Things to do in your garden in August.
Taken from the Ontario Master Gardener Calendar
by John Hethrington, Master Gardener Emeritus
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario
Please contact John for more information!
August Garden Tips:
- We have certainly had the HEAT this summer, and some heavy rains, as well. The corn is high and the weeds too! If you have accomplished all my suggested tips so far this year, your garden should be looking pretty good. Congratulations! Now, what to do this month.
- Water well, and water deep! Start in the early morning and/or in the evening, (if your municipal water restrictions allow). For beds, I suggest putting a metal water soaker (or buy one) onto the end of your hose, turn the water on low and move the hose from bed to bed, every couple of hours.
- Top up your garden mulch. Make sure all bare ground is covered by at least 2 inches. It works to suppress weeds, keeps the soil cool and damp, and retains any rain that falls.
- Sow vegetable seeds now (or again) for a fall harvest of peas, beans, spinach, radishes and some varieties of leaf lettuce.
- Tidy up your plants and shrubs with a little judicious pruning, but early in the month.
- Stake tall perennials, like delphinium and New England asters against the wind.
- Cut your grass at least 2’’ high to keep your lawns from drying out.
- Check out spring bulb catalogues online. Order spring flowering bulbs now, before they’re all gone.
- Finally, it’s time to pull, or cut off the browned leaves of spring flowering bulbs and trim back iris leaves. My picky mother would use her best kitchen scissors to cut up one side of each iris fan and then down the other side to make a perfect arrow.
- Fill in any gaps in your flower garden with fall-flowering perennial plants, like mums and asters.
- Start drying flowers and herbs. Pick your lavender now for drying for sachets.
- Start to dig and divide daylilies when they have stopped blooming. Replant in those open spaces!
- Collect seed pods that have matured, but not yet fallen from the plants, like poppies and lupins. Once the pods have dried, store seeds in airtight containers in a cool location, or sprinkle them around your garden for colour next year.
- Sit back in the shade and take a hard look at your garden. Take pictures too! Then decide where there are empty spaces for new plants to plant this fall. Identify any plants that have not performed well, (or you can’t stand any more), and plan to replace them with a fall planting program of shrubs and perennials in September and October.
- Early Fall is a great time to sow grass seed and plant new perennials, trees and shrubs. They will get a big jump on planting them next Spring!
- Look for info about the annual Grey County Master Gardener’s fall plant sale, Saturday September 12, from 9am until noon. It’s in Meaford again this year at the Meaford Rotary Harbourfront Pavilion,1 Bumstead Way, down by the Bay. Choose from unique perennials and lots of native and pollinator plants at reasonable prices. Cash, Debit, Credit. Arrive early for the best selection!
John Hethrington,
Master Gardener Emeritus,
Past President, Master Gardeners of Ontario
Beaver Valley Probus Club