Make sure you’re ready for August in the garden with Dig It’s round-up of garden news, events as well as a look at those essential tasks to be getting on with top advice from Buckingham Garden Centre’s Peter Brown and Chris Day.

What’s on

3rd-7th August RHS Hyde Hall Flower Show, Chelmsford, Essex

4th August Summer Cycle at the Royal Botanic Kew Gardens, Richmond, 5.30-8.30pm

Wednesday 17th at 4pm and repeated Saturday 20th August at 3pm at Buckingham Garden Centre FREE Masterclass talk: Growing Your Favourite Hobby plants

12th and 13th August Shrewsbury Flower Show, Quarry Park, Shrewsbury

19th - 21st August RHS Garden Rosemoor Flower Show, Torrington, Devon

In the news

Cost and availability of allotments

Ball Colegrave Open day (garden trade only) highlighting the new double flowered impatiens walleriana 'Glimmer Appleblossom', recently recognised as Best in Show at the HTA’s New Plant Award. The latest trend of using perennials to mix with seasonal bedding plants in displays, including containers.

Peter Seabrook’s Sweet Pea

Kew’s giant waterlily news story in full

Spalding Flower parade set to return in 2023

Anti-plastic lobby get turfed out. Plastic grass stays!

Terry Walton’s story on the safe use, storage and disposal of pesticides from PestSmart

This month’s Dig It Top Five pest controls: At no5 Provanto Ultimate Fruit and Vegetable Killer, no4 Toprose Bug Killer, at no3 Bugclear Ultra Vine Weevil Killer, in 2nd place Provanto Ultimate Bug Killer and in top slot goes to Bugclear Ultra Gun! for edibles. Available at the Garden Centre.

Plant mentioned: Maize (Zea mays), Taylors Summer Planting Seed Potatoes for Christmas new potatoes, seeds of Japanese onion ‘Senshyu Semi-Globe Yellow’, spring cabbage, carrots – round varieties such as ‘Paris Market 5’, Chinese cabbage, corn salad, winter lettuce and radish seeds can be sown this month. Summer-fruiting and autumn raspberry plants.

Products mentioned: Bio-Bean, who manufacture Coffee logs, a popular product at the Garden Centre has been named a Best for the World ™ B Corp ™ . Miracle-Gro for higher nitrogen feeding and for encouraging improved flowering use Phostrogen or Tomato feed.

Liquid lawn weedkillers such as Weedol Lawn Weedkiller

Composts Westland New Horizon, Miracle Gro Peat Free,and Dalefoot Wool Compost for Potting. . Homebase Peat free Multi-Purpose Compost has fared well in our trials so far this season.

Our thanks to Chiltern Music Therapy for providing the music

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