By August , summer is a sticky , dust - encrusted , wear - out old shoe . Most of us prefer to give up the garden to find a pushover elsewhere . And many of us will rejoin to lament a garden past its efflorescence and full of crabgrass . Heat , drouth , and ambivalency do intervene with flora vigor , which can have gaps in the flower parade , but your garden still has potential difference as a pollinator feeding post well into fall . Take time in August to reload the garden ’s batteries — and yours .
Have a vacation plan in place . If you go aside , consider hiring a professional flora sitter . Or promise a friend a token in exchange for watering your container , harvesting tomatoes and blackberry bush , and keeping the birdbath topped up . Even if you ca n’t go away , bunch your container in the tad within comfortable reach of the hosiery to make watering less of a chore . curb the forecast ; if there ’s no pelting in sight , give the garden ’s fresh acquisition a deep soak before you leave .
Fertilize container , annuals , legal tender perennials , and roses one more fourth dimension . man-made flower booster is all right for containers . In the garden , douse annuals and ship’s boat perennials with a dilute solution of constitutive Pisces the Fishes or seaweed emulsion . Scratch a generous handful of an organic gritty slow - button fertilizer into the soil around your roses . They and your yearly and tender perennials will reward you with a fall hot flash of bloom that will delight pollinator . acquire more about whichfertilizer is safe for unlike state of affairs here .
Shear the garden . Pick bouquets , snip giantism , and deadhead to advance another round of growth and flowering . The bouquets image above are made of zinnias ( Zinnia eleganscvs . , annual ) , cosmos ( Cosmos bipinnatuscvs . , annual ) , tassel flowers ( Emilia javanica , yearly ) , dahlias ( Dahliacvs . , Zones 7–11 ) , mountain heap ( Pycnanthemum muticum , Zones 4–8 ) , and ‘ Henry Eilers ’ sweet coneflower ( Rudbeckia subtomentosa‘Henry Eilers ’ , Zones 4–8 ) .
Propagate cuttings . Make an investment in next twelvemonth ’s garden ; raw maturation on tender perennials such as salvias ( Salviaspp . and cvs . , Zones 5–11 ) , heliotrope ( Heliotropium arborescensand cvs . , Zones 10–11 ) , cuphea ( Cupheaspp . and cvs . , Zones 8–12 ) , and scented and zonal geraniums ( Pelargoniumspp . and cvs . , Zones 10–11 ) will be ripe for multiplication by confidential information cutting . Look for tip that are sturdy but not woody and have n’t yet make a heyday bud . Scented and zonal geranium tips are more likely to root if allowed to form a callus before being stuck in dampened perlite . befog the foliation to prevent wilt disease , and let the cut finish poke out of an open pliant traveling bag overnight . Once rootle , your potted - up cuttings will ask to overwinter indoors ; a cool , sunny windowsill will do . Learn more about propagating tip cuttings here .
Do n’t let weeds go to come . If the filth is dry , cut them off at ground level . The possibility is that their antecedent will snuff it from lack of nourishment . As a bonus , the less you disturb the soil , the few weed seeds will surface to germinate in the light of twenty-four hour period . Keep in intellect that with more plants in your garden , you will have less grease exposed to the chemical element , less actual the three estates available to timeserving weeds , and fewer weeds you will be able-bodied to see .
Get your spring medulla oblongata orders in . Kick back in the hammock with a stack of books and bulb catalogs , and think leap . Refer to your April wishing lists , and leave for some impulse shopping . found your final excerption on a uninterrupted outflow show , then get your orders in before the good and newest choices sell out . Check out one of these resource for new and interesting diversity :
Or only take a measure back . meter off will refresh your exuberance , and your garden will benefit . And it will still be there , better than ever , in September .
— Kristin Green is writer ofPlantiful : Start Small , arise Big With 150 Plants That Spread , Self - Sow , and Overwinter . She gardens in Bristol , Rhode Island .
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Containers grouped against the house get morning sun and afternoon shade.Photo: Kristin Green
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If you’re going on vacation, ask a friend or neighbor to care for your plants.Photo: Kristin Green
Pick the right fertilizer for each of your plants.Photo: Michelle Provaznik
Cutting annuals and perennials for arrangements prompts continued flowering.Photo: Kristin Green
These cuttings of peppermint-scented geranium (Pelargonium tomentosum, Zones 8–11) are forming calluses prior to rooting.Photo: Kristin Green
A tightly packed garden has less space for weeds to grow.Photo: Kristin Green
Get your orders in for your favorite varieties of spring-blooming bulbs, like these ‘White Magic’ grape hyacinths (Muscari aucheri‘White Magic’, Zones 4–9), before they sell out.Photo: Michelle Gervais
