Late Summer Gardening

August is the month when your vegetable garden really starts to flex its muscles. Your flowerbeds are in full bloom and your lawn is just … perfect. Lush green grass, neatly trimmed, lies alongside your towering lilies and roses, gushing yellows and reds.

Don’t get complacent. You still have months to go, and your preparation at this point is pivotal. Complacency will only lead to a pathetic garden, which your neighbors will look at from over the hedge and sneer and laugh about behind your back. You cannot allow them to gain the upper hand.

You need to maintain this beauty. Although the garden moves slower toward the summer’s end, there is plenty to be done. Keep an eye on the weeds. Even a weeding session a week will help. Keep up the good work of watering your flowerbeds every day or two. And that lawn — keep it hydrated. Don’t waddle into that old pitfall of allowing the dog’s business to dehydrate and patch up that evenly colored beauty. Maintain its vibrancy with a water sprinkler.

Planet Natural has plenty of other useful tips to help you get through the late summer merging into early winter, so check them out for the best advice on this potentially neglected gardening period.