17/08/2026
5 August garden reminders (for warm temperate Aussie gardens)
Spring’s just about knocking on the door, so August is that in-between month where a bit of pottering now saves you a whole lot of scrambling later. None of it’s hard, I promise. Grab a cuppa, have a wander, and tick off what you can 🌸
Here’s what I’d be doing 👇
🌱 Green manure — still time to sow one!
Got a bed sitting empty that you won’t need for a while? Scatter a green manure crop over it (think oats, peas, lupins or mustard). It smothers weeds, keeps your soil covered, and when you dig it in later it feeds the soil for free.
✂️ Roses — if you haven’t pruned, now’s the time
Don’t overthink it. Take out anything dead, spindly or crossing over, then shorten the rest back to a healthy outward facing bud. Give your snips a quick sharpen and clean first as clean cuts heal faster.
🌿 Mulch — get it down before summer
A good layer over your trees, shrubs and perennial beds keeps moisture in and roots cool once the heat kicks in. Using fresh woodchip? Just leave it sitting on top (don’t dig it through), and pop a little blood & bone or aged manure underneath so it doesn’t pinch nitrogen from your plants. Or take the easy road and use well-aged chip.
🌸 Dahlias — check on your stored tubers
If you lifted and stored your dahlias, have a quick peek in the box. Too dry and shrivelled? Too damp and going mouldy? A small tweak now means plump, healthy tubers ready to plant when the time comes.
🐜 Aphids — start keeping an eye out
As all that soft new spring growth appears, so do the aphids (right on cue, the little freeloaders). Check the tips of new shoots and under the leaves. Squash them, blast them off with the hose, or leave them for the ladybirds.
🌱 A little prep now = a much happier garden when everything really takes off.
Which one did you need the reminder for? Let me know below 👇 and save this for your weekend pottering.
🌸🐝
