Category: garden tasks

To Do in the Garden: September 2025

On By durhammastergardenersIn Durham NC, fall gardening, garden tasks, Gardening calendar, gardening NC

By Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County


Hey, look! It’s September and for the moment it has cooled off and the relentless humidity has dropped below 185%. How sweet is that? Another drop or two of rain here in Durham would be nice. It got a little dry in the last half of August, but at this time of the year one must be careful what one wishes for. Ask the folks in Asheville.

Close-up of pink purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) in a garden, displaying delicate petals and a brown central cone.
A goldfinch perched on a purple coneflower, surrounded by green foliage.
A close-up of a Gaillardia flower surrounded by green foliage and other blooming plants in a garden.

(Left to right) Resilient purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) continue to enliven the ACG. Let your coneflowers go to seed and leave the seed heads and stalks. Goldfinches and other small birds feed on them in the fall and throughout the winter months. Blanket flowers (Gaillardia pulchella), are long, reliable, no-fuss bloomers even in heat and drought conditions. Their seed heads are also enjoyed by a host of songbirds. (Image credit: Javin Griffin; iStock.com/ABDESIGN from NC State Extension)

The Accidental Cottage Garden (ACG) looks, well, pathetic. I eschewed using city water for anything except the tomatoes and peppers, and the rain barrels have gotten down to the bottom of the (Dare I say it?) barrel. The butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) looks weird with new blooms and nearly ripe seed pods. Looks like an “oops” late-pregnancy sort of thing. The purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) are barely hanging on, but the goldfinches (Spinus tristis) are loving the seeds, and we had a bumper crop.

Gaillardia (Gaillardia pulchella) are really drought resistant. They keep their spot in the garden colorful for months with absolutely no care whatsoever. The spreading garden mum (Chrysanthemum “I-don’t- have-a-clue”) is reblooming as usual. It, too, requires very little attention other than deadheading the first blooms.

The other hangers-on are evening primrose (Primula vulgaris) (What possessed me to plant those?), False vervain (Verbena carnea), Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus), African marigold (Tagetes erecta), Zinnias (Zinnia elegans), Black eyed susans (Rudbeckia fulgida), and sun flowers (Helianthus annuus). And climbing all over everything, Cypress vine (Ipomoea quamochit). I love the red flowers, but the vine is a bit much.

Close-up of a purple balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus) with intricate veining and a softly blurred background.
A butterfly rests on vibrant orange flowers of an African marigold(Tagetes erecta) in a garden with a purple coneflower and greenery, set against a light blue house.
Close-up of an evening primrose (Primula vulgaris), a flowering plant with yellow blooms. A green beetle rests on a yellow bloom, surrounded by green foliage.

(Left to right) Summer-to-fall flowers still going strong in the ACG are the vibrant purple balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus), African marigold (Tagetes erecta), and the assertive self-seeding evening primrose (Primula vulgaris). (Image credit: Jimmi Lazuli; Javin Griffin)

Now if we could get an inch of rain a week through September the rest of this article will be relevant.

Lawn Care

If your fescue lawn looks like mine, September is the time for rejuvenation
(reseed/overseed). Loosen the soil in bare areas (or till up the whole yard) before sowing seed. A major key in sowing a successful lawn in the seed/soil contact—the more the better. If your bare spots are larger than 1 square foot a light layer of wheat straw will help maintain moisture and keep the birds from finding all of your grass seed.

Apply lime and fertilizer per your SOIL TEST recommendations. (I just know you got a FREE soil test this summer. If not, it’s free now through the end of November!) Resist the urge to fertilize any warm season lawns (Bermuda grass, Zoysia, centipede) now. It will encourage too much new growth just when they should be getting ready for dormancy.

You may treat lawns for grubs up until the middle of the month. After that the grubs will have “settled down for a long winter’s nap.”

Pruning

Still not allowed. Wait until Thanksgiving. Since you are going to do all your shopping online you will have time to prune on Black Friday. You need to work off the extra slice of pumpkin pie anyway. Otherwise, sharpen the equipment and hang up on the wall for now.

Spraying

Look for the same usual suspects as you did in August (i.e. wooly adelgid on hemlock, spider mites on all coniferous evergreens, tea scale on euonymus and camellia and lace bugs on azaleas and pyracantha. FYI: azaleas grown in the sun will be more susceptible to lace bugs than those grown in shadier conditions.) Perpetuate your perpetual rose program. Keep an eye out for other insects and diseases. They like fall as much as Homo sapiens do.

Propagation

It is time to dig and divide spring-flowering bulbs. Daffodils in particular will be appreciative of the attention and reward you in the spring. It is also, time to transplant peonies. Oversize the new planting hole and the root ball and avoid planting too deeply. Cut back any old stems. Mulch well.

IF SEPTEMBER TURNS OUT TO BE MYTHICALLY GORGEOUS…

  • Go outside just to be outside.
  • Mulch your plant beds if your OCD/ADHD won’t let you kick back and relax.
  • Clean up and put up all the equipment you won’t need until next year.
  • Plant a fall garden. Beyond that, fall is an excellent time to plant perennials, trees and shrubs. “Fall is for planting!”
  • Clean up the summer garden, but consider leaving it a bit untidy to give a boost to birds and insects during cold months.
  • Take a kid or a dog or a kid and a dog to a park and enjoy their enjoyment.
  • Stay hydrated, stay healthy, and get your fall vaccines so that you can garden through the fall and winter without interruption.

Savor September, Y’all.

Edited by Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

Resources and Additional Information

Make your home landscape more bird-friendly: https://caldwell.ces.ncsu.edu/2021/12/feed-the-birds/

Helpful information on grub control for turf grass: https://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/insects/white-grubs-in-turf

Revisit some of our earlier blogs on fall planting: Starting Cool-Season Annuals for Early Spring Blooms; Garden Veggies Year Round: One Gardener’s Calendar; Best Practices: Planting Trees and Shrubs

Learn more about the advantages of planting in the fall: https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/blog/5-reasons-why-fall-best-time-plant

For pro tips on dividing your perennials: https://forsyth.ces.ncsu.edu/2022/10/dividing-perennials

Edited by Melinda Heigel, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-6ne

To Do in the Garden: August 2025

On By durhammastergardenersIn Accidental Cottage Garden, garden tasks, gardening NC, monthly garden tasks

Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

August. Can’t be much worse than July this year—unless the rain stops altogether. Now, I prefer hazy, hot, and humid, but this is carrying things a bit too far. When my parents lived in Arizona, my mother would brag about their “dry heat.” I’m here to tell you, 110°F and above is hot. Wet, dry, in between – it doesn’t matter. It is HOT

The Accidental Cottage Garden is adapting to climate change by rearranging its bloom schedule. Bloom times are arriving earlier than “the book” indicates. My personal observations (and “scientific” estimation) are that everything has been about three weeks ahead of “the book” ever since March. The increase in temperature – especially nighttime temps – combined with generous (sometimes excessive) rainfall has pushed bloom times forward.

The ACG already looks like mid to late August (read: very sad). A group of Extension Master Gardener volunteers came to the garden to practice photographing plants and blossoms. Unfortunately, many of the most beautiful models had already retired for the season. Not that those remaining are ugly or anything – just that the best display was over three weeks ago. It happens.

Close-up of a wilted Hibiscus flower, showing faded pink petals against a blurred green background.
Close-up of withering black-eyed Susan flowers (_Rudbeckia fulgida_) showing a central brown seed head surrounded by dried yellow petals.

The sad summer garden, worn down by excessive heat and humidity. Left: a droopy Hibiscus sp. (Image credit Jimmi Lazuli) Right: scorched Rudbeckia fulgida. (Image credit: Javin Griffin)

They did get to practice on blanket flower (Gaillardia pulchella), a few black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia fulgida), and a butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). The balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus) is blooming for the second time (‘cause I thwarted its need to seed by removing the spent blooms the first time around). There’s been a bumper crop of purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) and approximately 12,684 evening primroses (Oenothera biennis). WARNING: If you plant one of these, be sure to remove the stems before they go to seed. (Sorry, dry-stemophiles.)

Close-up of Gaillardia pulchella (blanket flower) in bloom, with a dried stalk in the foreground.
Close-up of a pink Echinacea flower, showcasing its petals and central cone, with additional Echinacea blooms blurred in the background.
Close-up view of a purple balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus) with detailed petals and veins.
Close-up of yellow evening primrose flowers (_Oenothera biennis_), showcasing their vibrant petals and green foliage.

Toward the end of summer. the garden is tired but still productive. Top three images, from left to right: Gaillardia pulchella, Echinacea purpurea, (Image credit: Javin Griffin) and Platycodon grandiflorus. (Image credit: Jimmi Lazuli)
Below center: Be careful with this native but aggressive beauty – Oenothera biennis, or evening primrose. It will take over your garden if you let it. (Image credit: Plant Toolbox, Andreas Rockstein, CC BY-SA 4.0)C BY-SA 4.0)

That leaves two of my three goldenrods (which I purchased at the Spring Plant Sale): sweet goldenrod (Solidago odora) and early goldenrod (S. juncea), African marigolds (Tagetes erecta), and a lone false vervain (Verbena hastata) to help keep the ACG beautiful.

A vibrant display of orange marigold flowers (_Tagetes erecta_) standing tall among a colorful assortment of other blooming plants in a garden.
A field of blooming purple vervain (Verbena hastata) with slender stems and small flowers, set against a green landscape.
A vibrant cluster of orange butterfly weed (_Asclepias tuberosa_) in full bloom, surrounded by green foliage.

Strong contenders for a sweltering summer garden. From left to right: African marigold (Tagetes erecta), purple or false vervain (Verbena hastata), and orange butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). (Image credit: Marcia Kirinus)

Okay, okay. I know. It’s a long intro, but the calendar itself is not complicated this month. Therefore, this post won’t take any longer to read than normal. Besides, what were you going to do when the outside temperature is in the triple digits anyway? 

LAWN CARE

Scope out the lawn for grubs. Treat ’em if you find ’em. Otherwise, leave the sprayer hanging in the shed. Late in the month, you can prepare areas that need to be seeded with cool-season grass (fescue, Kentucky bluegrass).

FERTILIZING

If you have strawberries, hit them with a little nitrogen. Do not fertilize trees or shrubbery again until December.

PLANTING

If you’re a start-’em-from-seed kind of person, then by all means—get to it. Sow pansy seeds in flats to be set out in September. Perennials like hollyhock (Alcea rosea), larkspur (Delphinium elatum and friends), and Stokes’ aster (Stokesia laevis) can be sown now for a jump on healthy spring plants.

A lush garden bed overflowing with various leafy greens, including kale, collard greens, and romaine lettuce.
A vibrant cluster of purple and white pansy flowers in a lush green garden setting.

Sow seeds of these cool-season fall crops now to enjoy a harvest later. Left: various greens, including kale, lettuce, arugula, Swiss chard, and bok choy. Right: violets. (Image credit: Marcia Kirinus)

Plant a fall garden. Root crops (e.g., beets, turnips, rutabagas, and radishes) are good to plant now, as are many salad greens (e.g., Chinese cabbage, kale, lettuce, arugula, and mustard). Other fast-growing veggies that are fine to plant now include squash and cucumbers. That should keep you in fresh produce until after Thanksgiving.

PRUNING

Fuhgeddaboudit. No more pruning until the end of November. You get a pass if a hurricane—not associated with PNC Arena—pays a visit.

SPRAYING

Same stuff as last month. Look for spider mites on coniferous evergreens (juniper, arborvitae, Leyland cypress, etc.), lace bugs on azaleas and pyracantha, and aphids on anything green. Maintain your spray programs for roses, fruit trees, and bunch grapes. Watch for worms on cruciferous vegetables (cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) and borers on squash. Only spray when necessary—and always follow the directions on the label.

PROPAGATION

It’s still okay to take cuttings of shrubbery.

AND IF YOU JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THE AUGUST HEAT

Check over your landscape plan (I just know you have one) so you’ll be ready for the fall planting season. If (when?) the August thunderstorms skip your yard, try not to run the well dry—or seriously deplete Lake Michie or Little River Reservoir. You could build a compost bin. Dig Irish potatoes. (I dig ’em roasted with olive oil and tarragon.) Stay cool and hydrated. October is only two months away!

Additional Resources

Edited by Marcia Kirinus, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-6cT