How Does Your August Garden Grow?

Posted by Barbara M. Martin Aug 30, 2006

According to informal survey results, many Flower Gardens readers are quite happy with their late summer flower gardens. About a quarter of respondents indicated their garden looks great, and a quarter said it looks pretty good but they would like even more flowers. Hats off to you!

If your garden is looking terrific, we'd love to hear about what looks especially good this year and any favorite late summer combinations you grow.

And adding more to an already good start is always a pleasure. For those of you who "want MORE" -- Take a look at Flowers for Summer Color and see if you can't find a few ideas to try out. So, what's on your "Wish List"?

As for the rest of our respondents, well, sadly, there are some issues. Some of you indicated you are satisfied with the garden the way it is, although it is middling along. I think that is soooo sad. Flower gardens can and should look terrific all the time!

And with a little effort on your part and a little help from me, you can achieve that if you want to give it a shot. What's holding you back?! Maybe next year you will be inspired. I sure hope so! I challenge you to step it up a notch!!!

For those of you who tried but are not at all happy with the results, take heart. Gardening is a learning curve kind of process. Your plants' performance gives you hints along the way as to how to improve. Use the current performance to glean information about what specifically has done well ... and what hasn't. Take a few notes (and maybe a few photos to jog your memory later) and refer to these when you plan your garden for next year. Repeat the successes and learn from your mistakes. Year by year, your garden will look better and better.

Remember also that weather can play havoc with the best of plans, so if you are in a drought stricken area please do not be too hard on yourself. Some years are just better than others. (That's why gardeners are optimists at heart.)

Soil preparation is critical too. Many problems are directly related to the soil. Many problems also reflect unsuitable plant choices, so don't neglect those aspects of your gardening!

Last but not least, dear people who didn't realize there are flowers that bloom in August. (I am holding my head in my hands now.) "Hellooooo, wake up and smell the roses!" Sorry, I couldn't resist. Honestly there are so many flowers that bloom in August and you need to plant at least a few of them. August can be an exciting month in the garden with all kinds of cool stuff in bloom. You should be able to enjoy flowers in your garden in August. You are worth it! You deserve it! Your neighbors will love you for it, too.

For a few late summer flower ideas, take a look at Flowers for Summer Color if you haven't already.

Interesting to note, as the month progressed, the answers trended down in that the responses showed more flower gardeners were less satisfied.... This is pretty typical in that the longer and hotter (and often drier) the month of August, the worse the garden looks. Don't worry about it. I'll be adding an article on fall bloomers soon, to help push the bloom season even later.

Use the discussion area to tell about your successes, confide your latest flop, or ask (or answer) a question. Flower Gardens Discussion Area.

Thanks for participating in the poll and

Happy Flower Gardening to All!