August gardening jobs 

• Protect young plants from fierce August winds by erecting short-term wind barriers.  
• Trim and transplant potted chrysanthemums that have finished blooming into a sunny garden spot.  
• Feed roses with a long-lasting, organic-based, rose-specific fertiliser once new shoots start to appear.  
• Pluck and bin spotted, dead or soggy azalea flowers to prevent the spread of petal blight, a fungal disease.  
• Prune winter-blooming native plants after flowering finishes or goes through a lull.  
• Use a whipper snipper or hedge shears to cut back ornamental grass clumps close to ground level.
• Remove flower stems after bulbs have finished blooming, and begin feeding remaining green leaves fortnightly with a liquid fertiliser.  
• Prepare for the coming summer, which is predicted to be unusually hot and potentially dry, by installing a new watering system or water tank. 
• Prune hibiscus, Chinese lanterns (Abutilon spp.), alyogyne, mallows and other Malvaceae family plants in frost-free areas.  
• Apply a soil wetter (available in granular or liquid form) over the root areas of established trees and shrubs before renewing mulch layers.  
• Deal with bindii before they develop the spiky seed heads that make it challenging to walk on the lawn in bare feet.  
• Prepare beds for direct sowing of cucurbits such as cucumbers, zucchinis and pumpkins as soon as the soil warms.  
• Fertilise citrus and fruit trees with a slow-release citrus fertiliser that will release its nutrients in time for the spring growth spurt.  
• Pop some quick-growing Asian vegies and non-hearting lettuce into spare spots that have been left after earlier harvests of winter vegies. 
• Plant the native Sturt’s desert pea (Swainsona formosa, above) in a pot of well-drained mix with some extra sand blended in; even if the plant only lasts for one season, the spectacular blooming will make it worthwhile. 

For more than 50 seasonal jobs to do in August, see our new issue, on sale now! 
Photo: Garden Neighbours Virginia Cummins