Category: Accidental Cottage Garden

To Do in the Garden: August 2026

On By durhammastergardenersIn Accidental Cottage Garden, garden tasks, Gardening calendar, gardening during drought, gardening in NC, monthly garden tasks, Uncategorized

By Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master Gardener SM volunteer of Durham County (aka the Accidental Cottage Gardener)

So, after nearly a year of minimal to no rain, we have been deluged.  Not complaining here, but it sure would be nice to spread the precipitation out just a little more evenly.  At deadline time 8.64” of the stuff has passed through the rain gauge with more predicted between now and the end of July.  Needless to say, (but I’m gonna say it anyway) the Accidental Cottage Garden is bonkers.  There are 19 varieties of plants in bloom.  They are listed at the end of the post.

Zinnias and Cosmos are easy to start from seed and bloom abundantly in the Accidental Cottage Garden despite the weird weather. (Image credit: Gary Crispell)

All these plants have been remarkably nonchalant about the drought.  They looked sad for a while, but as soon as they got a drink…they took off.  The seeds that I sowed in April, Zinnia (Zinnia elegans) and Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnata), and that I stopped watering in mid-May are just fine, thank you.  Bloomin’ their li’l hearts out, they are.

Enough about my compact world.  The calendar is what you came for and here it is.

Lawn Care

Several species of grubs are actively feasting on lawn grass roots (probably yours) this time of the year.  If you notice fist size brown spots on your lawn, it might just be grubs.  Carefully dig up a spot to see if there is a grub down there.  They are usually white or cream colored with a darker head.  They are the larvae of various beetles, including the Japanese kind.  There are several products on the market with which to treat them (i.e., kill ‘em dead).  There are both liquid and granular products.  Always read the label and follow the instructions. If you plan to renovate or reseed a cool season grass (fescue, bluegrass, perennial rye) lawn, then toward the end of the month is the time to prep (spray out weeds, core aerate, amend the soil, etc.) the area in question.

Fertilizing

If you are growing strawberries, they would be ecstatic if you threw a little nitrogen fertilizer in their general direction. DO NOT, he repeated, fertilize trees or shrubs between now and December at which time you may give them their holiday bonus in balanced fertilizer pellets.

Planting

Do you like to start plants from seed?  It is fun to watch them sprout and develop. So, have I got a present for you!  It’s time to get dirt under your fingernails and your shirt and shorts dirty.  Start by sowing pansy seeds in flats.  Pick a variety you can’t get at the big box store and be the envy of your neighbors when you set them out in September.  There are also several perennials that can be direct sown now to get a jump on spring: Stokes aster (Stokesia leavis), hollyhock (Alcea rosea), and larkspur (Delphinium elatum and several more species) are good ones to try.  There are many others.  Search “perennial seeds” to learn more.  Prep the bed by lightly loosening the soil surface.  (No more deep tilling.  Leave the sequestered carbon where it is.)  Then sow the seeds per instructions on the package (or YouTube, naturally).

Plant a fall garden and eat fresh veggies for Thanksgiving.  Salad greens such as Chinese cabbage, kale, many lettuces, arugula, and mustard will survive frost and light freezes.  Root crops like beets, turnips, rutabagas, radishes and carrots will keep you in fresh vegetables nearly to the winter solstice.  Other fast-growing veggies like winter squashes and cucumbers will be a pleasant surprise for your Thanksgiving dinner guests.

Pruning

Forget I even mentioned it.  I would leave this topic blank, but that would raise more questions than telling you to put away all the pruning equipment until after Thanksgiving.  The one exception would be if a named tropical cyclone lays waste to your landscape.  In that case pruning would be appropriate.  (The HOA would no doubt insist.)

Spraying

Not a whole lot different from July.  The same heat-seeking, sap sucking, miserable insects and arachnids that found your garden to be a delectable feast in July are still there and many of them will be there until frost.  Deal with it.  Oh, right.  Here’s how.  Coniferous evergreens (juniper, cryptomeria, chamaecyparis, arborvitae, Leyland cypress, etc.) are a favorite target for spider mites.  Azaleas and pyracantha will still be hosting lace bugs which are active year-round whenever leaf surface temperatures are above 40 degrees F.  And anything and everything actively growing will attract aphids.

While we’re here (talking about insects) let’s have a conversation (monologue, actually) about white flies.  For years they were the bane of my existence.  I could not rid our hibiscus of them.  This was serious because we have four hibiscus plants in 25-gallon pots.  Them suckers would be 8 feet tall if’n I didn’t cut ‘em back every winter afore puttin’ ‘em in the garage (which seriously crowds the Mustang).  They get wheeled out whenever there are going to be three or four nights above freezing.  So, you see, we kinda like our hibiscus.  Back to the dratted whiteflies.  They are pernicious little…well, you know where that was going.  I finally had success using an organic horticultural oil.  It smothers all five (yes, five) stages of their life cycle (egg, crawler, nymph, pupae, adult).  There are numerous other lethal chemicals available.  See NCSU Entomology Insect Notes: Greenhouse Whitefly; Dr. Steven Frank and Dr. James Baker professors of entomology and plant pathology.

Only spray when necessary.  Know your enemy (pest I.D.).  ALWAYS read the label and FOLLOW the instructions.  Did I repeat myself?  It’s important.  That’s why.  Stay safe.  Wear the proper clothing and equipment.  This “stuff” can kill you or at least make you very ill.  Be smart.  I know you are.  You read this.

Propagation

You can still take cuttings of most trees and shrubs.

Purple coneflower is a star in the late summer garden. (Image credit: Gary Crispell)

So, if you really love the August heat you can do these:

Walk around the yard with your landscape plan (Everyone has one, right?) to see if there are changes you want to make.

Start a neighborhood pool concerning when the next rainstorm will pass by to the north or south.

Install an outdoor shower and live under it.

Catch the odd not blistering evening and dine al fresco on the deck or patio.

Stay hydrated. Cool and safe.  September is just around the corner.

Accidental Cottage Gardener Plant List:

  • Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
  • Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus)
  • Daylily (Hemerocallis x “August Flame”)
  • Blanket flower (Gallardia pulchella)
  • African marigold (Tagetes erecta)
  • Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus, C. bipinnata)
  • Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
  • Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
  • Evening primrose (Oenothera lumarkiana)
  • Chinese forget-me-not (Cynoglossum amabile)
  • Canadian goldenrod (Solidago altissima)
  • Canna lily (Canna x generalis)
  • Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii)
  • Cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit)
  • Mexican hat (Ratibida columnifera)
  • Prairie sunflower (Helianthus petiolaris)
  • Hydrangea “Limelight” (Hydrangea macrophila ‘Limelight’)

Additional Reading and Resources

Essential Gardening Tips for Drought Conditions

Article shortlink: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-7TN

Edited by Astrid Cook-Dail, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

To Do in the Garden: July 2026

On By durhammastergardenersIn Accidental Cottage Garden, Garden pests, garden tasks, Gardening calendar, gardening in NC, Uncategorized

By Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master Gardener SM volunteer of Durham County (aka the Accidental Cottage Gardener)

July in North Carolina. Is it going to be hot? Do bears…, well you know. Of course, they do and it will be. And rain will be spotty at best and lots of folks will complain. Welcome to summer. Find a cool spot, a cooler beverage, and a good book and enjoy. Or you could come over and help me spread the 20+ cubic yards of chipper chips I inadvertently was graced with last week. (Long story. Bring lemonade or ice cream.) So, the Accidental Cottage Garden is now casually attired in wood chips as is right much of the rest of the yard. 20 yards is a lot of anything.

The ACG looks better now after a wee bit of rain. There are numerous (ok, 12 or 16) different plants in bloom at the moment. Here’s the list: Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus), Zinnia (Zinnia elegans), Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Black-eyed susans(Rudbeckia hirta), Asiatic lilies, (Lilium x ‘Corsica’), African marigolds (Tagetes erecta), False vervain (Verbena bonariensis), Chinese forget-me-nots (Cynoglossum amabile), cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus), Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa), and the last of the larkspur (Consulida ajaris).

Close-up of a vibrant flower with red and yellow petals, surrounded by green leaves.
Close-up of a vibrant pink flower with yellow stamens against a blurred background.
Close-up of a white flower with orange center surrounded by green leaves.
A monarch butterfly resting on a pink flower, surrounded by a garden of colorful blooms.


Zinnias are a great summer bloomer that come in all shapes and sizes. They are colorful, easy to grow, and attract pollinators. It is a cheerful addition to a variety of landscape locations (Image credit clockwise: Chris Gladis CC BY NC2.0;Tanaka Juuyoh CC BY 2.0; Krzysztof Golik CC BY 4.0; Kristen Paulus CC BY 2.0))

Now, for those of us who just can’t kick back all summer here’ s all the authorized sweat producing activities for you to pursue. PSA!! Let’s just get this out of the way now and I won’t harangue you with it anymore (this month). SOIL TESTS ARE FREE THROUGH NOVEMBER. Get the stuff (sample box and information sheet with instructions) from the Extension office at 721 Foster St., Durham. The results from NCDOA will tell all you need to know to optimize your soil for whatever you intend to grow. It ain’t hard. Just do it. Last month the blog published a great video on how to take a soil sample.

Lawn Care

Fertilize any warm season grasses (Bermuda, zoysia, St. Augustine) that have been previously neglected. Mow the same by removing no more than 1/3 of the blade length. Mow cool season grasses (fescue, perennial rye, non-banjo bluegrass) no lower than 3”. Treat lawns for grubs after the 15th.

Fertilizing

This month should be the last time you fertilize landscape plants (trees and shrubs) until 2027.

Planting

For the perpetually procrastinating people, planting pumpkins is perfectly permissible provided plenty of preparation precedes planting procedures. One can also plant tomato (plants), broccoli (plants), beans (seeds), brussels sprouts plants) and carrots (seeds). Competitive types can get a jump on the fall garden by planting cruciferous seeds broccoli, cabbage, etc.) in flats to be transplanted to the garden in mid-August. Pot up (move to a larger size pot) or transplant overgrown house plants.

Pruning

Last chance to prune landscape plants. Pruning later will stimulate new growth that may not have time to harden off before winter comes (and it will come). Coniferous plants (seeds are produced in cones) can be pruned lightly now. Bleeder trees (leak a lot of sap when cut) such as maple, elm, birch and dogwood (Acer,Ulmus, Betula and Cornus) can be pruned in July. Blackberry and raspberry fruiting canes can be whacked to the ground, but not until after the final berries have made it into a pie. Many perennials will rebloom if you clip off the spent blooms before they set seed.

Spraying

There are several pancrustacial hexapodial invertebrates of the class Insecta (Bugs to those of us without entomology PhDs.) for whom you might feel enmity and who are out and about this month feasting on your favorite flora. As they are not innocent, no attempt will be made to protect their names. The suspects are bagworms (most of whom are now ensconced in their bags). You will have to pick them off and dispose of them in any manner you see fittin’. Leaf miners (Beware some of them carry little pick axes.), spider mites (I know, technically they are arachnids, not insects—get over it.), aphids (which are ubiquitous), lace bugs, the bane of rose and grape lovers everywhere—Japanese beetles all of which can be treated with a variety of insecticides.

Close-up of a brown, woven insect cocoon hanging from a green shrub branch.

Wondering what this is hanging in your coniferous tree? It’s a bagworm casing and there are a variety of strategies that can be used to identify, monitor, and get rid of them. (NC Cooperative Extension)

There are several organic (not long carbon chain organic, but less-harmful-to-pollinators organic) and as always, read the label and follow the instructions. Watch for tomato blight. It is a fungus. Treat as necessary. Maintain any rose, fruit tree and bunch grape spray programs. Vegetable pests of the month include cucumber beetles, flea beetles on tomatoes and beans and eggplant and the afore-mentioned aphids on everything with suckable plant juice.

OTHER JULY ACTIVITIES IF YOU TEND TO GOOVE ON THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY VIBE:

If you’re feeling especially ambitious you can always build cold frames and greenhouses to over-winter your tender and semi-hardy plants. You can always spread mulch.

Personally, I’m going to take the grandkids to the pool twice a week and hang out in the shade the rest of the time (after I spread all those damn chips). Happy summer, y’all. Enjoy. It’s waaay better here than Arizona or Houston.

Time for a rest! (Image credit: Martha Engelke using Gemini AI)

Additional Reading and Resources

How to grow zinnias and control potential problems.

An integrated plan based on evidence is the best way to control summer pests.

Shortlink: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-7JI

Editor: Martha Engelke