Guides / What to plant
What to plant in August
August brings harvest and heat. Thyme is most aromatic just as the flowers open, echinacea keeps flowering in the border, and a jade plant summering outdoors may colour better than it does on a windowsill.
These are Northern Hemisphere months. If you garden in the Southern Hemisphere, the equivalent month is February.
In the garden
Blue passion flower
Passiflora caerulea
How to grow blue passion flower, Passiflora caerulea. The extraordinary flower explained, whether the orange fruit is safe, and cutting it back after a hard winter.
Border phlox
Phlox paniculata
How to grow border phlox, Phlox paniculata. Scented heads through August, beating powdery mildew by thinning the stems, and the eelworm that kills whole clumps.
Common heather
Calluna vulgaris
How to grow heather, Calluna vulgaris. Why it needs acid soil and rainwater, when to shear it, and the difference between ling and the winter-flowering ericas.
Common Jasmine
Jasminum officinale
How to grow Jasminum officinale. Why it saves its scent for the evening, the warm wall it needs in a cool climate, when to prune it, and the three unrelated plants sold under the same name.
English Yew
Taxus baccata
How to grow Taxus baccata. The one conifer that regrows from bare wood, why clippings kill horses, what the red berries are, and how it reaches two thousand years.
Hornbeam
Carpinus betulus
How to grow hornbeam, Carpinus betulus. The hedge that holds its leaves all winter and takes wet clay where beech fails, when to cut it, and how to tell the two apart.
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
How to grow Echinacea purpurea. Why it hates being moved, leaving the seed heads for goldfinches, keeping stems upright without staking, and why year one disappoints.
Russian vine
Fallopia baldschuanica
How to grow Russian vine, Fallopia baldschuanica. The mile-a-minute plant, what it will and will not do to a building, and how to get rid of one.
Tiger lily
Lilium lancifolium
How to grow tiger lily, Lilium lancifolium. Growing lilies from the bulbils in the leaf axils, beating the lily beetle, and the danger to cats.
Herbs and edibles
African Basil
Ocimum gratissimum
How to grow African basil, Ocimum gratissimum. The clove-scented woody basil of West African cooking, keeping it as a perennial under glass, and taking cuttings.
Barley
Hordeum vulgare
How to grow barley, Hordeum vulgare. The cereal behind beer and whisky, two-row against six-row, and how to tell it from wheat at fifty paces.
Black Cardamom
Amomum subulatum
How to grow black cardamom, Amomum subulatum. The smoke-dried Himalayan pod, why it is not a substitute for green cardamom, and growing it under glass.
Black Cumin
Nigella sativa
How to grow nigella, Nigella sativa. The black seed of kalonji, sowing it direct in spring, and how it differs from the love-in-a-mist in a flower border.
Black Mulberry
Morus nigra
How to grow black mulberry, Morus nigra. Why it is never sold in shops, pruning only when fully dormant to stop it bleeding, and the long wait for the first crop.
Black Mustard
Brassica nigra
How to grow black mustard, Brassica nigra. The hot seed behind traditional table mustard, why the pods shatter, and how it differs from the brown mustard grown commercially.
Black raspberry
Rubus occidentalis
How to grow black raspberry, Rubus occidentalis. Arching purple canes that root at the tips, intense dark fruit, and the one plant you must keep it away from.
Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
How to grow blueberries, Vaccinium corymbosum. Why they need ericaceous compost and rainwater, planting two for cross-pollination, and the pruning that keeps a bush cropping.
Bread Wheat
Triticum aestivum
How to grow wheat, Triticum aestivum. The three genomes behind a risen loaf, how to tell an ear of wheat from barley in a field, and why the plant got shorter in the 1960s.
Chaste Tree
Vitex agnus-castus
How to grow chaste tree, Vitex agnus-castus. The late-flowering blue spikes for a hot wall, pruning it hard each spring, and the monastery reputation behind its name.
Chinese wolfberry
Lycium chinense
How to grow Chinese wolfberry, Lycium chinense. The leafier of the two goji species, grown across southern China as a vegetable as much as for its fruit.
Citronella Grass
Cymbopogon nardus
How to grow citronella grass, Cymbopogon nardus. The source of citronella oil, how it differs from lemongrass, and why the citronella plant in a garden centre is usually something else.
Cloudberry
Rubus chamaemorus
How to grow cloudberry, Rubus chamaemorus. An arctic bog plant with amber fruit, separate male and female plants, and a real reluctance to crop outside the far north.
Common Thyme
Thymus vulgaris
How to grow common thyme, Thymus vulgaris. Drainage, the trim that stops it going woody, harvesting when the oils peak, and why it belongs in gravel rather than good soil.
Cornelian cherry
Cornus mas
How to grow cornelian cherry, Cornus mas. Yellow flowers in February, sour red fruit in late summer, and waiting for it to drop before you pick.
Culantro
Eryngium foetidum
How to grow culantro, Eryngium foetidum. The long spiny-edged leaf that tastes of coriander turned up, why it needs shade to stop it bolting, and how to use it.
Dill
Anethum graveolens
How to grow dill, Anethum graveolens. Sowing direct because it hates transplanting, succession sowing against bolting, harvesting the seed, and keeping it away from fennel.
Durum Wheat
Triticum durum
How to grow durum wheat, Triticum durum. The hardest grain in the field, why it makes pasta rather than bread, and the hot dry ripening it will not crop without.
Einkorn
Triticum monococcum
How to grow einkorn, Triticum monococcum. The oldest wheat, one grain to a spikelet, and the crop found in the stomach of a five-thousand-year-old man.
Emmer Wheat
Triticum dicoccum
How to grow emmer, Triticum dicoccum. One of the eight founder crops, the wheat that fed Egypt and Rome, and the ancestor standing behind every plate of pasta.
Ethiopian Eggplant
Solanum aethiopicum
How to grow the Ethiopian eggplant, Solanum aethiopicum. A scarlet aubergine that looks like a tomato, the leaves eaten as a green, and the bitterness that is the point rather than a fault.
Field Mint
Mentha arvensis
How to identify and grow field mint, Mentha arvensis. The whorls of flower in the leaf axils, the plant that most menthol is distilled from, and where it grows wild.
Fig
Ficus carica
How to grow figs, Ficus carica. Restricting the roots to force fruiting, which embryo figs to keep over winter, and the sap that burns skin in sunlight.
Flax
Linum usitatissimum
How to grow flax, Linum usitatissimum. One plant that gives linen and linseed oil, a field of blue that lasts one morning, and a founder crop still grown across Europe and North America.
Goji berry
Lycium barbarum
How to grow goji berry, Lycium barbarum. A hardy sprawling shrub that fruits in its third year, needs no coddling, and takes some training to keep tidy.
Golden currant
Ribes aureum
How to grow golden currant, Ribes aureum. Yellow spring flowers that smell of cloves, black fruit in July, and a shrub that tolerates drought better than any other currant.
Governor's Plum
Flacourtia indica
How to grow governor's plum, Flacourtia indica. The spiny African shrub with small dark fruit, the thorns on its trunk, and why it is planted as a hedge across two continents.
Hyssop
Hyssopus officinalis
How to grow hyssop, Hyssopus officinalis. The blue-flowered bee herb for a dry sunny bed, its bitter culinary use, and the biblical plant it is probably not.
Japanese Millet
Echinochloa esculenta
How to grow Japanese millet, Echinochloa esculenta. A crop made from barnyard grass, ready in forty-five days, and the fastest cereal there is to sow.
Japanese Plum
Prunus salicina
How to grow Japanese plum, Prunus salicina. Why it flowers three weeks before a European plum, the frost problem that follows, and thinning for size.
Japanese wineberry
Rubus phoenicolasius
How to grow Japanese wineberry, Rubus phoenicolasius. Red bristled canes that glow in winter, and fruit that arrives in the gap between raspberries and blackberries.
Lentil
Lens culinaris
How to grow lentils, Lens culinaris. One of the eight founder crops, the shape that named the optical lens, and a pulse that grows in a cool climate better than most people think.
Long Pepper
Piper longum
How to grow long pepper, Piper longum. The whole spike used as a spice, the Roman trade that valued it above black pepper, and why chilli displaced it.
Longan
Dimocarpus longan
How to grow longan, Dimocarpus longan. The dragon's eye fruit that needs less winter chill than a lychee, how it differs from its famous cousin, and why it keeps better.
Lowbush blueberry
Vaccinium angustifolium
How to grow lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium. The wild blueberry of Maine and Quebec, low and spreading, with better flavour than the tall kind.
Malabar Tamarind
Garcinia gummi-gutta
How to grow Malabar tamarind, Garcinia gummi-gutta. The smoked rind that sours a Kerala fish curry, and the hard truth about the weight-loss supplement sold under the name Garcinia cambogia.
Mangosteen
Garcinia mangostana
How to grow mangosteen, Garcinia mangostana. The queen of fruits, a tree with no known wild ancestor and no males at all, the fifteen-year wait, and what the rind supplements are doing.
Marsh Mallow
Althaea officinalis
How to grow marsh mallow, Althaea officinalis. The velvety grey perennial of salt marshes, the root behind the original sweet, and why it wants ground most herbs would rot in.
Mizuna
Brassica rapa var. nipposinica
How to grow mizuna, Brassica rapa var. nipposinica. Cut-and-come-again sowing, why it beats lettuce for winter salad, and keeping flea beetle off the leaves.
Mooli
Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus
How to grow mooli, Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus. The August sowing that stops it bolting, getting a straight metre-long root, and using it as a soil-breaking green manure.
Motherwort
Leonurus cardiaca
How to grow motherwort, Leonurus cardiaca. The spiny-calyxed perennial for a wild corner, its long history in childbirth and heart complaints, and why it seeds itself everywhere.
Nectarine
Prunus persica var. nucipersica
How to grow nectarine, Prunus persica var. nucipersica. The fuzzless peach, why it is harder to grow than a peach, and keeping rain off it from January.
Oat
Avena sativa
How to grow oats, Avena sativa. The weed that became a crop, the panicle that sets it apart from every other cereal, and where oats stand on gluten.
Okra
Abelmoschus esculentus
How to grow okra, Abelmoschus esculentus. Getting the seed to germinate, picking before the pod turns to string, and what to do about the slime if you would rather not have it.
Olive
Olea europaea
How to grow olive, Olea europaea. The winter chill it needs to flower and the summer heat it needs to ripen, growing it in a container outside its zone, and why wet roots kill more olives than frost.
Pineapple
Ananas comosus
How to grow pineapple, Ananas comosus. Rooting a supermarket crown, the two years it takes, why it stings your mouth, and the fact that one plant gives one fruit.
Plum
Prunus domestica
How to grow plums, Prunus domestica. Why you must never prune in winter, thinning to stop branches snapping, silver leaf and bacterial canker, and the cyanide in the stones.
Rambutan
Nephelium lappaceum
How to grow rambutan, Nephelium lappaceum. The hairy fruit that is not a lychee, how to open one without a knife, and why almost every tree in an orchard is female.
Rapeseed
Brassica napus
How to grow rapeseed, Brassica napus. The yellow fields that take over the landscape every spring, a hybrid of turnip and cabbage, and the two compounds that had to be bred out before anyone could eat it.
Redcurrant
Ribes rubrum
How to grow redcurrants, Ribes rubrum. Why they are pruned on a spur system rather than as a stool, growing them as cordons on a shaded wall, and netting against bullfinches.
Rukam
Flacourtia rukam
How to grow rukam, Flacourtia rukam. The Indian prune with a fiercely spined trunk, and the trick of rolling the fruit between your palms before you eat it.
Rye
Secale cereale
How to grow rye, Secale cereale. Sowing, poor soils, ergot risk, harvesting grain and using rye as a green manure.
Saffron Crocus
Crocus sativus
How to grow the saffron crocus, Crocus sativus. Planting the corms in summer, picking the three red stigmas at dawn, and why the spice costs what it does.
Santol
Sandoricum koetjape
How to grow santol, Sandoricum koetjape. The cotton fruit with a rind you eat and a pulp you suck, the two colour forms, and the seeds that have put people in hospital.
Shiso
Perilla frutescens
How to grow shiso, Perilla frutescens. The green and red forms, the Korean sesame leaf, sowing it in warmth, and why it is poisonous to grazing cattle.
Spelt
Triticum spelta
How to grow spelt, Triticum spelta. The hulled wheat that keeps its jacket on, why it needs a mill before it needs an oven, and the health claim that is not true.
Summer Savory
Satureja hortensis
How to grow summer savory, Satureja hortensis. The bean herb, sowing it direct in May, and how it differs from the woody winter savory.
Sweet Wormwood
Artemisia annua
How to grow sweet wormwood, Artemisia annua. The tall feathery annual behind artemisinin, sowing it in spring, and why the plant should not be used as a home malaria treatment.
Sweetcorn
Zea mays
How to grow sweetcorn, Zea mays. Planting in a block for wind pollination, testing the cobs for ripeness, and why supersweet types must be grown alone.
Tea plant
Camellia sinensis
How to grow tea, Camellia sinensis. A hardy evergreen camellia for acid soil, picked as two leaves and a bud, and processed at home into green or black tea.
Triticale
x Triticosecale rimpaui
How to grow triticale, x Triticosecale rimpaui. Sowing, harvesting, its wheat-rye parentage and the history of the modern cereal.
Turnip
Brassica rapa subsp. rapa
How to grow turnips, Brassica rapa subsp. rapa. Sowing for baby roots and for winter, beating flea beetle, why they go woody, and eating the tops.
West Indian Gherkin
Cucumis anguria
How to grow the West Indian gherkin, Cucumis anguria. Sowing, heat, picking small spiny fruits and growing it when cucumbers struggle.
White Horehound
Marrubium vulgare
How to grow white horehound, Marrubium vulgare. The cough-sweet herb, its woolly grey rosettes, and where it survives in the wild in Britain.
White Mulberry
Morus alba
How to grow white mulberry, Morus alba. The silkworm tree, why the fruit disappoints after black mulberry, and the fastest movement in the plant kingdom.
White Mustard
Sinapis alba
How to grow white mustard, Sinapis alba. The mild seed behind English and American table mustard, growing it as mustard cress, and its use as a green manure.
Wild strawberry
Fragaria vesca
How to grow wild strawberry, Fragaria vesca. Tiny fruit with more flavour than any garden variety, cropping from June to the first frost, and easy from seed.
Winter squash
Cucurbita maxima
How to grow winter squash and pumpkins, Cucurbita maxima. Feeding a hungry plant, restricting the fruit for size, and the curing that decides whether they store.
Yellow Gentian
Gentiana lutea
How to grow yellow gentian, Gentiana lutea. The bitter root behind gentian bitters, the decade it takes to flower, and the deadly plant it is confused with.
Indoors
Jade Plant
Crassula ovata
How to grow a jade plant, Crassula ovata. Watering a succulent properly, pruning it into a tree, getting red leaf edges, and why it breathes at night.
Round-Leaf Calathea
Goeppertia orbifolia
How to grow Goeppertia orbifolia. Humidity, filtered water, leaf movement at night and the Calathea name change.
String of pearls
Curio rowleyanus
How to care for Curio rowleyanus. Bright light, careful watering, shallow pots, propagation and signs of stress in the beads.
Tree houseleek
Aeonium arboreum
How to grow aeonium, Aeonium arboreum. The summer dormancy that reverses normal watering, why a flowering rosette dies, and overwintering it outside its own climate.