By Claudette Sims, Halton Master Gardener
Perennials
Cut back any tired-looking perennials, yellowed or dying stems, leaves, or flowers, e.g., lavender, penstemon, perennial geranium. Remove seed heads to control the spread of aggressive self-sowing perennials or to save seeds for winter sowing. Where possible, leave seed heads to feed birds in the late summer and fall.
Annuals
Pinch back old flower heads or lightly shear the tops to keep plants producing flowers.
Potted plants and baskets
Potted plants and baskets may need more than one watering per day during hot weather. If plants wilt despite watering, gently tip them out to see if they are pot-bound and need a larger container.
Fertilizer
Fertilize plants as needed using a slow-release organic product such as hen manure.
Veggies
Water at ground level during dry or hot weather to reduce plant stress. Remove diseased and damaged leaves/fruit. Avoid high nitrogen fertilizers on tomatoes, squash, and peppers, as they can lead to blossom end rot. Harvest vegetables and berries regularly so that the plants keep producing. Add new plantings like chard, radishes, carrots, kale, spinach, turnip, beets, and basil as temperatures cool. Identify veggie pests to take effective action.
Strawberries
August is a good time to renovate your strawberry beds.
Phalaenopsis orchids
Inspect plants for pests and complete any repotting this month. Fertilize weekly and water carefully. Encouraging healthy new leaves will give your Phalaenopsis orchids the energy to bloom well this winter.
Trees
Water deeply during hot, dry periods; reduce soil compaction around trees by using mulch or growing perennials or shrubs at the base instead of lawn. Water newly-planted trees and shrubs weekly. Check for magnolia scale. Use a strong spray from your hose or a gentler spray from a pressure washer to knock the scale from your trees and allow ladybugs the chance to control them.
Lawn
Encourage deep roots by watering less frequently, but more deeply. Follow these cultural practices to have healthy lawns that use water-efficient practices.
Weeds
Every weed pulled now is thousands of weeds you won’t have to deal with later! Removing flowers before they go to seed will greatly reduce the seed bank in the soil. Don’t add flowers or seeds to compost. Watch for these August weeds: bindweed, purslane, creeping bellflower, thistle, burdock, black medick, dog strangling vine, yellow wood sorrel, buckthorn,
The“Dog Days of Summer” are the hottest, most humid period of the year. The expression originates from ancient Greece and Rome, where it was associated with the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star, alongside the sun. They believed this amplified the sun’s heat and brought about a period of intense heat, drought, and even illness. Let’s hope the dog days are done!
— Claudette Simms, Halton Master Gardener
“Pests”
Let’s stop reaching for pesticides to control insects. Plants were made to be eaten: they transform the energy from the sun into food for insects, animals, and humans. Plants can tolerate some herbivory, and many can produce chemical compounds to fight pests if you give them a chance.
Remember that a lot of ‘damage’ is cosmetic, and leaving the “pest” for birds to eat supports our dwindling bird population. So welcome robins, crows, sparrows, blue jays, cardinals, and animals like raccoons, skunks, moles, shrews; they all eat Japanese beetles. Add wildflowers to attract beneficial spiders, assassin bugs, ants, groundbeetles, predatory stink bugs, and tachinid flies
to keep your garden in balance.
Earwigs like to hide in small, dark places, so trapping is effective in reducing populations. Scatter rolled cardboard traps in problem areas and check daily. Remove trapped earwigs by shaking them into a pail of soapy water. Learn more about earwig management here.
