Gardening tasks to Do in August

Then comes summer, real summer in our garden. Flowers bloom and our friends tell us they are lovely. But we see the flaws and errors. We feel almost guilty to have our garden praised, so many glaring faults and shortcomings have it. The color scheme is wrong, there are false notes here and there. There are tall plants where short plants should be. There are spaces and breaks and again spots overcrowded. We water and hoe, train vines, prop plants and kill the bugs, but we know the weak spots in our garden and vow that next summer we shall remedy every mistake..

The North

Obviously, this is one of the hot, dry months of the year, and about the same cultural hints apply here as for July.

Oriental Poppies are dormant now, so divide and transplant, or buy and plant new ones. These poppies are not successfully moved during any other month.

Plant Madonna Lilies this month, because, unlike other lilies, they pro­duce a growth of leaves before autumn. Therefore, they must be well-rooted.

Water gardens can still be made. Waterlilies and water poppies planted early this month will bloom yet.

Rock Garden. Begin construction work on any new rock garden to be planted this fall.

Various other perennials that have bloomed can be divided, provided you do not make small divisions but keep thrifty-size clumps.

Keep roses watered, but do it by soaking thoroly. Sprinkling spreads mildew and perhaps other diseases.

Ash Borers. North Dakota garden­ers note: Watch your ash trees for bor­ers. Kill them by putting carbon bi­sulphide into each tunnel with a medicine dropper and stopping up opening at once with mud.

Mexican Bean Beetle. Watch for the second generation of Mexican Bean Beetle and dust with 1 part dry lead arsenate and 7 parts gypsum.

Gather and dry strawflowers for winter bouquets.

Strawberries. In the northwestern plains’ states of Dakotas and Montana, give everbearing strawberries a good soaking once or twice a week this month and next to produce a fall crop.

Hedges. Such hedges as privet and barberry which are sheared should have another trimming during August. The more often a hedge is trimmed the more compact it becomes.

Red Spider. If you shake your ar-borvitae over a piece of paper and find that there are tiny little grayish objects on it, then you will realize that your evergreens have red spider and you will need to refer to page 66 for their control.

Perennial Propagation. Propaga­tion from cuttings is an interesting project. A coldframe filled with sand in a shaded place, cov­ered with glass is the only necessary piece of equipment. Take the cuttings preferably from the tip of the branch and set them 1 inch deep in sand. Water well and keep the frame closed until they start to root. This should take from one to two weeks. When you are sure that the cuttings are well rooted, they should be removed and planted in soil, either in the garden or in another part of the frame.

Rose Leaves. Pick up and burn rose leaves that drop to the ground. They may be infested with black spot or other diseases.

Sow Seeds. Sow pansy, forget-me-not, and English Daisy {Bellis perennis) seeds this month. As soon as seedlings develop several leaves, they should be transplanted to another part of the frame and set 3 inches apart from each way. These will give large, vigorous plants early next spring, and bloom before most other plants in the garden. In pur­chasing  seeds of any of these three flowers, be sure to obtain the best varieties possible, and such seed is al­ways expensive, as the more superior varieties generally are poor seed-pro­ducers.

Fresh seeds of many perennials and rock plants can be sown this month and carried over winter in seedframes.

When dahlias begin to bud apply commercial plant food and repeat every two or three weeks until frost. As much as 1 pint around each plant is recom­mended.

For extra-quality gladiolus bloom use a side dressing of some nitrate, as nitrate of soda or sulfate of ammonia. This injures bulb growth, however.

Give established lawns an applica­tion of commercial plant food this month.

The West Coast

Plant bulbs of freesias, Madonna Lily, calla, Orni-thogalum, oxalis, Ranunculus. Many consider bulbs less successful in the Northwest, as they are more susceptible to moist weather. For that reason, some gardeners advise growing them from seeds.

Sow seeds of va­rious perennials, bi­ennials, and such favorites as pansies, Canterbury-bells, and sweet-william. Bermuda Grass. If an old lawn infested with Bermu­da Grass needs ren­ovating, begin by stopping the watering and let it dry out this month.

Transvaal Daisy (Gerbera jamesoni) is now in full bloom if the plants were set last spring. These are splendid dai­sies in pastel tints.

Make cuttings of bedding plants, such as coleus, geraniums, lavender, and heliotrope, for winter garden indoors. Penstemons. Gardeners in the northwest who are fond of their native penstemons will now be sowing seeds of them. Some of the best are rupicola, menziesi, and cardwelli. Companion to these is Phlox adsurgens.

Bulbous iris can be planted this month. Give roses some plant food. Hybrid Teas can be pruned grad­ually.

The South

Prune azaleas sometime this month. Do not over-water, as they will develop too much leaf growth and will not form flower buds. Of course, they should never be allowed to dry out or wilt.

Roses need a rest period during this month to garner strength for all bloom.

Sow pansy seed, dwarf nasturtiums, and various other annuals, such as balsam and zinnia, for fall bloom.

Acid-loving Shrubs. Bring in rotted oak leaves from the woods for working into the soil of acid-loving shrub­bery,   such as azaleas and rhododendrons.

Lawns. Tennessee gardeners note: Late August is recommended by your college of agriculture as the best time for you to sow a new lawn, provided the ground has been kept free from weeds this summer.

Chinch bugs on St. Augustine Grass in Florida can be controlled by dusting with finely ground tobacco or a mixture of 1 part dry nicotine sul­phate to 13 parts hydrated lime.

Camellias. This is the time to trans­plant camellias.

Make cuttings of camellias, Sweet Olive, and other winter-blooming shrubs. Use the growing wood from the tip of the branch and root it in sand.

Sweet Peas for Christmas bloom must be planted this month.

<!– fbcomments start —