ENJOYING AUGUST GARDENS

~Written by Mike Darcy (Iris blooming and iris dividing photos; courtesy of Schreiner's Iris Garden, Salem, OR. Limelight hydrangea and hummingbird photos by Rich Baer.)

A garden is meant to be an enjoyable place to visit and August it is a perfect time to spend some relaxing time in your own garden and enjoy the fruits of your labors. Some of my gardening friends consider this month to be a sort of 'down' time, meaning no major planting but, of course, basic maintenance must continue to keep things looking good. I like to remind myself and others that a garden is never finished and there is always something to do. Whether it is pulling a weed that has suddenly appeared in the flower bed or trimming a branch that has grown over the path, a garden does require continued grooming. But by August, we have probably done most of the planting and other than grooming, probably the most time consuming chore is watering.

This is also a good time to visit your local garden center and see what is blooming. While we often think of spring/early summer as peak blooming time for most trees and shrubs, and it is, however you might surprised at how many trees and shrubs bloom in August. In my own garden, for whatever reason, the hydrangeas are spectacular. I have noticed this in other gardens as well, perhaps our cool and wet spring created ideal conditions for them.

One of my favorite Hydrangeas is one called Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'. I first saw a mass planning of this last summer in a Portland garden and thought it was spectacular and knew then that I needed some in my garden. The flower buds are lime green and open to white with a greenish cast. The blooms then fade to pale pink and continue to provide color in the fall with darkening bloom heads. I have learned that Hydrangeas like a soil rich in compost and I used a 50% mix of Black Gold Soil Conditioner and mixed this with my garden soil when I planted them. I have also found that with the hot weather of summer, adding this same material (Black Gold Soil Conditioner) and gently working it into the soil beneath the plants is a big benefit as it helps to hold the moisture around the root zone.

August is also the month to divide bearded iris. If you have a clump of bearded iris and they have not been blooming as well as you expect, perhaps they need to be divided. Generally if an iris clump is over three years old and not blooming heavily, that is a signal to divide it. Bearded iris are very easy to divide and all you need is a sharp knife or shovel. When you replant the rhizome, work Black Gold Bone Meal into the soil beneath the rhizome. This will provide fertilizer to help it get started and the high phosphorus content (middle number) on the bone meal is good for root development. The individual rhizome should be planted horizontally and not too deep, perhaps half covered with soil. As Ray Schreiner from Schreiner's Iris Gardens in Salem, Oregon commented; "think of it like a duck on water".

August and September are the months to plant bearded iris and garden centers should have rhizomes for sale. Consider planting them as part of a mixed flower bed for a beautiful multi flower effect in the spring.

If you have beans in your vegetable garden, keep them picked. If you leave them on the plant too long, there is a tendency for the plants to stop producing new flowers. By keeping the beans picked on a regular basis, you should extend the season of the flowers and thus the beans themselves.

The early ripening tomatoes should be ripe and you should probably be harvesting some of the small fruiting varieties as well. Often times tomato plants get so thick with foliage, it is a good idea to thin out some of the inner branches and allow for better air circulation. Better air movement can also help prevent some diseases. If you live in an area with the probability of a frost by late September/early October, you might consider removing the flowers clusters on the late maturing tomato plants. This would be the beefsteak type and some of the heirloom. The reason for this is that if you do not have green fruit now, you are most likely not to get fruit that would have time to mature. By removing the flower clusters, this gives the plant more energy to supply to the existing fruit.

I think a garden should be alive with birds, bees, butterflies and other insects. Be sure to have a source of water for these creatures. We have a large bowl shaped water feature at one end of our garden and the water gently flows over the side. It is not uncommon to see a hummingbird resting on the pot rim and letting the water flow over its' feet. Whenever I witness this, I consider it a perfect moment.

Check out last month's article "Summer Blooms" By Mike Darcy

About Mike Darcy

It might be helpful to know a little bit about me so here is a brief summary. I live and garden in a suburb of Portland, Oregon and have lived here since 1969.

I grew in up Tucson, Arizona where I worked at a small retail nursery during my high school and college years. My ‘formal’ education was from the University of Arizona where I received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Horticulture. I use the word ‘formal’ because while the classes were valuable, I greatly value the experience I have gotten ‘in the field’. It is hard to beat the ‘hands on’ experience of actually gardening, visiting gardens, and sharing information with other gardeners. 

I have been involved with some aspect of gardening throughout my adult life.  I have done television gardening shows in Portland and currently do a Portland garden radio talk show on Saturday mornings from 9am-noon (KXL radio) and this spring will be my 29th anniversary. 

To be connected to the gardening industry is a bonus in life.  I have found gardeners to be among the friendliest and most caring and generous people I know, and consequently many of my friends are those I have met through gardening. 

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