Charlotte's Garden

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Monthly Garden Tips

August

Azaleas and Camellias

Don't prune now! You'll cut off buds that are forming for next year. Keep well watered and fertilize this month with an Azalea-Camellia fertilizer, or something similar.

Bulbs

Plant Autumn crocus, sternbergia, and spider lily for Fall blooms.
Order your Spring-blooming bulbs now to plant this fall. Examples: narcissus, tulips, crocuses, hyacinths, and anemones.
Cannas-keep faded blooms removed to prolong season. Fertilize for the last time, this month.

Flowers

Continue to water and fertilize plants in pots. The frequent watering needed this time of year washes the nutrients out of the soil.
When either annuals or perennials get scraggly, cut them back by about 1/3 and fertilize.
Keep deadheading to keep the garden neat and promote blooming.

• Annuals
  If an annual is looking sickly, or just yucky, this late in the season, pull it up and toss it.
  Beds will benefit from mulch to keep the roots cool, and conserve moisture.
  Root cuttings of geraniums now, for potted plants this winter.
  Plant bells of Ireland, celosia, marigolds, zinnias, nasturtiums, snapdragons, and calendula for late blooms.
  Sow seeds of hardy annuals, such as cornflower, California poppy, pansy, sweet alyssum, Wallflower, calendula, and candytuft for flowers early next Spring.
  Plant seeds of flowering Kale in August. Plant in full sun, in good garden soil. Water frequently during dry spells.


• Perennials
  If a perennial is looking sickly, or just yucky, cut it back to just a few inches. It should come back looking healthier, either this Fall or in the Spring.
  Move daylilies and Shasta daisies now, if over crowded. Set divisions out at least 12 inches apart.
  Mums are available in many colors now for the fall garden. They look nice, either massed in beds, or in pots. Feed with 5-10-10 fertilizer to keep in good condition.


• BiennialsBR>Sow seeds of biennials such as foxgloves, honesty, and sweet William. They will grow leaves one year, and bloom the next.

Herbs

Keep flowers and foliage of basil trimmed to increase production of new leaves.
Rosemary is usually hardy in the Lower South, but must be taken inside for the winter in the Upper South. In the Middle South, gardeners should provide protection against winterkill.
To have an indoor herb garden this winter, start taking divisions of mint, thyme, chives, oregano, and marjoram. Herbs better started from seed include parsley, basil, and dill. Place in a sunny window or grow under a plant light.

Houseplants

Houseplants, which are spending the summer outside, need more water than they did inside.
Keep yellowed leaves and dead wood removed, to keep them looking their best.

Lawns

Continue to mow, to control weeds.

Pecans

If you have a problem with pecan weevils, spray for weevils with ¼ pound Sevin to 10 gallons water per tree,during first week of August, and continue weekly sprays for 8 to 9 weeks.

Roses

Ever-blooming roses need to be pruned and fertilized now to prepare for a big fall show. Remove dead canes and cut healthy canes back by 1/3.
Water once each week, and add clean mulch as needed.
Make monthly applications of fertilizer, until about 4 weeks before the first expected frost date for your area.
Remove faded blooms to prevent production of hips. Also remove any hips already formed, so the energy will go into making flowers.

Shrubs and Trees

Early this month, feed trees and shrubs for a final time this season with 8-8-8, or similar, fertilizer at ½ the suggested dose.
Acid loving plants, such as azaleas, camellias, gardenias and blueberries, may need fertilizer this month. Watch for signs of iron deficiency, like yellow, young leaves.
Crepe Myrtle-remove old flower clusters so new buds can form. Keep watered.
Gardenias-Plant now so they can become established by winter. Water new plants every 3 to 4 rainless days during the fall and winter.
Now is the time to take cuttings from broad-leaved trees and shrubs. Cut sections of stems 3 to 6 inches long, leaving about ½ inch below a stem node. Strip off all but 2 leaves at the top. Dip in rooting hormone, and stick in a moist mixture of sphagnum moss and perlite. Keep moist in bright indirect light. They should root in 4 to 6 weeks. Keep in sheltered location through the Winter, and plant when you see growth in early Spring.

Vegetables

You can make a final planting of cucumbers, squash and bush beans, this month. Also start sowing cool-weather vegetables, like cabbage, broccoli, beets, carrots, spinach, Brussels sprouts, and onions. Keep seedbeds moist until plants emerge.
Plant short season tomatoes, in very warm regions, late this month, or early next, for fall tomatoes.
Watch for tomato hornworms. They have a horn on one end, but will not sting you. Either pick them off with your hand, or spray with Bacillus Thuringiensis, sold as Dipel or Thuricide.
Harvest often. If vegetable production has slowed down, due to the heat, keep watering and be patient. Production should increase when the temperature cools down a bit.
In most of the South, you can plant Irish potatoes, now. They won't grow as big as those planted in the Spring, but they should get big enough to eat. In the upper South, plant early in the month, in the lower South, plant toward the end of the month.
Winter squash, planted last Spring, should be bearing this month. Do not harvest for storage until the rind is hard. If you can't puncture the rind deeply with your fingernail, it will store well.
Garlic planted now, will be ready for harvest early next Summer. Plant in full sun, 4 to 6 inches apart and 3 inches deep. Foliage will remain through the winter. The garlic is ready to harvest when the leaves begin to yellow.