Hello Friends, Neighbors, Fellow Gardeners,
It’s August and summer is almost over! There is still time to enjoy summer activities in August. Here are some garden tips, educational opportunities, and events for August. Events include Fireside Fridays, Maryland Farmers Market Week, The 2018 Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail, Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, Nature Matters: Promise of a Vacant Lot, Brookside Garden’s Wings of Fancy, Music on the Farm, Food Matters: Foodie Fridays Speaker Series, Outdoor Movie Night: Led Zeppelin Played Here, and more!
Planning:
- It is harvest time and also a good time to start taking stock of what worked well and what didn’t work well for you this season. Take garden photos and make notes in your garden journal.
- Attend a county fair and enter some of your garden bounty.
- Take advantage of plant sales.
- Peruse fall bulb catalogs.
- Plan who is going to water plants during your vacation.
- Plan where to plant fall bulbs.
- Start collecting plant seeds for next year and for trading.
- Order garlic, onions, and shallots for fall planting.
- Start shopping for spring bulbs.
- As the heat and humidity move in, take it easy by working in the morning or early evening to avoid intense sun and humidity. Leave the big projects for the fall. For now concentrate on maintaining the beds you’ve already established and nurturing your new plantings.
- Check your local garden center for end-of-summer bargains.
- Check out gardening books from your local library to read on vacation.
- Want to grow a butterfly garden? Check this article “How to Build a Butterfly Garden in Your Backyard” by Home Advisor. Thanks to Tess, one of our readers, for sharing this article!
- Have a question about gardening? Check the University of Maryland Extension’s New Maryland Grows blog for garden tips.
- Support our local farmers! Visit a local farmers’ market near you. Download Montgomery County’s Office of Agriculture 2018 Farmers Market Flyer to find a farmer’s market near you.
Flowers and Groundcovers:
- Cut petunia stems back by 2/3rds and fertilize.
- Start seeds for fall annuals such as pansies, calendula, flowering cabbage, kale, and other fall annuals.
- Don’t fertilize plants that slow down in the heat, but keep them watered.
- Divide and cut back Bearded Iris, Hostas, Peonies, and Day Lilies.
- Cut back any leggy Asters or Mums.
- Annuals are now hitting their peak. Keep them well-watered and add a little liquid fertilizer every few weeks to keep them going through September.
- As the days get cooler, plant hardy mums.
- Gather roses to enjoy indoors and be sure to make the cut just above a five-leaf unit.
- Feed your roses and new plantings with slow-release fertilizer sparingly.
- Spray roses with Neem oil every two weeks.
- Pests to watch for: Aphids, spidermites, whiteflies, snails, slugs
- Diseases to watch for: Powdery mildew, Fungal leaf spot
- See UMD’s HGIC’s August Flower tips for more details.
Trees and Shrubs:
- Prune evergreens to get in shape for fall/winter.
- Prune foundation shrubs and trees to be no closer than 1 foot from the house.
- Prune and thin shrubs (forsythia, lilacs, and azaleas) that have already flowered.
- Contact a certified arborist to have your trees’ health inspected.
- Hold off planting new trees and shrubs until the summer heat has passed.
- Check often and water newly planted and transplanted trees if they don’t pass the “finger test” (stick your finger deep into the soil – dry? Water!)
- If you must mulch, remove old mulch then add 2″ – 3″ shredded pine or pine needles, keeping 3″ away from the trunk.
- Avoid hardwood mulch (water phobic).
- Remove Ivy, Pachysandra, and other vine-like groundcover from under shrubs.
- Remove dead and dying trees.
- Pests to watch for: Gypsy moths, azalea lacebug, adelgids, aphids, bagworms, borer, caterpillars, scale, sawfly, spidermites, leafminers, and Japanese beetles.
- Diseases to watch for: Powdery mildew
- See HGIC’s August Trees and Shrubs Tips for more details.
Herbs, Veggies, and Fruit:
- Remove finished plants.
- Cut off bottom, yellowed foliage on tomato plants.
- Preserve gourds and dry flowers for display in the fall.
- Buy raspberries and peaches at a local pick-your-own farm or visit a local farmer’s market.
- Pinch back any straying strawberry runners.
- Harvest strawberry beds daily.
- Harvest leaves of herbs used in cooking (rosemary, basil, sage) in the early morning, for best flavor.
- Harvest regularly from your vegetable garden to prevent rot and waste.
- Harvest onions when tops die back.
- Clean up fallen fruits and berries.
- Thin seedlings.
- At the end of the month, begin planting cool-season vegetables (turnips, carrots, beans, beets, spinach, Chinese cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts).
- Hand pick cabbage worms from broccoli and other cabbage family plants.
- Watch for insect and disease problems throughout your garden.
- Pests to watch for: Corn borer, corn earworm, asparagus, beetles, squash vine borer, tomato hornworm, rabbits, deer, woodchucks, birds
- Diseases to watch for: Powdery mildew, Fungal, bacterial, viral diseases
- Here are some more fruit and vegetable gardening tips for August from UMD’s HGIC.
Lawns:
- Cool season lawns go dormant in hot, dry weather—Do Not Water.
- Mow in the early evening and cut no more than 1/3 of grass height at one time. Leave clippings on the ground to provide nutrients.
- Turn your compost pile.
- Lawn over seeding may be done now through October.
- Keep newly seeded lawns well watered!
- Apply grub control to your lawn.
- The annual soil science calendars from the Natural Resources Conservation Service are both educational and beautifully done. The one for 2018 as well as those for previous years are available as free PDFs here: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/
wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ soils/edu/ ?cid=nrcseprd1250008 - 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.
- Remove old leaves, damaged stems.
- Bring Christmas cactus and poinsettias indoors if you took them outdoors for the summer in preparation for holiday blooming. Fertilize them and put them where they’ll get just 10 hours’ bright light per day.
- Move to shady location for summer.
- Re-pot the houseplants that you’ve moved outside for the summer.
- Re-pot and fertilize houseplants when new growth begins.
- Maintain moisture in pots wintering indoors, but do not over water!
- Keep all houseplants out of drafts and away from heat vents.
- Clean the leaves of your indoor houseplants to prevent dust and film to build-up.
- Remove old leaves, damaged stems.
- Fertilize houseplants now that they are actively growing again.
- Pests to watch for: aphids, mealybug, spider mites, scale, and whitefly
- See HGIC’s August Houseplants Tips for more tips.
Indoor/Outdoor Insect and Wildlife Tips:
- Check for mosquito breeding grounds. Dump out any water that sits stagnant for more than three days.
- Hand-pick Japanese Beetles or shake them off over a bucket of dishwater. Early morning is a good time to catch them, while they are still drowsy.
- Look for slug trails in the early morning and put out slug bait (beer traps or Sluggo pellets) as needed.
- Make hummingbird food by boiling two cups of sugar in four cups of water.
- Clean and refill bird feeders.
- Switch your deer deterrent spray.
- Wash and refill the bird bath or set out a shallow bowl of water in icy weather.
- Be vigilant for mosquito breeding spots — any standing water from a bottle cap to blocked gutters, and clean them out quickly.
- Add Mosquito Dunks to any standing water in your yard such as birdbaths, downspouts, plant saucers, and gutters.
- Vacuum up any ladybugs that come in the house.
- Caulk and seal your outside walls to prevent insect entry into your home.
- Check for vole problems and set up traps.
- 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.
Please Support the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club
Hello Friends, Neighbors,
Please support the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club! Your donations will help us continue to provide garden-related programs to the community and pay for maintaining and landscaping the Mill Creek Towne main entrances.
https://www.mctgardenclub.org/donations/
We accept donations throughout the year. Thanks to all of you that have recently donated as well as those of you who have supported us in the past years! Thanks for your continued support of the Mill Creek Towne Garden Club and our community programs!
Mill Creek Towne Garden Club – Derwood, Maryland
https://www.mctgardenclub.org | info@mctgardenclub.org | Like us on Facebook
August
See below for upcoming local events in August.
Montgomery Parks Special Events & Festivals
More events are being added regularly. Please check back often!
Save the dates for these upcoming events! Events include Fireside Fridays, Maryland Farmers Market Week, The 2018 Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail, Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, Nature Matters: Promise of a Vacant Lot, Brookside Garden’s Wings of Fancy, Music on the Farm, Food Matters: Foodie Fridays Speaker Series, Outdoor Movie Night: Led Zeppelin Played Here, and more!
Master Gardener Plant Clinics
Varied Locations, dates, and times
 |
|
What can Master Gardeners do for you?
- Help you select and care for annual and perennial plants, shrubs and trees.
- Determine if you need to test your soil.
- Provide you with information on lawn care.
- Identify weeds, beneficial and noxious insects, and plant diseases and remedies.
- Teach you how to use pesticides, mulch and compost.
- Guide you in pruning trees and shrubs.
- Provide you with options for managing wildlife.
- Provide you with gardening resources.
- Help you submit a plant sample for diagnosis
Plant Clinics are held at several sites in the county on a weekly basis and at special events such as garden festivals and the county fair. Regularly scheduled Plant Clinics are located at public libraries and farmers’ markets throughout the county as well as at the Audubon Naturalist Society in Chevy Chase. There are also clinics three days per week at Brookside Gardens. The busiest season is April through September, but some clinics are open year-round. Bring your plant samples and questions to one of these locations in Montgomery County, MD (see link below to find a location near you):
Derwood Farmer’s Market
Fresh local farm fruits, veggies, meats, baked goodies, arts, kids activities, live music and more. Meet sustainable local farmers and from-scratch makers of edibles!
Located at the parking lot in front of Derwood Alliance Church, 16501 Redland Road, Rockville, MD 20855.
Fireside Fridays
Fri. August 10th, 2018
5:30pm to 7:30pm
Looking for a family friendly Friday activity? Look no further! Every Friday from 5:30 – 7:30, join one of our naturalists around the campfire in our Woodland Amphitheater. During the first hour you are welcome to bring your dinner to cook and enjoy around the campfire, then roast marshmallows provided by the Nature Center. During the second hour one of our naturalists will lead an evening program on subjects ranging from bats to folklore. You are welcome to stay afterwards for the flying squirrel program! Rain cancels program.
Intended for ages 3&up
This event will be held at Brookside Nature Center
$6
Maryland Farmers Market Week
Sunday – Saturday, August 5-11
Governor Larry Hogan has declared August 5-11 as Maryland Farmers Market Week to coincide with the 19th annual National Farmers Market Week. Check out farms and Maryland seafood purveyors on the Maryland’s Best website.
The 2018 Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail
Maryland has nine dairy farms that offer fresh, delicious on-farm ice cream. Together, they make up the Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail. Visit each creamery and get your trail passport stamped before September 25th and you may be named Maryland’s 2018 Ice Cream Trail Blazer! 2018 MD’s Best Ice Cream Trail Passport
http://marylandsbest.maryland.gov/marylands-best-ice-cream-trail/
Homegrown By Heroes
The Maryland Department of Agriculture in partnership with the Farmer Veteran Coalition 
and MidAtlantic Farm Credit are pleased to announce the Maryland’s Best – Homegrown By Heroes Program. The purpose of this program is to support Maryland veteran farmers by branding products with the Maryland’s Best – Homegrown By Heroes logo and offering assistance through other […]
Montgomery County Agricultural Fair
Friday, August 10 – Saturday, August 18
16 Chestnut St.,
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
The largest agricultural county fair in Maryland; features farm animals, rides, food and entertainment.
General Admission: $12, Children 11 & under are FREE (Free same day re-admission, get your hand stamped at the gate before departing).
Parking: $10 cash per car at the fairgrounds.
Group Rate: $7 per person (with 15 people or more). Must be purchased in one transaction at the Fair office and picked up prior to the first day of the Fair.
FREE parking and shuttle bus service from Lakeforest Mall, located at Lost Knife Rd. and Odenhal Ave.
Nature Matters: Promise of a Vacant Lot
Food Matters: Foodie Fridays Speaker Series
Friday, August 24th
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Brookside Gardens
1800 Glenallan Avenue
Wheaton, MD 20902
FREE
Food Matters: Foodie Fridays is monthly speaker series that features story telling of farmers, educators, chefs, community organizers, and food lovers. Each month throughout the summer, we will have presentations that highlight why food matters and how it continues to impact residents of Montgomery County and the metropolitan region. Each session, you will have an opportunity to engage with experts of the regional food system and engage with community members. We hope you’ll join us for learning, sharing, and tasting at Foodie Fridays! Foodie Fridays is a compliment to the Trees Matter Symposium, Green Matters Symposium, and Nature Matters Speaker series from the Horticulture, Forestry, and Environmental Education Division of Montgomery Parks.
Music on the Farm
September
Fall Plant Sale
Saturday – Sunday, September 8-9, 2018
Saturday, September 8, 2018 | 10 AM-3 PM
(Saturday 8 AM -10 AM – Open to FOBG members only)
Sunday, September 9, 2018 | 9 AM – 12 PM
Friends of Brookside Gardens
1800 Glenallan Ave.
Wheaton, Maryland 20902
Mark your calendar! FOBG’s popular annual plant sale is coming just in time for fall planting. For more information, visit http://www.friendsofbrooksidegardens.org/plantsale2018