Tag: gardening calendar

To Do in the Garden: August 2024

On By durhammastergardenersIn Durham NC, fertilizer, Garden pests, garden tasks, gardening, Gardening calendar, Gardening information, gardening NC, growing vegetables from seed, houseplants, insects, lawn care, monthly garden tasks, pruning, seed starting, seeds, Uncategorized, vegetable gardening

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

(Image credit: Pixabay)

And it’s August.  And it rained the entire month of July (11.83” in my rain gauge), so the grass has grown out before I can clean the mower and put it away.  The weeds…well. They’re being weeds.  The Accidental Cottage Garden (ACG) is a mostly perennial garden full of domesticated weeds.  It took a hit in June from the lack of rain.  There are real weeds out there to be pulled, but there are also Olympic Games to be enjoyed.  Weeds will still be there after the Olympics.  Fortunately, I can type between events or else this calendar might have to wait until after the Olympics, too.

No?  I must do it now?  Sigh… Okay.  If you insist.  In a minute.

Gold Metal winners in the ACG. Despite drought followed by record rainfall, it’s a two-way tie for first place between the black-eyed Susans and coreopsis. (Image credit: Gary Crispell)

As mentioned above, the ACG (what’s left of it) is rather pleased with the month of rain.  There are ten genera in bloom right now.  The coreopsis (C. lanceolata) doesn’t know quit nor do the black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta).  Both have persisted through drought and deluge to keep the yellow going.  Gold medals for them.  Silver for the longest bloom time goes to the Dakota mock vervain (Glandularia bipinnatatifida) whose dainty purple flowers can get lost amongst the taller species, and the foliage is dainty and of great interest, too.  Bronze is awarded to the purple cone flower (Echinacea purpurea).  I know, with a tie for gold there shouldn’t be a bronze.  You award medals your way, and I’ll do it mine.

Longest bloom-time catapults Dakota mock vervain into the Silver Medal position, while the perennial and hardy favorite purple cone flower comes in strong earning the Bronze. (Image credit: Gary Crispell)

Moving on to the honorable mentions; The gallardia (G. pulchella), balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus) (Doing a re-bloom after timely removal of old blooms), daylily (Hemerocallis x August Flame), evening primrose (Oenothera lamarckiana), and the two reseeding annuals, French marigold (Tagetes patula) and zinnia (Zinna elegans) all deserve this honor.

Hard to believe that these beauties are representing the Honorable Mention category: the daylily ‘August Flame’ is true to its name while the balloon flower seems nearly ever-blooming. (Image credit: Gary Crispell)

Calendar?  What calendar?  We already discussed this.  There are Olympic Games to watch.  Team USA to cheer on, and you want a calendar.  Sheesh.  Well, I did say I’d do it, so if you really want to go out in the heat here are many things to keep you sweat-covered and happy.

Lawn Care

Look for signs of grubs—smallish patches of yellowing or brown turf.  Dig around in one of them and if you find a grub treat the whole lawn with an appropriate insecticide.

Late in the month, prepare any areas that need seeding with cool season grass seed (tall fescue/bluegrass).

Fertilizing

Give strawberries a dose of nitrogen fertilizer.

DO NOT (as in DON’T) fertilize any trees or shrubs until the weather turns cold and stays that way for a while.

Planting

So, you like to start your own plants from seed?  Here’s an opportunity for you.  Sow flats of pansies now to be transplanted in late September.

Perennials such as hollyhocks (Alcea rosea), delphiniums (D. elatum), and Stokes asters (Stoksia laevis) can be direct seeded now for a bloom show next year.

Repot some house plants.

Plant a fall garden of beets, cabbages, cucumbers, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, radishes, squash, turnips, and rutabagas or some combination thereof.

Pruning

No!  Except in case of emergency (hurricanes and severe thunderstorms) do not remove any pruning equipment from its storage facility until late November.

Spraying

See “SPRAYING” for July.  The same sap sucking little…critters—spider mites on coniferous evergreens, lace bugs on azaleas and pyracantha, and aphids on everything else.

Continue with rose, fruit tree, and bunch grape spray programs.

Check cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower) for worms and look for borers on squash.

Spray only when necessary.  Always identify the pest and apply the proper pesticide.

Always read the label and follow the instructions.

Propagation

Cuttings can still be taken from shrubs.

More Things for August Heat Lovers to do Outside

Update your landscape plan to include changes you intend to make this fall.

Harvest Irish potatoes.

Start composting or turn the pile.

Go to a baseball game.

Hydrate and take breaks from the heat.

It’ll be fall before we know it.  

Resources and Additional Information

Learn more about starting plants from seeds

https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1432&title=starting-plants-from-seed-for-the-home-gardener

Tackle repotting houseplants with this handy factsheet

https://wayne.ces.ncsu.edu/2022/04/repotting-houseplants

Find great tips on fall veggie gardening–and gardening all year round– on our former blog post

Garden Veggies Year Round: One Gardener’s Calendar

Article Short Link https://wp.me/p2nIr1-4TZ

To Do in the Garden: July 2024

On By durhammastergardenersIn Common questions, Durham, Durham NC, fertilizer, Garden pests, gardening, Gardening calendar, Gardening information, gardening irrigation, gardening NC, irrigation, lawn care, lawns, Perennial, proper irrigation, pruning, soil health, soil test, Uncategorized, watering tips

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

The brilliant hot-pink blooms of the lily ‘Stargazer’ are worthy of hours of gazing. (Image credit: Gary Crispell)

Greetings from the Hudson Valley of New York where it is wet and cool. Eat your hearts out. We are on a family trip back to the various “home places” of our youth(s). When we left, the Accidental Cottage Garden (ACG) was so very sad after breakfast. Not too bad before that, but after…. There is a plethora of things in bloom. Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp.) are the current dominant genus.

(Left to right) Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp.) and lilies (like this Lilium lancifolium) are the stars of the show in the ACG this July. (Image credit: Gary Crispell)

There are R. hirta of various cultivars, R. fulgida, and R. amplexicaulis. Also gracing the garden are purple cone flower (Echinacea purpurea), balloon flowers (Platycodon grandiflorus) which were spectacular this year, and corn flowers/bachelor’s buttons (Centaurea cyanus). The evening primrose (Oenothera lamarckiana). It was a prolific re-seeder last year, and now even after donating ten plants to the plant sale, I have I don’t know how many. If you want one (some?) let me know.

Purple cone flowers (Echinacea purpurea) and the abundant evening primroses (Oenothera lamarckiana) are definitely beating the heat. (Image credit: Gary Crispell)

The Chinese forget-me-nots (Cynoglossum amabile) are still contributing their delightful blue blossoms to the palette. Gallardia (G. pulchella), tiger lilies (Lilium lancifolium), and ‘Stargazer’ lilies (Lilium auratum ‘Stargazer’) round out the ACG’s offering for the moment. I’m sure those of you who have not already melted are ready for a break from the relentless heat and humidity. We shall attempt to send some relief, or perhaps bring it personally with us when we return. Until then, soldier on. There are still things that must be done in the garden (early in the morning, I
suppose).

Lawn Care

Warm season grasses (Bermuda, zoysia, St. Augustine) can still be fertilized if you have not already done so. Mow these grasses by removing the top 1/3 of the new growth, down to a height of 2”-2 ½.” Mow cool season grasses to a height of 3”-4.” Lower than that stresses the grass and promotes weed growth.

Fertilizing

Last call for fertilizing landscape plants (trees, shrubs) until 2025. Now is a fantastic time to do a soil test. For one thing July is not a real busy time in the garden. Two, It is relatively quick and easy, so you shouldn’t get over heated doing it. Three, the information gleaned will be invaluable in growing the best plants (including grass) possible, and four, it’s a FREE SERVICE, until the end of November. Test kits are available at the Durham County (and most other counties) Office at 721 Foster Street, Durham. For more information click here or call (919) 560-0528.

Planting

It is not too late (but getting there) to plant pumpkins, broccoli, beans, collards, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and even tomato plants. Start seeds for a fall garden. Sow cruciferous (cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, etc.) seeds in starter pots to be transplanted into the garden in mid-August. Pot up or replant house plants in fresh soil.

Pruning

Trees that bleed when cut (maple, birch, elm, dogwood) can be pruned this month. Another “last call:” prune back overgrown or unshapely shrubbery and trees. Pruning after July is a no-no until December. Coniferous plants (produce seeds in cones) can be lightly pruned now. These plants frequently do not respond well to severe pruning, so be judicious. Keep garden mums pinched back until mid-month for fall blooms. Otherwise let ‘em go to flower as they please.

Spraying

There are critters out there that would delight in making a total disaster of your garden. Generally, by sucking the plants dry. Some of the most notorious ones (Their pictures should be on the walls at the Post Office.) include bagworms. You will have to remove the bags and (Owoo…gross) smush them. There are leaf miners (They can be found inside the leaves using little tiny pickaxes and microdroplets of trinitrotoluene.), spider mites (You’ll find them on the web—Sorry, couldn’t resist.), aphids, who like the new growth of anything green, lace bugs (Their great grandmothers taught them how to do that.), and Japanese beetles who prefer their sushi vegetarian style. Spray when appropriate using the proper chemical and following all the label instructions. Be aware of tomato blight and treat as necessary. Continue any rose, fruit tree, and/or bunch grape programs—like, ad infinitum. Veggie pests attempting to reduce your harvest include cucumber beetles (guess where), flea beetles (Nope, not there. Check the tomatoes, eggplants, and beans.), and aphids on all the above and all the rest of them, too.

Things to do that will improve the quality of your “What I did this summer” essay (I know you remember those) to the point where the teacher will read it to the end:

  • July in the piedmont of North Carolina (and South Carolina and Georgia, for that matter) can be brutal. Your plants feel the heat as much as you do and require much the same treatment i.e. hydration, hydration, hydration. If Nature doesn’t provide it, it’s on you. At least an inch of water per week is necessary for continued good health. (For the plants. You probably need a bit more.)
  • Build a cold frame or a greenhouse if you are feeling particularly ambitious. That will give you a place to play in the dirt all winter.
  • Sip on a cool beverage in the shade (or in the AC, heat wimps).
  • Chill (mentally, if not physically). July is a time to sit back (maybe with a water hose) and watch the garden flourish.

Happy Birthday, USofA.

Resources and Additional Information

For more information on planning for fall gardening, as well as year-round planting, see our previous blog post “Garden Veggies year Round: One Gardener’s Calendar,” by Kathryn Hamilton.

https://wp.me/p2nIr1-2F1

For all things lawn related, check out NCSU’s TurfFiles, a comprehensive how-to guide for caring for turf grass. There you can search by your warm or cool season grass type.

https://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/grasses

Want to learn more about both beneficial insects and how to sustainably manage pest insects in your landscape? NCSU offers a one-stop shop resource on their website.

https://gardening.ces.ncsu.edu/integrated-pest-management/insects-2

Check out out previous blog post on how to control Japanese beetles in the garden.

Coping During Japanese Beetle “Season”

Article Short Link https://wp.me/p2nIr1-4G9