Is anyone else tired of watering?! I know I am. This summer in the Ohio Valley has certainly been hot and dry. June 2024 was the second driest June in more than 100 years. We’ve also matched the average number of 90 degree days for an entire summer and we’ve just started August, typically one of the hottest months of the year. I am grateful for the rain we had the last week of July, which marks the first week since May I didn’t need to water the public gardens I manage in our neighborhood. Unfortunately it looks like the first week of August is going to be dry with multiple days of 90+ degree temps, so back to the hose for me.

August is typically the month when our gardens begin to look a bit tired and worn out, so it’s a good time to take stock and freshen up your gardening spaces. Last week I finally conceded that the Cleomes I planted this Spring were just not going to make it, so I yanked out the dying plants, leaving me with some pretty large holes in the garden. There are still three months before our typical first frost, which would be a long time to look at those blank spaces. Fortunately, our local nurseries have a good supply of heat-loving annuals and late season blooming perennials, so I’m excited to start filling those empty spaces over the next couple of weeks.

August Garden Tasks

In addition to general sprucing up, here are some other tasks I recommend for August:

Keep watering! Especially your containers. The root systems in your pots and windowboxes have spread significantly to absorb the moisture needed to hydrate all the lush foliage and flowers you see. If you don’t have an automatic watering system on your containers, you are likely now watering at least once a day.
The slow release fertilizer you sprinkled in your containers several months ago has now been depleted. If you want to maintain that extravagant display of flowers for the rest of the growing season, you need to start feeding them. I use an organic fish/seaweed liquid feed once a week, which keeps the plants healthy and blooming up to the first frost.
Keep deadheading annuals like petunias, lantanas, and verbenas. This will improve the overall look of the plants, making them appear fuller, as well as forcing new blooms. Now is also a good time to prune back your lavender to a nice compact shape, keeping it from getting too leggy and woody. You can now also remove any yellowed lily stems.
Consider adding some fall blooming perennials to those bare spots in the garden. Asters, mums, and goldenrod will soon be available to plant in your garden, extending the flowering season.

August Garden Tip - Drought Tolerant Containers

Are you one of those people who hates to water your containers, especially at this time of year when it becomes a daily chore? I have a number of clients who fall into this category, so thought I would experiment this summer with more water-wise container designs, specifically with cacti and succulents. What I have found is that you can still have color and architectural interest using these drought tolerant plants. In the first photo below, you will see a container I designed using primarily succulents. I was able to use my favorite container design style of Thriller (the tall yellow and green Sansevieria), Fillers (blue Senecio, yellow/red Sitara’s Gold, and purple Echeveria), and Spillers (String of Pearls and String of Dolphins). I topped the potting soil with small red gravel to keep the foliage from sitting on potentially soggy soil, which could cause the leaves to rot.

The second photo shows the beautiful architectural shapes of three variegated Agaves. There’s no need for flowers in this dramatic display.

The third photo highlights three very differently shaped succulents cascading down our unused back steps. Starting at the top are three “Peruvian Apple” cacti, followed by three “Roadkill” cacti on the center step and three “Flapjacks” Kalanchoe occupying the bottom step. All are underplanted with drought tolerant Wooly Thyme, which creates a waterfall type effect.

The last photo is of my new Sand Dollar cactus, which provided a pleasant surprise, blooming all summer long.

All of these containers can survive on just the rainfall we receive, even in this drier than usual summer. If you are interested in trying some more drought tolerant designs in your garden next Summer, I can highly recommend all of these.