General Gardening Tips for August! 

• Plants and trees that provide colour in the month of August include Crape Myrtles, Pee Gee Hydrangeas, Viburnums, Hypericum and Butterfly Bush. Visit your local nursery and see these beautiful plants in bloom.
• Plant ornamental grasses such as: Miscanthus, Abutilon - 'Pictum' (Abutilon, Flowering Maple) Pennisetum and Hardy Pampas Grass for motion and contrast.
• Check all plants, especially newly planted ones, for water on a regular basis. Water deeply and thoroughly as needed.
• Gator bags provide a great way to keep trees watered during hot and dry months. These bags, which can hold up to 20 gallons of water, are secured to the trunk of the tree, where they release the water slowly to the root ball over the course of 15-20 hours.
• Spruce up your summer landscape with beautiful colour in containers and hanging baskets. Be sure to use potting mix when planting and a water-grabbing polymer such as Soil Moist to reduce the frequency of watering.
• It's a great time to add a water feature to your landscape that you will enjoy not only this summer, but all year round. Creative pools, fountains and waterfalls are on display at your local garden centres, and books from my book store
• August is a good time to buy a greenhouse as the prices are lowest now with good deals available.

PERENNIALS, ANNUALS and BULBS:

• Daffodils and tulips should be fertilized in early to mid-August. Apply 2 pounds of 5-10-10 or 6-12-12 per 100 square feet.

Water Gardens

• Clear pond water can be achieved with proper plant balance. If the pond is in full sun, 50-70% of its surface must be covered with foliage such as Floating Heart, Water Hyacinth, Water Poppy, Water Lily, or Lotus.
• Underwater grasses are essential to maintaining water clarity as they utilize the oxygen in the water, which helps prevent algae from accumulating in the pond. Following are some easy guidelines to know when trying to figure out how many grasses are needed:
• 1 clump of grass per 1 sq. ft. of surface area for ponds less than 25 sq. ft.
• 1 clump of grass per 2 sq. ft. of surface area for ponds greater than 25 sq. ft.
• Time to fertilize all Water Lilies and Lotus once a month to keep the plant blooming continuously throughout the season.
• Lotus are great plants for container water gardens on a deck or patio. Whiskey barrels make a perfect container for these types of water gardens.
• Tropical Water Lilies make a spectacular show of colour for any water garden. Whereas hardy Water Lilies bloom only during the day, tropical varieties, which are considered annuals in this area, include day and night bloomers. This makes it possible to enjoy the bloom in the late afternoon and evening. Day blooming tropical Water Lilies bloom heavier than hardy lilies. The flowers stay open longer each day and they bloom much later into the season. Night blooming tropical water lilies open their flowers at approximately 5 pm and do not close until the following morning around 9 am. This is perfect timing for those evening barbecues and parties.
• Time to switch from spring fish food to summer fish food since water temperatures have risen above 70 degrees. At higher temperatures, fish metabolize at a faster rate, thus creating a need for a diet higher in protein, which the summer food contains

Pest Controls

• Various pest problems can occur in August.
•  If you do use chemicals, follow the directions EXACTLY.
• Use Round-Up or similar to kill weeds and grasses in brick patios and walks.
• Spray roses with Rose Spray to keep black spot and other problems under control.
• Fruit trees should be on a regular spray program.
• Control slugs and snails on hosta and other plants with slug pellets.

Fruit and Vegetable Gardens

• Fertilize fruits and vegetables as needed with a good quality, slow-release vegetable food such as Growmore or Osmocote.
• Stake tomato plants.
• If necessary, spray tomato plants and other vegetables to control diseases.

Lawns

• If your lawn is in bad shape due to drought stress, insects, weeds or other reasons and you are considering a total renovation, August is the time to get started. Your local garden centre will have information for you. You can also find this type of information using a search engine, like Google.com or a book on the subject from our

  book store to find lawn care for your area.

• August is the best time to control grubs in the lawn.
• If you want to prevent broadleaf weeds such as Chickweed and plantain next spring, but you would still like to seed the lawn this Autumn, apply a weed prevention in early August. By applying this product now, you will be able to seed in late September or early October (seeding can be done 45-60 days after you apply the weed prevention).
• If needed, apply a fungicide to the lawn to control turf diseases such as brown patch.
• Apply Perk-Up to the lawn to keep it nice and green throughout the summer months. This product contains 10% iron, which gives added colour without excessive growth.
• Fertilize lawns for the final time this season with a 26-4-12 balanced fertilizer.
• If needed, apply a weed control to the lawn to kill actively growing weeds.

Tips on applying weed killer:

• Do not apply weed controls on newly seeded areas.
• Do not apply weed controls on windy days.
• Do not apply weed controls near or on the edge of waterways.
• Do not allow children or pets to play on lawns freshly applied with weed controls. It is best to wait one week.
• Do not apply weed controls when temperatures are above 85 degrees F.
• Always follow the label directions.

House Plants

• Continue to feed houseplants with a good quality indoor plant food such as 'Osmocote' (a slow-release granular).
• If needed, re-pot root bound houseplants to a larger pot. Use a potting mix when re-potting houseplants.