The days of summer are just around the corner, but you can still make a difference in your garden and yard.
Mary Ann Ripper, master gardener and director of plant sales for Greater Greenville Master Gardeners, offers some important steps to help relieve stress in the future by planning now.
Harvest - August is a good time to prune dead flowers (tying up dead flowers) to add color at the end of summer. Remove vegetables that are past flowering time and harvest the rest in warm weather. When cleaning up your lawn and garden, Repair advises being careful with garden waste. Some can be hidden among dense plantings or added to a compost bin. If tree branches are part of your cleanup and you can leave them in the mulch, create your own loose mound that can mature over the next year.
The North Carolina Arboretum is nearby but seems to be in another world.
preparation . Dimmable bulbs such as irises and daylilies. Aerate and seed your garden with fescue in September, but don't fertilize with summer herbs like zoysia. Preparing cold vegetable plants. With tomatoes wilting, cooler temperatures are just what you need to grow carrots, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, and more in the fall.
Planning - Think Spring. Those first bursts of color kill off the flowers quickly and give us all the inspiration we so desperately need, but spring bulbs like grape hyacinths, daffodils, and tulips have to overwinter in the ground. September is the time for sowing. The renovation also recommends adding snowdrops and blues to add fall planting. As the green turns gold and the upturned flower tops give way to wilting, think about what worked and what didn't. You can use it next summer, and sometimes just go shopping in your own backyard.
"Look at what needs to be removed or what can be added next year," Reber says. "When it gets cold, especially if it's a perennial, it can be moved."
Find out about local gardening events, classes, and more at ggmga.org or the Greater Greenville Master Gardeners Facebook page.
The Greater Greenville Association of Garden Masters will set up booths at:
Simpsonville Farmers Market , City Hall, 118 NE Main Street. Saturday 12th August and Saturday 9th September
Farmers Market at Travelers' Convenience , 235 Trailblazer Drive: Aug. 5, Aug. 19, Sept. 2, Sept. 16 (all Saturdays)
Greenville State Farmers Market , 1354 Rutherford Road. Saturday August 26th, Fri-Sat, September 22-23, 2023 at the Fall Flower Festival
This article was originally published in the Herald Journal. Gardening in late summer. Now a little work will pay off big.
