August 2009 Garden Tips
1. Plants need plenty of water in the heat of the summer. It is better to water deeply, less often (say 1 hour on a sprinkler or 2” twice a week) than little drinks daily or every other day. For containers, fill the water to the brim 3 times to ensure the whole pot is saturated & water is dripping out the bottom. This promotes deeper root growth & adaptability to drought conditions.
2. Stop fertilizing perennials so that they begin to slow down for the winter. You can continue fertilizing annual plantings however.
3. Seed cool crop vegetables at the end of August, spinach, lettuce, parsnips, kale.
4. Begin to dream of your spring flowering bulbs & purchase them from a local nursery. Now is the time the best bulbs begin to arrive in nurseries. Daffodils can be installed as early as August to ensure good root growth before the ground freezes.
5. Cut bouquets to bring inside & also consider which seeds you may leave up for winter interest, so as not to cut those……Rose hips, Rudbeckia, Ligularia, Chelone to name a few.
6. August is the best time to go out in your garden and make a journal note of which annual plants did well and which ones you did not like so well.
7. Check which perennials are falling over, splitting in the middle, or are just plain huge. If your perennials have any of these signs they should be divided for a much nicer look next fall. August until mid-September is a good time to divide perennials, as it will give the plants time to set roots for the long winter.
8. The end of August is a good time to add some fall flowers to your containers or garden beds. Some ideas would be the safe standbys mums and pansies but also kale, asters, pumpkins (white, orange and even funky looking ones) etc.
9. Thinking of fall bulbs? Now would be the time to check out what spots you would like to have some. If you have to divide some perennials you might want to leave a spot open for some bulbs. Fall bulbs should be planted in September-October.
10. For the first time vegetable gardeners, August is a great time to plant cool-season vegetables. One sure vegetable to try would be lettuce.
RESOURCES
Heidi’s Lifestyle Gardens
612-366-7766
Accent Gardens And Shrubs, Inc.
952-955-3927
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