August 2025 Tips

Dear Gardening Friends,   As I write this, I am hopefully awaiting rain. July has been a challenging month for the garden and for gardeners. I’m ever hopeful August will be better.   Boxwood Tree Moth continues to be a problem. Check this website for more detailed information. https://cals.cornell.edu/new-york-state-integrated-pest-management/outreach-education/fact-sheets/box-tree-moth   Boxwood also has issues with leaf minor and Boxwood Blight. For information on those go to: https://savvygardening.com/boxwood-leafminer/ https://blogs.cornell.edu/nysipm/2018/09/20/boxwood-blight-is-breaking-the-bank/#:~:text=Boxwood%20blight%20shows%20up%20as%20dark%20brown%20spots,time.%20%E2%80%9CThat%E2%80%99s%20why%20they%20call%20it%20a%20blight.%E2%80%9D   It’s important with the heat, not to forget watering trees and shrubs. They need water too. When you water keep in mind that tree’s feeder roots start at the edge of where the leaves reach and go out from there. Unless it’s a newly planted tree you need to water deeply and well away from the trunk.   Many of my woodland perennials are showing signs of heat stress. Some have already died back for this season. If a plant has leaves browned from the dry heat cut the leaves off. I had to do this for blood root and trillium among others. If they haven’t dropped their seeds yet you can leave them up until they do. It is less stressful for the plants to try and survive than to go dormant. Not to worry, they should be fine next year. The same thing is happening in nature.   Some plants need more water than others. Astilbe is one. If you see the leaves curling, water them right away. Once they crinkle up and turn brown, they will not come back until next season.   Check your plants regularly for signs of insects or disease. Determine the cause, and if any action is necessary, BEFORE you arbitrarily spray pesticide or herbicide. Remember pesticides kill ALL insects, and herbicides kill ALL plants, the good with the bad. If you have to spray always look for an ecologically safe product.   A few holes in your leaves are not necessarily a disaster. Beneficial insects have to eat too. Remember butterflies and moths come from caterpillars so they are not necessarily the bad guys. Birds and many insects rely on caterpillars and other larva for their food and to feed their young. My redbud is being enjoyed by leaf cutter bees. It doesn’t hurt the tree and they are extremely beneficial bees.   By mid August discontinue fertilizing all plants except annuals. Perennials, trees and shrubs are starting their slowdown into winter dormancy. They need to rest, not try and push out new growth.   This is not the time to prune trees and shrubs. Pruning now may cause the tree/shrub to send out new shoots which will be weak going into winter. The exception is if something is in the way, dead or a hazard. Those should be pruned out.   Wait until the temps moderate to do any transplanting and dividing. It’s very hard on the plants to be moved in this dry heat. If you have something in a pot, it’s OK to keep it in the pot until the weather improves. There’s lots of time for planting in the fall.   Seems to be lots of slug damage this year..  By accident I discovered you don’t need to sink a container of beer to soil level to catch the slimy buggers. I left a 5 lb. plastic coffee container with alcohol & water out overnight on the walkway, not even on the soil. The next morning there were a lot of slugs in it. My new strategy is putting cottage cheese containers with water and rubbing alcohol sitting right on the soil. Cut rectangular slits near the top so the slugs can crawl in. Then put the top on. This protects the mixture from rain and debris. They climb up the sides and into the container. Lots easier!   Upcoming Gardening Events:      WNY Hosta and Daylily Societies Annual Sale. ​ Saturday, August 2nd Public Hosta Sale, Daylily and Iris Sale Lake Erie Italian Club 3200 South Park Ave. Lackawanna, NY 14128   Master Gardener Fall Gardening Classes:   September 9                6:30 – 8:00 pm                        East Aurora Senior Center ‘Identifying Invasive Plants: What to Look For’  Carol Ann Harlos, Lyn Chimera        Gardeners keep a close eye on weeds trying to decide if they are seeing a common weed or an invasive species.  Learn how to recognize and identify invasive plants such as Garlic Mustard, Lesser Celandine, Mugwort, and Common Buckthorn in your garden and some management strategies.    September 17              6:30 – 8:00 pm                        Parkside Lodge ‘Soil Health’                                                              Peggy Koppmann It’s not just dirt; healthy soil is the foundation for healthy plants.  Factors such as soil pH, texture, and organic material content are critical to building a healthy soil system.  We’ll talk about soil pH, soil texture, and organic matter as features of healthy soil and the role of soil microbes and mychorrizal fungi and their role in plant health and soil fertility.   September 27              10:00 – 11:30 am                    Roswell Park Community Center ‘Seed Collection and Storage                                               Nora Saintz                 Collecting seed is easy, inexpensive, and a great way to make more of your own plants or add new varieties to your garden.  Learn about saving open-pollinated plants, avoiding hybrids, collecting at the correct time, and storage techniques. You can build your own seed library and save seeds for your own garden and to share with others.    $15 for one class Public - $45 for all 3 classes Master Gardeners - $40 for all 3 classes   Register at: erie.cce.cornell.edu/events     Garden Consultation: August is a good time to think about gardening successes, failures and make plans for improvement. Contact me for a garden consultation. I can help improve your garden and gardening practices as well as save you time and money!               Happy Gardening! Lyn Chimera Lessons from Nature 170 Pine St. E. Aurora, NY 14052 [email protected] 716-652-2432     Copyright © 2023 Lessons From Nature, All rights reserved. You're receiving this message because you requested to receive Lessons from Nature newsletters. unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences