Hello Friends, Neighbors, Fellow Gardeners,

It’s August already, and summer has gone by too fast.  There is a lot to do to enjoy summer before the season ends. Here are some garden tips, educational opportunities, and events for August. Events include Brookside Garden’s Wings of Fancy,  Soulful Supper at Harper’s Cabin, Agricultural History Farm Park Open House Thursdays, From Field to Fabric workshop at the Agricultural History Farm Park, Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, Underground Railroad Trail Saturday Guided Hike, Hiking Through History, and more!

Planning:

• It is harvest time and also a good time to start taking stock of what worked well for you this season and what didn’t.
• Take garden photos and make notes in your garden journal.
• Begin planning for fall plantings.
• Start collecting plant seeds for next year and for trading.
• Order spring-flowering bulbs to arrive for planting this fall.
• Order garlic, onions, and shallots for fall planting.
• Take advantage of plant sales.
• Check your local garden center for end-of-summer bargains.
• Attend a county fair and enter some of your garden bounty.
• Support our local farmers! Visit a local farmers’ market near you. Download Montgomery County’s Office of Agriculture Farmer’s Market Flyer to find a farmer’s market near you. Or visit the main Montgomery County Farmers Market website. Don’t miss Montgomery County’s Ag Fair August 11–19, 2017!
• Go on a local house or garden tour to see what plants are thriving in other’s area home gardens: http://www.visitmaryland.org/list/gardens-Maryland

Flowers and Groundcovers:

• Deadhead spent flowers to encourage reblooming.
• Cut petunia stems back by 2/3rds and fertilize.
• Divide and cut back Bearded Iris and Peonies.
• Divide Hostas and Daylilies.
• Start seeds of pansies, calendula, flowering cabbage, kale, and other fall annuals.
• Don’t fertilize plants that slow down in the heat, but keep them watered. Fertilize lightly plants that are blooming heavily.
• Pinch back any leggy Asters or mums.
• Inspect for powdery mildew. If seen, prune back perennials to create needed circulation.
• Renew your container plantings, which may be looking a bit ragged at this point.
• Pests to watch for: aphids, spidermites, whiteflies
• Diseases to watch for:  Blackspot on roses; powdery mildew, rust, bacterial diseases, fungal leaf spot.
• See UMD’s HGIC’s August Flower tips for more details.

Trees and Shrubs:

• Don’t transplant azaleas this month. Avoid late summer pruning.
• Prune foundation shrubs and trees to be no closer than 1 foot from the house.
• Prune evergreens to get in shape for fall/winter.
• Prune and thin shrubs that have already flowered.
• Water slowly and deeply if summer is very dry.
• Water newly planted trees and shrubs weekly or as needed.
• Pests to watch for:  adelgids, aphids, azalea lacebug, bagworms, borers, caterpillars, gypsy moths, Japanese beetles, leafminers, scale, sawfly, spidermites, and webworms.
• Diseases to watch for: powdery mildew
• See HGIC’s August Trees and Shrubs Tips for more details.

• Cool season lawns go dormant in hot, dry weather. Do Not Water.
• Some grasses can still be planted. Over seeding may be done now through October.
• Keep newly seeded lawns well watered!
• Water established lawns deeply but infrequently.
• Mow in the early evening and cut off no more than one-third of the grass height at one time. Leave clippings on the ground to provide nutrients.
• Apply pre-emergent weed control such as corn gluten.
• Apply grub control to your lawn.
• Turn your compost pile weekly and don’t let it dry out. Work compost into your planting beds.
• Diseases to watch for: brown patch, and red thread
• Pests to watch for: Grubs
• See HGIC’s August Lawn Tips for more details.

Indoors/Houseplants:

• Prune potted bougainvillea or hanging baskets that will overwinter inside.
• Bring Christmas cactus and poinsettias indoors if you took them out for the summer in preparation for holiday blooming. Fertilize them and put them where they’ll get just 10 hours of bright light per day.
• Remove old leaves, damaged stems.
• Monitor houseplants that are outside for insect problems.
• Fertilize houseplants now that they are actively growing again.
• Repot root-bound houseplants and start fertilizing them.
• Pests to watch for:  aphids, mealybug, spider mites,  whitefly and scale.
• See HGIC’s August Houseplants Tips for more tips.
  

Indoor/Outdoor Insect and Wildlife Tips:

• Change the water of your birdbath daily and throw a Mosquito Dunk (or bits) into any standing water.
• Clean your hummingbird feeders and add new sugar-water every three days.
• Check for mosquito breeding grounds. Dump out any water that sits stagnant for more than three days.
• Switch your deer deterrent spray.
• See HGIC’s August Insect Tips for more details.
• Watch for: carpenter ants, flies, stink bugs, termites, rabbits, raccoons, groundhogs, deer, moles, snakes, squirrels, and voles.
• For more information on wildlife management and attracting wildlife see HGIC’s August Wildlife tips.

Source: University of Maryland’s Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) and the Washington Gardener.

See below for upcoming local events in August.

This photo of Underground Railroad Experience Trail Hikes is courtesy of TripAdvisor