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    • January winter
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  • HOME
    • About Master Gardener Volunteers
    • 2023 Master Gardener training
    • Demonstration GARDEN
  • Request Our Help
    • Speaker Request
    • Garden HELP Desk
    • School/Community Garden Consultation
  • Garden Zone
  • GARDEN CALENDAR
    • January winter
    • February to do list
    • March timely tips
    • April 15th last frost
    • May spring frenzy
    • June garden tasks
    • July summer tasks
    • August hot summer
    • September gardens
    • October fall begins
    • November planting
    • December gardens
  • Our Publications
  • Videos
  • Consider a Donation

August Garden Tasks
​in the Piedmont  

​Great drifts of flowers produce a nectar treasure in the heat of summer for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. 
August
Master Gardeners working on identifying plants at the former Indy Garden

Perennials, Annuals & Bulbs

  • Plant fall crocuses now and crown imperials from now until October.
  • Add several inches of mulch to Asiatic lilies
    • This will keep the roots cool, protect them from heat and deter weed growth.
  • Lay the finished flower stalks of foxglove on the ground where you want new plants to grow or sprinkle the seeds from the dried pods.
  • Continue to keep the soil around your Shasta daisies and ferns moist but not wet
    • Ferns may become dormant if they get too dry.
  • Renew annuals by pinching leggy growth and deadheading.
    • Fertilize with a liquid fertilizer such as fish emulsion to encourage blooms through the Fall.
  • Continue to prune perennials to keep in a desired space and for air circulation.
  • Pick fresh flowers for indoors
    • This will also encourage more blooms on most perennials.
  • Sow seeds for next summer's bloom (Hollyhocks, Poppies, Larkspurs, Shasta Daisies, Columbine, Purple Coneflower, Cardinal Flower)

Trees, Shrubs & Groundcovers

  • Keep the grass short around your fruit trees; grass deprives the trees of nitrogen.
  • No fertilizing necessary this month.
  • Trees and shrubs should not be pruned after August 15th.

Vegetables, Herbs & Fruits

  • Gather herbs for drying as they mature
    • Pinch the stems of basil regularly to prevent flowering, and harvest about once a week. 
  • Harvest sweet corn by pulling and twisting downwards.
  • Bend over the tops of your cooking onions to prepare for lifting them.
  • Harvest peas and broad beans before pods get tough.
  • Harvest cucumbers as they mature. 
  • Start seeds for fall and winter vegetables now.
  • Remove suckers and old canes from blackberries and raspberries as they appear
    • Harvest berries when they fall off easily.
  • Water blueberries, gooseberries and currents often during hot weather.
  • Remove all but two runners on strawberry plants. Strawberries will benefit from a feeding of nitrogen at this time. 

Lawn & Landscaping 

  • Cut your lawn and trim the edges regularly.
  • Watch out for yellow patches, leaf curl or poor growth; increase watering if you notice these signs.

Watering Tips

  • Continue to water outdoor container plants daily, as needed
    • Make sure you have provided adequate drainage.
  • Water according to the weather; water in early morning to prevent mildew.
  • Don't forget to moisten your compost regularly to prevent flies from breeding in it.
  • Deep watering is essential this month if drought conditions exist.

Hummingbirds

summer heat
Ruby-throated hummingbird
Hummingbirds are drawn by instinct to the color red, but they are more attracted by the shape of the flower—blooms with a long, tubular trumpet.  This bloom shape cannot be utilized effectively by bees or wasps, offering nectar heaven just for hummingbirds! 
Read more....Healthy Hummingbirds Hover Here 

​
 Mecklenburg Extension Master Gardener℠ Volunteers 
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 ​The Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program is a part of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and North Carolina State University
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