Have you pruned your roses and your fruit trees? Are you removing winter-flowering annuals that are looking tired? Make sure your garden is in great condition this month with these gardening tips...

• If you have not pruned your roses and fruit trees, now is the time to start.
• Once you are sure of no late frosts you can prune your fuchsias back.
• Don’t cut back frost-damaged plants until the danger of frost has passed.
• Continue watering and fertilizing annuals and bulbs.
• Continue deadheading winter flowering annuals like poppies and primulas to prolong flowering.
• Prepare your summer garden by removing winter-flowering annuals that are looking tired.
• Continue watering plants in containers and hanging plants to prevent drying out especially in the Highveld where gusty, August winds prevail.
• Divide and replant any over crowded perennials.
• Repot pot plants and other plants that have outgrown their containers.
• Feed Lawns with Wonder Lawns and Foliage or Blade Runner or 5:2:1 SR See article on August Lawn Care. See our article on August Lawn Care.
• Feed the rest of your garden with a general fertilizer or use an organic alternative like Wonder Organic.
• Clean gutters in anticipation of the summer rains.
• Feed roses, fruit trees and citrus with Wonder Rose Food or Ludwig’s Vigarosa.
• Watch out for the lily borer on clivias and lily bulbs.
• Sow seeds like ageratum, alyssum, aster, Canterbury bells, cleome, cosmos, dianthus, impatiens, lavatera, lobelia, marigold, petunia, salivia, schizanthus, verbena and viola.
• Plant seedlings like allysum, begonia, celosia, cosmos, chrysanthemum palidosum,dahlia (bedding), dianthus, lobelia, marigold, impatiens, pansy, petunia and vinca.
• Plant vegetable seedlings like celery, lettuce, parsley and spinach.
• Plant bulbs like amaryllis, arum, begonia, canna, dahlia, eucomis, galtonia, gladiolis, spider lily, nerine, tigridia and zephyranthus.