Society For Growing Australian Plants

The Old Forecaster from aNewsCafe.com notes that in the last week of July alone, our daylight hours diminish by 11 minutes and while they have been shortening since the summer solstice, it is in August that I really begin to notice. 5:30 a.m. is a softer light by far than July, and my bats don’t tuck themselves in for the day until almost 6 a.m.; dusk is marked by flying squadrons of dragonflies and the vibrations of heat happy insects. For now, the seasonal shift isn't difficult - the nicest bits of summer are still ours.

Much of this month’s gardening tasks involve simple maintenance and forward planning. Continue to water well those plants that need it, such as annual or seasonal crops in the vegetable garden, but cut back water on those plants whose primary growing season is now past. John Whittlesey, owner of Canyon Creek Nursery and Design out of Oroville, notes that “Ornamental plants, lawn, trees, shrubs, perennials (including weeds) have completed much of their seasonal growth by this point in the season. The water they're taking up now is to sustain the plant, not to increase its size. So if you're watering with an irrigation controller, reduce the run times across the board 10% and continue reducing the run times at least 10 % each month through the fall. Be careful not to overwater drought tolerant plants. Most English lavenders are killed in late summer when watered excessively during a hot spell. And of course, mulching reduces water use considerably.”

Pam Geisel, statewide coordinator for the Master Gardener program and who lives and gardens in Hamilton City, recommends August as a good time to do quite a lot of pruning in the home orchard. Apricots, cherries and olives should be pruned now while the weather is still very dry to avoid disease problems. August is also a good time to plant or direct seed many of your winter vegetables including: broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, dill, endive, fennel, green onion, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustards, peas, spinach, chard, and turnips. If you wait too long to plant, they will bolt before harvest and you will have wasted your garden space. Protect young seedlings on hot days with a light shade cloth.” I have been working on cutting back my spent lavender, sage and rose blooms as well as my bolted greens from the last spring planting and saving seed where I can.