Mid-August and the livin’ should be easy now. These are the days to enjoy our labors of spring and summer. Not to say there aren’t things to be done in the garden right now, but they are minimal and more maintenance than rehabilitation.
It has been too dry to do much more than pull a few weeds and keep the pots and newer plants well-watered. August is not the time to be planting new perennials, trees or shrubs. That can wait until September or October when Mother Nature steps in to take over the watering duties for us. Our duty this month is to pay attention to the plants we already have and keep them happy.
The annuals have been blooming heavily all summer and so I try to feed them once a week with an all-purpose fertilizer. Watering alone isn’t enough at this point if you want them to keep performing into the fall. I also am diligent about deadheading and pinching back the stems before they get leggy. Actually, deadheading is one of my favorite garden tasks in the late summer. It gives me a chance to get up-close-and-personal with my plants and check out what is going on with them and what I need to do to keep them happier. Deadheading is particularly important with flowers that you don’t want to collect their seeds, like standard petunias. (There are annuals like marigolds and nasturtiums that collecting seeds can be rather fun and fruitful.) The “Wave” brand of petunias is a little different from standards in that they have been bred to cascade. But the good ole regular petunias are happiest when you pinch them back periodically, helping them to put on more blooms and become bushier rather than leggy. Keeping them well-watered and fed and they will work hard for you even in hot, dry weather.
The dryness doesn’t seem to affect dandelions though, does it? In fact, as I walk the dog though the neighborhood these days the only signs of green in lawns are the little patches here and there of dandelions and other tenacious weeds. Even the little bittercress has given up for the summer and is nowhere to be found. Does that mean I have eradicated it from my garden? Hardly. I know those tiny seeds are laying in wait for a good, soaking rain to spring again to life. But for now, they are giving me a rest.
The other weed that is thriving even in a draught is the bindweed. Everywhere I drive in Tillamook County I spot the tell-tale signs of white morning glory-like flowers peaking from the shrubs and trees along the roadside. I sit on my patio in the late afternoon and it isn’t long before I am jumping up to pull out a section that has woven itself through my rhododendron overnight. I have no hopes of eradicating this one either, but I will try to stay ahead of it and at least keep it at bay in the garden. I have given up trying to control it in the brush pile. Besides, it can bloom its little heart out there and help to cover up the cut brush. Its only when it creeps into the garden I get serious about it.
But compared to my to-do list in April or May, the list of chores in August is quite small. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy finding things to do in the garden this month, because I seem to always have an idea to explore. Garden art is one example… it is fun just about now to move things around a bit to get a new look. Sometimes I find a better place for things than my original idea in March. And of course, the light is different at this time of year as the days get shorter and the sun makes its way south again. That can give a whole new perspective on garden art.
And that is also true for moving potted plants. Since the sun is shifting, you might want to take advantage of putting a potted plant into a space that now is getting more morning sun or less afternoon sun. The plant may be happier and you may prefer it in the new place as well.
Which leads me to another thing to be doing in August and that is updating your garden journal. Placements of pots and even in-ground plants should be jotted down and, if you move them, their new spot should be noted as well. It also is good to keep a record of how the plant is doing in its new spot as opposed to its original place.
Journaling is something easily done from a garden bench, a patio chair, or while sitting under a shady tree. Just be sure to have a nice glass of iced tea or wine or a frosty beer or ____ (insert your beverage of choice) with you so you can enjoy time spent in the garden - not working for a change.
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