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...because all the best garden advice is local

August 6, 2015

  Veronica, The Iowa Gardener
 

In August heat and dry spells usually conspire to make our gardens look crispy and tired. But this year, rainfall has been setting records across the state (except for a dry pocket in northwest Iowa). My lawn and garden have never looked more lush. In fact, one older gardener friend with back problems said she noticed this year her back wasn't hurting as much. Then she realized that all her plants are so full and tall that she wasn't bending over to tend to them!

   Of course, all this wet also means more fungal diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew, but given the choice between a few plant problems and a whole yard that looks like the Sahara, I'd choose my deep green, lovely landscape any day.

 

Happy Gardening!

Veronica Lorson Fowler

 
   

Nifty Tomato Trick

 

Various varmits get to my tomatoes just as they are getting fully ripe, and I find the nibbled remains in my garden in the morning. But you can get around this with an easy trick: Harvest your tomatoes when they are almost fully red but only about two-thirds ripe. Then let them finish ripening in
your kitchen on the counter or on a windowsill. Perfect tomatoes at your fingertips!

   Got lots of tomatoes? Use them in this delicious Garden Fresh Tomato Sauce over pasta--takes just minutes to prepare and it doesn't heat up the kitchen.

Summer Stars

 

This time of year, there aren't a lot of perennials in bloom. But perennial black-eyed Susan 'Goldstrum' always comes through. It provides a burst of golden fresh color into the landscape. Nearly no pests or diseases bother it. For best effect, allow this vigorous spreader to do its thing and create a large patch. Great cut flower, too.

   Two other plants that brighten up Iowa gardens during this tricky time. Magic lily  (also goes by the wonderful name of Naked Lady) and martagon lilies, exotic beauties that have hit 6 feet this year in my garden. 

 

In a Bind with Bindweed 

 

It's been a great year for bindweed. This relative of the morning glory grows like Jack's beanstalk, so the one way to truly control it is to--the nanosecond you see it, no matter when and no matter what you're wearing--pull it out. (This may explain why I keep showing up at morning staff meetings with dirty fingernails and streaks of dirt on my pants.) 

   A weed spray isn't practical because it's usually tangled up with plants you want to keep. And, of course, most of us want to avoid herbicides anyway. Mulching in late spring helps, but only a little.

   So that leaves diligent pulling, whenever and wherever you see it. 

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Monthly To-Do

 

We've had plenty of rain lately, sometimes too much! But stay vigilant about keeping your plants watered. Don't allow plants to get more than very slightly wilted or you'll stress them and invite pests and disease.


 
Don't let the August garden get you discouraged. Heat and drought can make a garden look ratty-looking, but even 15 or 20 minutes of weeding, cutting back, deadheading, mulching, and watering can make a huge difference.


 
 Harvest early and often for the most tender, sweetest produce and to keep plants producing well. Click here for great harvest tips!


 Great late summer flower garden perk-up tip: Buy a hanging basket of annuals, often deeply discounted this time of year. Dig a hole in a bare or problem spot in a flower bed and plant the flowers directly in the flower bed. The spreading stems hide a lot of sins. You can even plant the pot and all--just be sure to keep it well-watered.


 
Annual flowers can be the star of the August garden. Keep them well watered, deadheaded, and well fertilized (apply a granular or liquid all-purpose fertilizer according to package directions).


 
Deadhead flowers on annuals, perennials, and some shrubs. It keeps your garden more attractive and in many cases, it will encourage more flowers. Check out our videos on deadheading different kinds of flowers by clicking here.


 
Avoid planting, transplanting, or dividing anything other than a tree or shrub right now. It's so hot that smaller plants will struggle. It's best to wait for cooler weather.


 
Spring-blooming bulbs such as tulips and daffodils will start showing up in stores soon. Ignore those discount, great-priced bulbs you see at the box stores, supermarkets, and elsewhere. They are almost always undersized and won't bloom well, if at all. Instead, bite the bullet and go to a good garden center or order online from a quality bulb retailer. (Again, avoid the cheapies.) With bulbs, you get what you pay for.

Editor's Choice 
Garden Events  
 
Saturday, August 22
Annual Plant Sale   
Cedar Valley Iris and Daylily Society 
9:00 a.m. to noon. Held at the Jones County Fairgrounds Youth Development Center in Monticello. 

Fun Fact 

 

Ever wonder where the term "dog days of summer" comes from? It originated with the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, and was named that because these hot, sultry days occur at the same time that the dog star, Sirius, rises at sunrise.