Sweetwater Style: Avoiding the August Flower Gardening Doldrums

The lazy days of summer are upon us.

We have finished with most of our summer traveling and now it is time to get back to taking care of business around here....especially in the garden.

I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with August gardening.

I LOVE that everything is growing and lots of things are blooming.....but the fact is....by mid-August most plants are past their prime.

The garden is in the DOLDRUMS

dol·drums

ˈdōldrəmz,ˈdäldrəmz/

noun

plural noun: doldrums

a state or period of inactivity, stagnation, or depression.

Here are some tips that I found to combat the "stagnation"!

Now I just have to get myself out there and "just do it"!

Be a Dead-Head!

(no...not the fanatic follower of the band)

I know if I keep cutting back the spent flowers on the Geraniums, Zinnias, Dahlias and Snapdragons, they will bloom until frost.

The snapdragon that is tallest needs to be cut back to encourage branching and more flowers.

This stand of salvia is on the second bloom after being brutally trimmed a few weeks ago.

I try to "proactively" dead head. This means I have flowers to make tiny bouquets to put all over.

Out with the old....and ugly!

This is the time to be tough and ruthless....cut back everything that is overgrown or yellowing. Since the garden is pretty lush....it makes sense to get rid of things that have seen better days. This also lets the pretty plants shine a bit.

I have no idea what happened to these Impatiens....but they just have to go!

Replacement Plants
I probably won't replace or add too many plants this year.....but this is a great way to add and enhance your garden. Check out the sales at your local nursery. If you have spots in the garden that need a boost for next year, this is a great time to buy some interesting perennials.
Mr. S did exactly that when he gave me these two wonderful Hydrangeas for my birthday. They will be refreshing eye catchers in the fading garden. I can't wait to get then in the ground!

Weed....Weed....Weed!

This is probably the hardest thing to get done in August....so do what I say...not what I do!

Every week or so....I force myself to head out covered in bug spray and attack some of the weeds.
I read an interesting tip that might be worth doing.....get some bags of mulch and add some to the edges of the garden beds.....HMMMM....

Rest on Your Laurels and Celebrate!
There are always bright spots in the garden to enjoy.....Focus on the Late Summer and Autumn bloomers....