August 2017 Tips

Dear Gardening Friends, Educational Opportunities: Master Gardener Fall Gardening Classes: This year all 3 classes will be hands on, make and take. Classes are limited in size so register early. All classes cost $20 or $50 for all three. To register Call Cornell Cooperative Extension, 652-5400, ext. 177 or visit the website: erie.cce.cornell.edu 9/9 – Saturday, 10:00 – 11:30 – Making Hypertufa Planters, Hamlin Park in E. Aurora. Learn how to make the popular lightweight concrete planters. Limit 20. Each person makes one by: MG Lyn Chimera 9/19 – Tuesday, 7:00 – 8:30 at Cornell Cooperative Extension in E. Aurora, making a Kokedamas, a Japanese moss ball, a unique way to grow and display plants, limit 15. By MG, Carol Ann Harlos 9/27 – Overwintering, Propagation & Making Cuttings - Save money by propagating and bringing in plants for the winter including dormant storage, limit 20 – By MG Peggy Koppmann. Gathering of Gardeners: The annual garden symposium in Rochester is September 9. “Making the Most of Change”, will be a presentation of timely information needed by all gardening enthusiasts. There will be 3 speakers and a wonderful parking lot sale of plants from local nurseries. For more information go to: www.gatheringofgardeners.com Garden Consultation: Now that the season is winding down it is a good time to take stock of what worked, what didn’t and changes, improvements and additions for next year. If you have questions about fall maintenance, how to transplant and divide or soil improvement we can cover that as well. Give a call or e-mail to set up an appointment. Garden Tips: This has certainly been an interesting and challenging gardening season. We’ve experienced it all: wet, dry, hot and cold with no shortage of insects, weeds and plant disease. Some plants are blooming early like Rose of Sharon and other’s late. Tomatoes are ripening late and some annuals aren’t flowering well. These symptoms are the result of the fluctuating weather and all we can do is hope for a better season next year. The following are some tips for August in the garden: - My weeds have been growing like…weeds! It’s important to remove them or at least dead head them (remove seed heads) before they drop seed. That’s the best thing you can do to prevent more weeds. - If you have an area that is inundated with weeds mow or remove the tops. You don’t need to worry about the roots. Cover with multiple layers of newspaper, at least 5 whole sections or you can use black plastic. Then cover that with 2-4 inches of mulch and the bed will be good to use next spring. The advantage of using newspaper is that it will decompose and does not need to be removed next season. - If there are perennials in the area you want to save, dig them up, clean off all weeds from their roots, and either plant then somewhere else or pot them up and store next to the garage or the house foundation over the winter. - Many early blooming plants, ferns, may apples, trillium etc. have already browned out and may look dead. Don’t worry they will come back next year. This is a natural process. - On other early blooming perennials like bachelor buttons and daises, the blossom stems have withered. Simply cut back the browned stems to the ground leaving the new growth at the crown of the plant. Do not remove the new growth as that will winter over and become the plant next season. - Regular dead heading of perennials like black-eyed- Susans and phlox will result in additional blooms. Be sure to make the cut just above a leaf join where you can see a new bud forming. Don’t leave “stem stubs”. - Powdery mildew has all of a sudden attacked many susceptible plants at least in my garden. I made the mistake of not spraying a fungicide as there had been no symptoms. In the past week it has infected quite a few plants. Look for whitish patches showing up on leaves. Remove those leaves and treat with an environmentally friendly fungicide for powdery mildew. o The fungicide will not restore affected leaves but will help prevent the spread. o This will not kill the plant but it does look unsightly. o Make sure to clean up and discard all affected foliage at the end of the season along with your pruners. - Ordinarily August is a good time to start transplanting and dividing. Because of the fluctuating weather I would suggest holding off until the weather breaks and cools down. It’s much harder for a plant to be uprooted and try and reestablish itself in hot temperatures. Late August and September are still a good time for this task. o If you want to take advantage of the many sales on perennials and shrubs that are going on this time of year go ahead. If the plants are to be put in a sunny area I would store them in their pots and wait to plant them. It won’t hurt the plants and you will have a better chance of success. - Lawn care: o Fall (once it cools down) is a good time to reseed or over-seed your lawn. o It’s also a good time to apply fertilizer if your lawn needs it. Applying fertilizer when the lawn is brown and dormant is not advised. o Natural fertilizers are much better than chemical fertilizers. However, if you mow high (at least 3 inches), leave the grass clippings on the lawn and lightly spread some compost over the grass. That’s all you need to do. Free Plants: I have a bed of Chameleon plant that’s free, come and dig what you want. It’s a great and colorful ground cover in its own space but way too aggressive to put in a garden bed. Just give a call or e-mail if you want some. Happy Gardening! Lyn Chimera Lessons from Nature 170 Pine St. E. Aurora, NY 14052 [email protected] 652-2432 Copyright © 2014 Lessons From Nature, All rights reserved. You're receiving this message because you requested to receive Lessons from Nature newsletters. Our mailing address is: Lessons from Nature 37 N Union Rd Williamsville, NY 14221 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences