August in the garden is a transition period. For the most part, our planting is completed, and it can feel like our work is done, but there is still lots to do.
Let’s talk a bit about what the garden needs this month:
Annuals may need extra care this month. If you have not been fertilizing on a regular basis, your flowers may look a bit sad and need replacing. It may be hard to find the common annuals at this stage of the season but consider adding some perennials to your containers that you can later plant in the ground. I love using black-eyed Susan, coneflower, coral bell, fern, hosta, and ornamental grass to freshen up tired annual pots. They will look great through fall and then add to the perennial garden in the fall.
It is also a great time to take stock of what did and did not work in your annual plantings. This is where keeping a garden journal comes in handy. Making notes now when things are fresh in our minds will save time next spring. I like to keep a visual journal to remind me of combinations that I really loved, so I can repeat them next year.
Keeping up with weeding in the garden all season may not be our most favorite chore, but it will make it easier next year. Fewer weed seeds now mean fewer weeds next year.
In the vegetable garden, there is still time to plant second crops of beans, snap peas, broccoli, spinach, beets, and lettuce, just to name a few.
Keep an eye out for pest and disease problems and deal with them as they appear, and it will be easier to control them. Again, keeping a journal to record when and what the problems where will help you next year to anticipate when to start scouting for potential problems.
In the perennial bed, watering and weeding are the most important things to keep up on.
August is the month that I start planning what to plant in the fall. It is easy to make notes on where the garden needs more color as some of the earlier blooming perennials start to fade. I am also making notes on where I can tuck in a few more flowering shrubs, and what needs to be moved and/or divided come fall.
Most importantly, please take time to enjoy the garden and the fruits of your labor. Take time to look at the unique shapes of individual flowers. Listen to the insects and birds that your garden is supporting. Notice how your plants move in the summer breeze.
If we forget to take time to appreciate the garden and only worry about what we have not done, we miss the whole point of gardening.