give you veg for months – I'm a gardening pro & I swear by them
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If you've got an allotment - or even if you've got pots on the patio, borders or a small veg patch in your garden - there's all sorts of seeds you can plant during National Allotment Week to give you healthy veg all autumn - and sometimes even into winter. Lidl are currently selling Saxa 2 Radish Seeds AND Rote Riesen 2 carrot seeds - for just 29p. I've used Lidl seeds in the past and for that price - you can't go wrong. They've also got Premium veg seeds - like Courgette Black Beauty for £1.49 and packets of Chard seeds for just 49p Julian Palphramand, Head of Plants at British Garden Centres recommended Radishes as one of the quickest and easiest crops to sow during late summer. Julian said: "They thrive in well drained, fertile soil and produce crisp, mildly peppery roots in just a few weeks. "They fit perfectly into tight spaces and mature rapidly, making them ideal for filling garden gaps, container planting and providing fresh crunch for autumn salads and snacks. " Spinach, especially hardy varieties like 'Superhero,' is another good choice to plant now. This leafy green is particularly resilient; it tolerates cooler temperatures and resists bolting, even when the weather turns chilly. "Swiss chard, including varieties such as 'Apollo' and 'Celebration,' add splashes of colour to your autumn garden with its bright stems and grow well in cooler conditions and hold their flavour even after frost." He added: "Mustard greens and rocket offer more punchy, peppery flavours, bringing variety to your cold season greens after being sown this August. Both crops respond well to late summer sowing. "Turnips can be sown in fertile soil this Allotment Week for an excellent winter crop. And Carrots are another staple, with varieties like 'Autumn King 2' perfect for late sowing and will develop sweet, dense roots over the coming months. "Broad beans are not just a spring crop; they have some autumn varieties that can be sown now to establish robust plants for an early harvest next season. "And varieties like 'The Sutton' and 'Aquadale Claudia' are particularly suited to later sowings and show resilience to colder soil and weather." He told Sun Gardening that Winter lettuces, such as 'Winter Gem' and 'Valdor,' can be sown this Allotment Week and will provide crisp, tender leaves as temperatures drop. Autumn onions and shallots can also be started now to set a strong foundation for next season's bulbs, while containers or bags filled with seed potatoes like 'Charlotte' or 'Maris Peer' can be moved indoors before the frost for a festive Christmas harvest. And finally he added: "Don't forget garlic – varieties like 'Provence Wight, Carcassonne' & 'Provence' thrive when planted now and into autumn, establishing strong roots through the colder months for an early summer harvest." Mike Farrell, Chair of the National Allotment Society, said: 'Allotments have always been more than just a place to grow food. "They are hubs of community spirit, wellbeing, and environmental awareness. 'National Allotments Week is our chance to celebrate their enduring value and to invite others to experience the joys and rewards of allotment gardening.' Although council-run waiting lists are often huge - it's worth contacting them to get added to the list. Or visit - a brilliant new site that links up people with spare space to hire out in their gardens with those who want to grow but have no room. is also worth checking out - they're buying up land all over the country and turning it into whole grids of no-dig plots to hire - with no ridiculous years-long waiting lists. You just pay monthly. And there are private allotments locally - that manage their own application procedures - just search for 'private allotments near me' online. During National Allotment Week local sites will be opening their doors to the public to welcome people to different events. These include quizzes, wellness on the plot events, open days, garden competitions and much more. They're also asking all allotment holders to take part in a special photo competition - all you need to do is send them a photo of your personal 'happy place' - a corner that brings you peace, pride or joy. First prize is a £200 gift voucher. Also in Veronica's Column this week... Top Tips, Plant of the Week, Gardening News and a chance to win a £200 YouGarden voucher NEWS! If you're looking for garden-based fun for the kids this summer - the RHS has a programme of family friendly activities. Running on selected dates from now until August 31, all five of their gardens are hosting The Great Woodland Adventure - where visitors can enjoy activities including den building, storytelling adventures and woodland crafts. Each garden will set up a base camp where explorers can get stuck into everything from forest school to bushcraft skills and unlock the secrets of trees on a wonderful woodland discovery trail. All gardens will also host The Big Den Build with the Woodland Tribe on selected days, where young and young at heart can build an epic woodland adventure castle. Dates, times, and activities vary per garden. TOP TIP! August is the perfect month for pruning back Lavender. If it hasn't already finished flowering, it will do soon. So to stop it becoming woody and out of control remove any of the old flowering stalks and about 2.5cm of leaf growth. But never cut back into old wood - as it can't regrow from this. Just make sure there's some new shoots on each stem - so the plant can regenerate. Go gentle if it's a new plant - and never go too hard. PLANT OF THE WEEK Agapanthus 'Fireworks' - easy to grow, long lasting, exotic looking flowers in white and violet, hardy perennial, good in pots or borders. JOB OF THE WEEK As potato leaves turn yellow and die back, it's time to harvest. And when onion stalks start to flop they're also ready. Deadhead annual bedding plants, and cut penstemons back to above a leaf so they flower again. WIN! Our friends at YouGarden are offering one reader a £200 online gift voucher. To enter, visit - you'll also get a code for money off a Cordyline. Or write to Sun Gardening You Garden Voucher competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Entries close 11.59pm. August 23, 2025. T&Cs apply For more gardening content follow me @biros_and_bloom