Our flower garden in August can be brimming with activities we can do at this time of year, as we can for most of the year. We have some flower gardening tips to give you and some experiments to try. Feel free to send us your own flower gardening tips for any time of the year.

If it is much too hot for you this August to work in your flower garden during the day, make the most of the early morning hours before it gets too warm. Watching the world wake up can be quite exhilirating. Course morning here comes a little later than other places. This works well in July too.

This month is important in the flower gardening year as its most important work can be taking cuttings. If you have a sunny window ledge within your home or you are lucky enough to have a heated greenhouse, consider taking cuttings of geraniums you planted out in the spring. Not only can you take up and overwinter the older plants from your flower garden, but you can have some newer, younger plants next spring that you start from the cuttings you take now.

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Fall is a good time to come up with wonderful landscaping ideas since you will have vast colors to make up the array of your landscaping ideas. The mixture of reds, yellows, greens, oranges and browns will cover your entire landscape. A stunning display of colors will enlighten the forest trees and gardens, with yellow and orange adorning the leaves of the trees.

The month of August marks the beginning of autumn, where all deciduous trees can no longer produce chlorophyll, causing their leaves to turn to yellow, red and orange before falling to the ground.

Fall is the time to prepare your garden and landscape for the long, hard winter for the next spring. Make your lawn a place that you will surely be proud to call home. Preparing your garden to become the home of lush grass and healthy plants starts during fall. This way, your landscaping chores will be easier during spring after winter has ended.

One of the landscaping activities that can take your time during August is your flower garden. This month is very important for your garden as it may involve a lot of cutting. It is also important that you enjoy your flower garden and simply admire its beauty from time to time. After all, it is the product of your labor and sweat.

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When you are checking on your flower garden, tips may be pinched out from the tops of the wallflowers to encourage sturdiness.An open, sunny place should be chosen for next year’s annuals and preparations made.

All debris from the rock garden should be removed, because Alpines are particularly sensitive to dank, fallen leaves.

Remember that mild weather at this time of year suits the slugs, and del­phinium crowns are vulnerable. A circle of sharp cinder ashes round the crowns will make travel uncomfortable for the enemy.

Christmas roses should be covered with a sheet of glass sup­ported on wires on a bottomless box in order to keep the blooms clean. Flower arrangers who ask for long stalks may care to place an 8-12 in. high wall of bricks round the plant on which to rest the glass, because the lack of light will ‘draw’ or lengthen the flower stems.

Fuchsias and hydrangeas in containers should be brought into the greenhouse or given protection outside.

If you are checking on your shrubs, which you should be, firm up rose cuttings after a spell of frost.

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In the flower beds, it is time to take the last cuttings from the bedding geraniums. Plant them in some sheltered corner and treat them to a generous dollop of sharp sand. It’s time to stake the Michaelmas daisies that are now heavy with bloom, against wind and rain, and dust with sulphur to control mildew. Many are recommending the winter and spring-flowering crocus species that should be ordered now, because they are real jewels, and far more precious than their large globular Dutch relations. Tomasinianus, with small flowers of silver lilac, and Gipsy Girl of shining butter-gold, where the petals are feathered chocolate brown on the outside, should not be missed. Finally trim back the violas and treat them to a tasty top-dressing.

In the house, this is the time to take Busy Lizzie or Patient Lucy cuttings, then rooting them either in water or soil. It can be so easy to neglect these small jobs inside, when there is so much to do outside

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In Northern United States and Canada

Plant Madonna Lilies, and Colchicums as soon as the bulbs can be obtained. The latter part of August is a good time to divide and transplant Peonies. Keep dead flowers cut and picked from perennials. Cut back Summer-flowering Phlox that have finished blooming. .Young perennials raised from seeds sown earlier will now be ready for transplanting to frames or to nursery beds. By the end of the month the new growth of evergreens will have hardened sufficiently to make transplanting practicable.

Keep up with spraying and dusting programs. This is especially important in the case of Roses. In particular. keep a keen eye open for first signs of damage by red spider mites to evergreens and other plants as well as for early signs of infestations of lacebugs, chinch bugs and other common pests. Begin thinking about Fall bulb orders. It may seem a long time to next Spring, but orders placed early for Fall delivery of Spring-flowering bulbs are likely to get the best attention.

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July 1

“I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil” (Romans 16:19). There is prey, which is what happened in the garden with Eve, and there is pray, which is what Jesus did in the Garden. God had His reasons for forbidding Eve to eat of that particular tree, but she disobeyed and then Adam. Jesus was also in a Garden, and He also had an encounter with a tree: He was hung on it. “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men” (Romans 5:18).

July 2

“In Jesus Christ, in that God-man, so full of tenderness, so gentle, kind, loving and long-suffering; here not spurning away but encouraging a weeping Magdalene; here shedding tears for a city that was about to shed his blood; here forgetting his own sorrows in pity for a mother’s, putting forth his dying strength to save a thief, and spending life’s latest breath in prayer for bloody murderers; in him who hastened on wings of love to pluck this world from ruin–who never wished ill to any, but good to all–who returned blessing for cursing…who this day bends looks of pity on [us]…in him God unveils himself to us” (Dr. Guthrie).

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The month of June has gone by and we can look forward to the hot humid days of July. July is considered to be the perfect time to start preparing to plant your Fall Gardens. Remember it is July, so when you begin to prepare your beds, work early in the mornings before the sun gets to hot.

Begin by weeding your garden beds removing all weeds and debris, then watering the soil thoroughly. Cover the area with clear heavy plastic sealing the edges with some soil. This is one method of solarization and it traps in the heat of the sun and will help to prevent the re-growth of unwanted new weeds, harmful nematodes and other unwanted garden pests.

Allow the area to rest like this for a minimum of six weeks during the hottest months of July and August. You will be able to plant vegetables such as tomatoes or peppers afterwards, if you do decide to opt for tomatoes or peppers be sure and plant maturating varieties such as Whirlaway, Carnival or Bingo these have a shorter maturity time, usually 75 days, giving you a crop before the first freeze. You will however still be ready to plant cool weather vegetables such as broccoli, turnips, carrots and some varieties of Southern Peas.

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Activity has definitely slowed down during mid-day. Scarcely a leaf stirs. One of the pleasures of the July garden is the tree-shaded patio or terrace where the outdoor garden enthusiast may relax and survey the results of their labors. During this period of reflection it is good to take a second look at the results of the planning done in January and make further plans for the fall garden. In this day of air conditioning, big screen TV and Wii many people are prone to stay inside all day and not relax in the out-of-doors.

Patios and Terraces

Lucky indeed is the family which has a part of the garden developed as a retreat from the excessive heat or cramped interiors. These areas are easily designed and constructed and make a wonderful project for the entire family. They provide an ideal place for outdoor picnics and BBQ or regular eating and in the late evening they are delightful. Have you ever thought of providing a cable connection for the TV on these out-door terraces? There are many possibilities that when properly planned will give a wonderful use of the garden and relieve the house from much heavy traffic.

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Brussels sprouts attacked by aphids and showing yellowing and distorted leaves, should be sprayed immediately. Daily picking of the runner beans will encourage the plant to crop on until September, and this is important to remember.

It is time to sow spinach for winter use. Water the drills several hours before sowing and then cover with cloches, if you do this then there is spinach to be had right through the winter. When four trusses have formed on the outside tomatoes, the leader or main shoot should be pinched out so that the plant can put its entire energy into ripening the fruit. A few large leaves may be removed from the plant, but it must not be stripped

Cow, poultry and horse manure (and soot) can all be treated as a liquid feed for tomatoes and others. The humus or soot should be placed in a bag or old sock and soaked in a tub of water for three or four days until the liquid becomes tea-coloured. A stake long enough to span the bucket or tub should be placed across the container, from which the bag can be hung and left to soak.

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When feeding dahlias keep the fertilizer away from the top roots and stems. The fact is some gardeners like to top-dress the plants lightly with lawn mowings to keep the moisture in the soil, and this is no bad thing providing the lawn hasn’t been treated recently with weedkiller etc.

Layer border carnations as soon as suitable growths appear.

Bedding plants are growing fast and will require feeding.

Canterbury bells must be deadheaded or they stop flowering.

Geraniums and fuchsias should be well fed, remembering that standards have far to travel and therefore need a rich diet.

The last of the bearded iris must now be planted.

In the house, Many people have learnt how to master and grow the Saintpaulias or African violets with considerable success. They are comparatively easy from March to November, but tricky through the winter unless an even heat of between 15°C. (54°F.) and 18°C. (64°F.) can be provided together with a humid atmosphere.

Humidity is increased by plunging and retaining the pot in a larger pot or container of peat, which is kept moist, or by pack­ing the pot round with moss and keeping the moss damp.

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