A colourful transition from winter to spring

The winds of August bring a promise: the scent of spring is in the air! After months of nurturing your garden through the chill, your reward is near. With the days getting longer and the soil beginning to warm, August is a pivotal month in the gardening calendar. It’s time to enjoy the final stretch of cool-season colour, prep for summer planting, and get your soil in shape with the right nourishment.

Fulfilling Flowers for August

Strikingly Crazy for Daisies
August is the last hurrah for cold-loving daisy bushes, and they’re not going quietly! Expect a riot of colour from beds, borders, and containers. These easy-going bloomers are a must for late-winter gardens and a fabulous way to mask bare patches or post-frost damage.

7 Daisies to Try This Month:

1. Cape daisy (Osteospermum) – Indigenous and water-wise, blooming from spring to autumn in rich hues.
2. Marguerite daisy (Argyranthemum) – Butterfly magnet with cheerful flowers in single and double forms.
3. English daisy (Bellis perennis) – Fast-spreading, blooming masses from winter into spring.
4. Golden daisy bush (Euryops) – Evergreen and compact, flowering through the cold with bright yellow heads.
5. Livingstone daisy (Mesembryanthemum) – A vibrant groundcover that begins to dazzle in August.
6. Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum) – Spreading perennials with classic white blooms.
7. Kingfisher daisy (Felicia amelloides) – Local sky-blue charmers that butterflies adore.

Feeding advice:
To get the most out of your daisies and flowering annuals, feed monthly with Bio Ocean, an organic-based fertiliser made from seaweed, fishmeal and humates. This blend promotes root growth, flowering and overall plant health.

Deadhead regularly, water consistently, and mulch well to retain moisture and discourage weeds.

Top tip: Visit your GCA Garden Centre now for daisy seedlings and compost. Stock up on Flower & Fruit for your beds—it’s ideal for sustained blooming and improving soil fertility.

Blooms, Bulbs & Beauties

Sow Now:
Get a head start on spring with seeds of marigolds, ageratum, cosmos, lobularia, cleomes, godetias, lavateras, phlox, sunflowers, nicotiana, impatiens and begonias.

Plant Summer Bulbs:
Pop these into the ground or containers now:

• Gladiolus
• Calla lilies
• Cannas
• Spider lilies
• George lilies
• Tuberoses
• Galtonias
• Crocosmias
• Eucomis
• Arum lilies
• Dahlias

Feeding tip:
When planting bulbs, mix Bio Rock Root Builder into your soil or potting mix. Its phosphates and beneficial microbes encourage strong, healthy root systems for future flowering.

Reminder: Don’t cut the leaves of spring bulbs yet, they’re still storing energy for next season!

Rose lovers:
Prune now if you haven’t already. After pruning, feed generously with Flower & Fruit and water deeply. Spray stems with organic pest repellents to curb overwintering insects and fungi.

In the Grow Zone: Edibles

Sow from seed:
If you’re in a frost-free area, plant:

• Runner and dwarf beans
• Sweetcorn & maize
• Pumpkins & squashes
• Basil, coriander, and rocket

From seedlings:
Transplant tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, shallots, garlic, rhubarb and globe artichokes.

Edible garden feeding tip:
Top-dress with Bio Ocean, it will boost leafy growth, flavour, and resilience to pests.

Harvest now:
Pull up mature root veggies such as parsnips, beets, carrots and radishes.

Motivated Maintenance

Lawn Loving:
Begin pre-spring lawn prep now.

• Mow low
• Rake to remove thatch
• Level with topsoil
• Apply Bio Ganic Lawns for an organic nitrogen boost
• Add compost and a thin lawn dressing layer

Shade lawn seed can be sown now for lush cover in tricky areas.

Wind Whirling:

• Stake new trees and trellises to withstand gusty days.
• Tie down new growth on vines and espaliered plants.
• Mulch around edibles to retain warmth and prevent erosion.

Slug & Snail Patrol:
Plant natural barriers like mint, garlic, chives and fennel. Their scent deters pests, and they’re edible too!

Ladybugs to the rescue!
These garden allies help control aphids, scale, thrips and mealybugs. Encourage them by avoiding harmful pesticides and planting daisy-type flowers.

Frost Caution:
In very cold areas, leave frost-damaged foliage intact for now – it acts as insulation. Prune once frost risk has passed.

Your GCA Garden Centre is bursting with colour, plants, and supplies to make the most of your August. Celebrate your winter wins and look ahead to a blooming good spring with the help of Atlantic Fertilisers. Keep feeding, sowing, and prepping, your garden will thank you with vibrant flowers and bountiful harvests.