August, Week 1

Landscaping - Avoid pruning trees and shrubs from July through the end of winter. Woody plants begin forming buds for the next season in July. Pruning during late summer and fall encourages new growth, which suffers during fall cold snaps. Direct supplemental watering to trees and shrubs where feeder roots are found, underneath the outermost ends of the branches. Maintain 2-3 inch layer of mulch around shrubs and trees to maintain cooler root temperatures, even moisture, and to minimize weeds.

Flowers - Stop pinching back chrysanthemums and allow buds to develop for fall bloom. Water flowers early in the day near base of the plants to minimize powdery mildew and leaf spot on Zinnia, Phlox, Achillea (yarrow), Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan), Shasta Daisy, Dahlia, Begonia and mums. Trim back diseased foliage of Peony plants. Leave as much foliage as possible to replenish the energy resources as the plant forms growth 'eyes' for next year. Destroy diseased foliage - do not compost and risk further spread of disease.

Harvesting Flowers and Herbs - Select and cut early in the day, flowers to be dried for floral arrangements such as African Daisy, Dianthus, Marigold, Violets and Chrysanthemums
Cut herbs early in the day and just before blooming for maximum content of essential oils and flavor. Dry herbs in dark dry place for best flavor retention. Try a dust-free container under the bed, a darkened area in a basement or a tray placed under a dark cloth in the back window of the car. Clip, rinse well and chop lavender, mint or basil to mix in spreads or butters.

Fruit Crops - Avoid summer pruning of fruit trees except to prune out water sprouts and suckers. Poor pruning practices can result in dwarfing and reducing overall vigor of fruit trees.
Arrange drip or trickle irrigation to all fruit crops to ensure adequate moisture without wetting foliage, which encourages disease. Apply 3-4 inches of mulch around bases of blackberry and raspberry bushes. Use grass clippings, hay, straw, sawdust, straw-y manure.

Pest Patrol - Check for spider mites on evergreens exhibiting overall browning. Tap branch over white paper and observe if any of the specks on the paper begin to move. Check for webbing on branches to further confirm mite problem.

August, Week 2

Landscaping - Cut back any shrubs such as Buddleia (butterfly bush) no later than the end of August to allow time to harden off before winter. Check Cotoneaster for skeletonizing of foliage by hawthorn lacebug. Conduct a soil test to determine needed nutrients in the garden.

Flowers - Observe Siberian Iris for hollowing of clump centers. Hollowed-out clumps need dividing, either in August or early spring. Use root portions from the periphery of the clump only for best plant vigor. Compost the older center of plant. Replant rhizomes so that the crown of the plant is no deeper than 1 ½ -2 inches below the soil level after the soil settles. Check bearded Iris root systems for borer damage and cut away affected portions, replanting only healthy portions. Cut back leaves by 1/3 to ½ before transplanting. Keep regular watering program for all plants installed this season to ensure adequate root development before frost. Cut back spent flower heads that will not be left for birds to glean. Cut back all diseased or insect damaged foliage. Do not compost.

Vegetables - Side-dress Beans with fertilizer after heavy blooming and set of pods. Fertilize cucumbers one week after bloom begins and 3 weeks later. Fertilize tomatoes 1-2 weeks before picking and again 2 weeks after first harvest.

Houseplants - Keep Norfolk Island pines out of direct sunlight in summer. Water twice a week and fertilize every other week. Observe potted Cyclamen for yellowing leaves marking the beginning of dormancy. Place in cool place outdoors until leaves die and can be easily pulled off the corm. Repot in fresh soil, with corm placed on the surface. Begin normal watering but wait a month to begin fertilizing.

Eco tip - Collect and swap seeds for Hollyhock, bachelor's buttons, sweet William, cosmos, sunflowers and black-eyed Susan, all of which will attract beneficial insects to the garden. Learn about the life cycle of insects found in the garden to determine the most affective timing of treatment / control. Prepare compost bin or area to receive garden debris to get ready for fall clean-up projects.

August, Week 3

Landscape - Water spring-flowering shrubs deeply every 8-10 days on through September as they set their buds for next years bloom. Mark volunteer seedlings of holly, rose-of-Sharon or redbud for fall transplanting. Plan for fall bulb planting and order when the bulb catalogues arrive. Wait to plant bulbs until October and the ground begins to cool. Select bulbs low in deer attraction from the following list: Hyacinths, Allium (Ornamental Onion), Muscari (Grape Hyacinth), Galanthus (Snow Drops), Fritillary(Crown Imperial), Eranthus hyemalis (Winter Aconite), Leucojum(SnowFlake/giant SnowDrop), Scilla(Siberian Squill), Lycoris(Naked Lady / Spider Lily) and Crocus tommasiniana (most resistant to deer browsing).

Vegetables and Fruits - Monitor apples for adult apple maggot flies which are laying eggs, and control as needed. Plant nitrogen-fixing legumes every third year in vegetable beds to provide a significant amount of nitrogen for the crop that will follow next season. Fertilize cucumbers 3 weeks after blossoming begins with a side dressing of compost or composted manure. Harvest garden produce while young and tender. Fruit left on the vine too long can slow and even stop production for some plants.

Flowers - Continue fertilizing hanging baskets every few weeks with liquid fertilizer to keep vigor until frost. Give roses their last summer fertilizing this week and their last deadheading this month so that the plant can develop rose hips and prepare for dormancy. Continue to prune out dead or dying stems that may harbor diseases.

Houseplants - Gradually reduce watering potted Amaryllis over the next two weeks to prepare the plant for a period of resting for 2-3 months. Repot African Violets into containers that are 1/3 the diameter of the outer-most foliage. Their shallow root systems are best suited to smaller pots. Too large a pot tempts the owner to over water, which is certain death for violets. Overcrowded roots, however, will stunt growth.

August, Week 4

Landscape - Continue trimming out spent flower stems and dead plant material and add to compost pile. Any diseased plants should be destroyed to avoid contaminating compost. Continue to treat shrubs such as Cotoneaster for Lace Bugs using hort-icultural soap concentrate diluted with half alcohol and half water. Be sure to spray underside of leaves and leaf/stem notches.

Flowers & Vegetables - Prune back spent foliage and blooms of non-evergreen perennials. For best results, prune evergreen perennials in spring after appearance of new growth. Transplant peonies now. Discard and do not compost any leaves with black concentric spots indicating the presence of fungus. Replant peony roots giving 30-40" spacing to reduce crowding and allow for good air circulation between plants. Plant roots so that the 'eyes' for new growth are no deeper than 2 inches below the soil line. Deeper planting reduces bloom production.

Lawn - Cool season grass cultivars such as the tall fescues are beginning to grow again as the weather cools and rainfall increases. Avoid using high nitrogen fertilizer at this time. Evaluate lawn for possible renovation or spot renovation. Renovation is desirable if the lawn area is more than 25% non-grass material. Begin turf renovation with control of weeds. Mow area with de-thatching blade attachment. Soil/seed contact is critical for best results. Cover with thin layer of peat moss or straw. Water each morning to completely moisten seed and cover material. With the warmer fall soil temperatures, germination will be in about a week.

Eco-tip - Observe Robber Flies, larger than a bumble bee with a slender body. These beneficial voracious predators catch grasshoppers, cicadas, beetles and flies. During cleanup, look for praying mantid egg cases attached to twigs and stems in the garden. The brownish one-inch hardened foam egg cases can be saved over the winter by clipping the twig bearing the egg case and place in a safe place, such as the garage or a protected area of the garden. When spring temperatures rise, over 200 nymphs will emerge to help take care of garden pests next year.