Monthly Gardening Guide

August Garden Guide

Mulch dahlias to conserve moisture and eliminate weeds.
Stake plants with heavy blooms.
Order spring-flowering bulbs for fall planting.
Keep phlox plants deadheaded. Never let phlox go to seed if you want to keep colors true.
Start seeds of daisy, coreopsis, sweet william, and pansy in peat pots or nursery beds. Transfer to permanent beds in late September. or early October.
Cut gladiolus blooms, leaving maximum amount of foliage on plants.
Transplant and divide iris and day lily.
Watch for red spider mites on phlox.
In mid-month, take cuttings of coleus, geraniums, and other plants for winter houseplants.
Plant chrysanthemums for fall color. Fall-planted chrysanthemums need extra winter protection.
Plant Madonna lily and Japanese and Siberian iris.
Continue watering flowerbeds at least once a week during dry periods.
Plant or transplant oriental poppies. Do not mulch, as they prefer hot, sunbaked ground.
Bring poinsettias indoors.
By the end of the month, start withholding water from amaryllis. Amaryllis requires an eight-week period of drought to bloom. Place in a cool basement for a three-month rest.
Sow cover crops in vegetable garden areas not in use.
Cut and dry or freeze herbs. Pick herbs just before blossoms open for best flavor.
Inspect corn regularly. Corn pests become abundant in mid-August.
Keep eggplant and peppers picked so younger fruit develops.
Plant late crops of radishes, lettuce, spinach, and beets.
Mid-August to mid-September is the best time to establish grass seed. Keep soil moist at all times or seed will dry and die.
Plant evergreens now through mid-September so they are well established before winter.
Remove thatch from lawn if more than one-half inch thick.
Tip layer black and purple raspberries for replacement.
Fertilize strawberries with 10-10-10 fertilizer applied at 2-3 pounds per 100 square feet. Thin plants if needed.
Maintain a lime-sulfur spray program on tree fruit to control apple and pear scab and certain other diseases.
Collect and bury diseased, mummified plums for future brown-rot control.

September Garden Guide

Allowing September rose blooms to stay on plants aids in winter protection. Watch for black spot on roses and remove infected leaves.
Lift gladiolus corms when leaves begin to brown. Dry in the sun a few days.
Divide most perennials except asters and mums, which haven’t bloomed.
Divide and replant peony roots. Avoid planting too deeply.
Bring coleus, geranium, caladium, and begonias indoors.
Place amaryllis in a cool basement for a 3-month rest period.
To set buds, Christmas cacti require a rest period and cool nights (55 degrees).
Sow snapdragons, cornflowers and other hardy annuals a few weeks before the first frost date. Mark where planted to avoid damaging seedlings in spring.
Carefully inspect spring flowering bulbs before planting. Discard soft bulbs.
Remove newly set tomatoes, blossoms and new growth five weeks before expected frost because they won’t have time to mature.
Sow annual ryegrass or oats for winter cover and green manure in beds that won’t be planted until late in spring. Keep watered.
Remove all weeds from garden before they go to seed.
Pinch out the growing points at the top of Brussels sprout stems so bottom sprouts will reach maturity.
Watch for early frosts. Cover the garden when frost is predicted to obtain up to another month of growth. Water plants well for greater frost protection and maximum growth.
Cut back perennials after frost.
Dig and pot parsley, chives and tender herbs for transfer indoors to a sunny window.
For better keeping, harvest carrots, beets and turnips before first frost kills foliage.
Gather squash, pumpkins and gourds when ripe and before frost damage. Leave a 2-inch stem on the vegetables for better storage.
Clear garden beds immediately after harvest. Destroy any diseased plants by burning, composting in a hot pile, or sealing in a container for disposal.
Early September is the latest time to plant spring-flowering shrubs.
Aerate lawn when temperature is 60-70 degrees.
Stop planting evergreens by mid-September.
Harvest pears when light green. Separate from the branch with a slight twisting motion.
Harvest grapes. Fertilize with one cup of bone meal per plant.
Harvest apples. Rake leaves and fallen fruit from apple trees to control disease and inspect for problems next year. Be careful not to injure long-lived fruiting spurs when harvesting.
Cut out spent raspberry and blackberry canes after fruiting.