Mid-August in zone 7 - things to consider doing
August is a gardening month when there is either nothing
to do but enjoy the garden or an endless list of tasks to accomplish before the
leaves fall.
An early morning walk around the garden and yard with a
pad and pencil can be very productive. Make of note of which trees and shrubs
need to be thinned or pruned up, which perennials would benefit from being
divided, where the bare spots are, which plants need to be removed, etc.
Also on that walk, note the bare spots in the turf and
mulch, inspect plants for signs of insect damage, irrigation leaks, fence or
deck work to be done, etc.
Look for plants such as Hostas that have centers dying
and plants that have outgrown the amount of space thought they would need. Consider
where pieces of those divided perennials might look good next year.
Take a pair of clippers on your walk and remove any dead
or diseased twigs. Make a note of limbs or branches that should come out
because they are crossing another branch.
This is a good time of year to take a soil sample to the
Extension Office for testing so you know what nutrients and amendments to add
this fall.
If you have wanted to add a new bed or extend an existing
one, mark it off with a stream of flour so you can see what the area would look
like completed. Then, cover the area with several layers of newsprint and some
mulch or rocks to hold the paper in place. The same method can be used to help
visualize a new path or patio.
Since fall is the best time to put in new shrubs and trees, those planting areas can be identified and marked using the same method. After the area is marked, try a sample dig around the newsprint to see how easily the ground can be worked. A month or two of moistened newspaper and mulch will make the job much easier as earthworms work their magic under that moist cover.
There are plenty of seeds on the annual flowers and herbs
that can be harvested and saved for next spring, including Zinnias, Agastache,
sunflowers, nicotiana, basil, parsley, coreopsis, etc.
As lily season comes to an end, the bulbs can be dug,
divided and replanted. Your favorite lily bulbs can be divided into pieces that
resemble garlic cloves. Plant each clove into a container of potting soil and
keep it moist over the winter. In the summer there will be a small lily bulb
ready to go into the ground in one of those bare spots.
Consider which plants you want more of. Many perennials
can be easily propagated from fall cuttings and by layering.
Plants that have been blooming this month would benefit
from all the faded flowers and less-than-perfect stems being removed. For
example, if you hold a Catnip stem in hand and it has only leaves on the end,
prune it back to the earliest green leaves, removing the entire bare stem.
Hanging baskets should be fertilized half-strength after pruning. While you are fertilizing, roses enjoy an August snack, too. Instead of chemicals, fish and kelp fertilizers as well as alfalfa meal are often recommended. Scratch them into the top 2-inches of the soil.
Trees are no longer actively growing and can be shaped; the lower limbs can be removed. Prune off all of the suckers and water sprouts
that have shot up. Water sprouts look like branches but grow straight up from
roots and branches.
Take photos of each bed, bare spot, or proposed planting
site so you’ll have it on hand when doing your late-winter planning for spring.
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