10 Things to Do in the Garden in August

Our garden maintenance and planting calendar for the region, plus where to find inspiration

August 1, 2019

Katie Mullin,

related:

This Ever-Evolving Garden is an Air Plant Paradise

Our August garden feature: Time and patience result in a glorious garden of succulents and cacti in San Diego’s Clairemont neighborhood.

Read the story here.

10 Things to Do in the Garden in August

1. Reduce fire risk by removing dead branches, tree limbs that are touching roofs and eaves, and debris from shrubs.

2. Harvest homegrown crops. Pick cucumbers, squash and beans daily, while they are still young, and corn when the silk turns brown and the juice in the kernels is milky and sweet.

3. Cut your roses back by one-third at the end of the month. Renew mulch and deep-water once a week to encourage new growth.

4. Buy bearded iris when it arrives in area nurseries this month. Look for firm, plump rhizomes with a fan of green leaves. Plant them with the top of the rhizome exposed to the sun.

5. Add annuals to refresh summer-seared gardens with color into fall. When planting from six-packs or four-inch pots, be sure to water regularly until established.

6. Protect potted plants from sunburn. Signs to look for are yellow blotches or dry, brown spots.

7. Pull out alstroemeria stalks once flowers fade; do not cut them.

8. Pinch off basil flower stalks before they have a chance to grow and bloom. If allowed to flower leaf production stops as the plant sets seed and dies.

9. Start a garden journal. Reflect on your landscape design, determine which plants are performers, think about where your yard might benefit from more texture or color, or where you might like to place a new arbor or pergola.

10. Monitor container plants as soils dry out quickly in the heat. Water regularly and deeply and give them a feeding with a slow-release fertilizer.

What’s Inspiring Me Right Now

I’m following…@taryns_garden to get useful information and incredible visuals for the everyday gardener. I find myself scrolling through Taryn’s feed often and I love her passion for organic gardening.

I’m also following…Christina at Little Sprouts Learning on Pinterest—a one-stop shop for all the things I’m always searching for on Pinterest: recipes, garden tips, free printables (always a win) and ideas to keep my kids entertained such as making Shrinky Dinks out of recycled plastic (genius), making stepping stones and fun water play ideas. She is a MUST follow.