August is a quiet month, we have to make sure all of our summer stock is sold. Our cyclamen have started to flower.

Time to space our cyclamen

Our cyclamen have been spaced and are starting to flower.

Poinsettias growing ready for Christmas

our poinsettias are ready to be pinched this will make them nice and bushy

Our autumn patio is ready to sell

Hardy colourful foliage plants are growing ready to make some planters

Just potted

Our viola plugs have arrived

Our autumn violas are quick to flower, we pot them in batches as they grow so quickly.

Our first delivery of primroses

Our first delivery of primroses arrives, they will flower in the autumn and again in the spring.

Bellis plugs have arrived

Bellis are a great autumn flowering bedding plant, often in colour throughout the winter.

Pests and diseases

The warm weather will bring out the greenfly

Aphids, Whiteflies and Red spider mites love warm summer weather, so treating them early is essential, to reduce the numbers, sticky traps are a good early warning system

Red spider mite starts to hibernate in the autumn

Try to kill the red spider mites before they start to hibernate

Powdery mildew loves the autumn weather and spreads like wildfire

Mildews often appear during the autumn, they like the autumn weather and can quickly cover the leaves in a white coat (powdery mildew). This can be severe enough to stop the plant from growing and you might need to consider spraying your plants. Mildews have favourites and don’t normally spread, a pansy or viola mildew won’t spread to chrysanthemum, for instance, so only spray if you have to.
There are some safe mildew chemicals the secret is to use them quickly at the first sign of disease. Powdery mildew likes warm dry weather and a spell of rain can stop it from spreading.

Tips and tricks from the Nursery

It can get very hot so use some shading

The greenhouses can get extremely hot for the plants and the staff, shading is well worth it.

Remember to keep deadheading your plants

Regular deadheading, and removing old flowers, will keep your plants flowering.

Top up your planters and hanging baskets with some feed.

Planters and hanging baskets often run out of food and a quick top-up will keep them flowering.