August Garden To-Do's
5 Things To Do In Your Garden This Month
It’s tough navigating the harsh late-summer heat when tending to your precious plants but these tips will give you a heads up about everything you should be doing in your garden right now.
Pull Weeds
If you’ve been putting off weeding chores in the garden, August is the time to finally get busy. This will help reduce overwintering weeds that can wreak havoc next year. The best time to weed is right after a rain when the soil is still moist. If rainfall is scarce, irrigate your garden thoroughly the night before you start your attack. You can pull weeds by hand or use a hoe. Just be sure to remove the roots.
Deadhead Flowers
Additionally, as plants fade out of bloom, pinch or cut off the flower stem below the spent flower and just above the first set of full, healthy leaves. Many will reward you with more blooms that continue well into fall.
Replace Annual Flowers
By late summer, some annual flowers may look a bit worn out. Give your pots and planters a makeover by tucking in fresh, ready-to-bloom cool-season annual flowers that will keep the color show going through the fall. Again, be sure to gently pull out dead or dying annuals then mix in a bit of fresh soil, and drop in the replacement. It’s that easy!
Plant Perennials & Shrubs
Late summer is a perfect time to plant perennials and flowering shrubs in many areas. They’ll take root during the cool, moist fall weather and be ready to pop into bloom next spring and summer. Some good candidates to plant now include hydrangeas, day lilies, sedums, ornamental grasses, peonies, and bearded iris. Just be sure you keep your new plants well watered if the weather is hot and dry. Keep in mind, mulching the beds also helps preserve soil moisture.
Add Fall Color
Give your flower border a late-summer injection of color by adding a generous helping of chrysanthemums. Available in an almost unlimited selection of colors, shapes, and flower forms, chrysanthemums go well with any garden decor. Plus, because they are sold in bud or bloom, they’ll add instant impact to pots, planters, or flower borders.
August 2020
By Sam Hochman