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Gardening
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Southeast Gardener's August Checklist
Brave the August heat and humidity in your summer garden, and you'll reap rewards this fall
Houzz contributor Helen Yoest digs gardens. Author of Gardening With Confidence® 50 Ways to add style for personal creativity. Helen is an award winning garden writer and a frequent contributor to Country Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes and Gardens, Southern Living, Carolina Gardening, and Triangle Gardener. Helen scouts and styles gardens throughout the south.
Houzz contributor Helen Yoest digs gardens. Author of Gardening With Confidence®... More »
August air is thick. Walking through the garden in the early morning is like stepping into a sauna. While morning is the coolest part of the day, it's still sultry. August gardening in the Southeast is not for the faint at heart. Some even give up and pray that September comes early.
Effectively, gardening during August requires a schedule change, unless you relish punishment. I happen to tolerate an August garden because the wildlife keeps me interested, but admittedly, the anticipation of the meteorological fall, which often happens towards the end of the month, is one of my favorite times in the gardening season. I press on in August and enjoy the South in all its sultry glory.
Effectively, gardening during August requires a schedule change, unless you relish punishment. I happen to tolerate an August garden because the wildlife keeps me interested, but admittedly, the anticipation of the meteorological fall, which often happens towards the end of the month, is one of my favorite times in the gardening season. I press on in August and enjoy the South in all its sultry glory.
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Harvest vegetable gardens as needed. Most of what you have growing in your vegetable garden are annuals. By August, they are looking a little wrung out. As plants end their production cycle, remove them from the garden; otherwise, they may attract insects and disease to the plants that are still productive.
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| Fertilizer dos and don'ts. As August arrives, some plants will benefit from an application of fertilizer. For other plants, it could do more harm than good. Do fertilize:
Don't fertilize:
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Water your container plants well. From hanging baskets to veggies on the deck, most of us have some kind of container planting. August can be hot, so be sure to keep your container plantings well hydrated.
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| Propagate roses. Roses can be propagated by layering as late as mid-August. Long, flexible canes are the easiest to propagate because they are easiest to bend into place. Use a clean knife to remove two thorns near the top of the stem and bend it toward the ground. Make a couple of small cuts into the bark between where the thorns were. This is called “wounding the cane.” Hold the wounded area in good contact with the soil with landscape pins and cover with soil, leaving the growing tip of the stem uncovered. It’s also a good idea to put a brick or stone over the covered and wounded cane to give it extra hold. Next spring, you should see new growth emerge. Once you see new leaves on the rooted stem, carefully remove the entire stem from the parent plant, and recut the stem just beneath the new root mass. Now you are ready to plant your new rose bush. |
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| Pests. See these on your pines? They're the Pine Sawfly larvae. Pick them off and drop them in a bucket of soapy water. |
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| Bulbs. Select and pre-order your spring-blooming bulbs now while supplies are plentiful. Don’t put off today what will be gone tomorrow. The most unusual bulbs sell out fast. I can say this now because I’ve already put my in order. Try something fun such as the species tulip, Tulipa clusiana. |
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| Cut flowers. Remember those zinnias you seeded in July? Seed more in August, and be sure to cut some to enjoy inside! More: Guides to gardening in the Southeast |
Comments
plethora August in the south .. steamy? check! hot? check
10 months ago · Like
· 1
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Sarah Greenman I don't know if my veggie garden is going to make it through August here in in Dallas. Everything is scorched. But you've inspired me to start browsing the bulb catalogs.
10 months ago · Like
· 1
1
Ideabook published on July 28, 2012.
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