Northeast Gardener's August Checklist
It's hot in the August garden! Cool off with airy grasses and tactile plants that catch the breeze
Charlotte Albers
January 1, 2000
Houzz Contributor
The last month of summer is bittersweet, even though I'm swatting mosquitoes left and right as I weed in my shade garden. With heavy rains in the Northeast in June and July, the mosquitoes are particularly bad in August. Many homeowners are seeing the damaging effects of storms on gravel driveways that are partially washed out, or sections of asphalt that have collapsed. In addition, many people are dealing with poor drainage issues where clay soils have caused flooding.
Here are some ways to combat both dry and wet conditions with tough, adaptable plants that can stand up to afternoon thunderstorms and unrelenting heat.
Here are some ways to combat both dry and wet conditions with tough, adaptable plants that can stand up to afternoon thunderstorms and unrelenting heat.
Create movement with ornamental grasses. I was hooked when I first discovered the beauty of ornamental grasses. What's not to love? They're easy and tough, and many are drought resistant, great for hot sites where water is scarce.
I love the way these grasses combine with a kinetic sculpture at the Coastal Maine Botanic Gardens in Boothbay, Maine.
Feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster,' zones 4 to 11) makes a strong vertical mass on the right and hits its peak with tawny-colored flowers this month.
I love the way these grasses combine with a kinetic sculpture at the Coastal Maine Botanic Gardens in Boothbay, Maine.
Feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster,' zones 4 to 11) makes a strong vertical mass on the right and hits its peak with tawny-colored flowers this month.
Another favorite is maiden grass (Miscanthus spp.), which forms billowing mounds when planted en masse. The slightest puff of wind will cause the flowers to stir and rustle, making a tactile and audible effect.
Look for Miscanthus 'Morning Light' (Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light,' zones 4 to 11), which has thin white stripes on its fine leaves. This makes a great companion plant with native Helen's flower (Helenium spp.) and coneflowers in high summer borders.
Once established, Miscanthus can be hard to divide and even harder to move, so choose your site carefully, and be prepared to cut everything back hard in late winter.
Look for Miscanthus 'Morning Light' (Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light,' zones 4 to 11), which has thin white stripes on its fine leaves. This makes a great companion plant with native Helen's flower (Helenium spp.) and coneflowers in high summer borders.
Once established, Miscanthus can be hard to divide and even harder to move, so choose your site carefully, and be prepared to cut everything back hard in late winter.
Take shelter with a rustic grape pergola. Beat the heat with a structure that provides a shady place to sit and relax, but also serves a purpose.
Hardy grape vines for the Northeast include 'King of the North,' a late August white grape, 'Sabrevois,' a blue black grape from Quebec, and 'Louise Swenson,' a white grape for juice, wine and fresh eating. All grapes need good, well-drained soil and full sun for best production.
Hardy grape vines for the Northeast include 'King of the North,' a late August white grape, 'Sabrevois,' a blue black grape from Quebec, and 'Louise Swenson,' a white grape for juice, wine and fresh eating. All grapes need good, well-drained soil and full sun for best production.
Use drought-tolerant perennials. Plants that don't need a lot of fuss are your friends. They're worth knowing about because you want your garden to perform and look good, especially when the rain gauge is empty.
Russian Sage, the flowering plant on the top of this stone wall, is one of the longest blooming perennials and it can take hot, dry conditions.
Russian Sage, the flowering plant on the top of this stone wall, is one of the longest blooming perennials and it can take hot, dry conditions.
Commonly called Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia, zones 4 to 8), these plants are widely available. The species grows 36 inches tall; smaller 'Little Spire' grows to 25 inches and may be a better choice for small spaces. Both peak in August with purple-blue spikes that attract pollinators.
Yarrows (Alchillea spp.) and tall 'Powis Castle' wormwood (Artemesia 'Powis Castle,' zones 3 to 8) are stalwart companions along with hyssop, rosemary and lavender.
Yarrows (Alchillea spp.) and tall 'Powis Castle' wormwood (Artemesia 'Powis Castle,' zones 3 to 8) are stalwart companions along with hyssop, rosemary and lavender.
Boggy, wet sites can be beautiful too. Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium spp.) is blooming along roadsides and in meadows. This native wildflower is widely adaptable and grows well in poor soils so it's a good choice for a rain garden or swale, or to put in an area where water pools when rains are heavy.
The species is a bit intimidating — just too tall for most gardens, but there are shorter versions. This is 'Phantom' (Dupatorium x 'Phantom,' zones 4 to 8), a dwarf that grows about 40 inches tall and attracts honeybees and butterflies.
See more beauties of the meadow
The species is a bit intimidating — just too tall for most gardens, but there are shorter versions. This is 'Phantom' (Dupatorium x 'Phantom,' zones 4 to 8), a dwarf that grows about 40 inches tall and attracts honeybees and butterflies.
See more beauties of the meadow
Lobelia and blazingstar (Liatris spp.) are other top perennials (and U.S. natives), but the plant that takes center stage is purple cohosh, also called bugbane, seen here in the center of the photo.
'Hillside Black Beauty' (Actea simplex 'Hillside Black Beauty,' zones 4 to 8) prefers moist soils and afternoon shade. There are other purples to choose as well, so find out what your garden center has to offer.
Fragrant wands appear this month on airy stems — white or pale pink, they accent the garden and smell especially good at dusk.
'Hillside Black Beauty' (Actea simplex 'Hillside Black Beauty,' zones 4 to 8) prefers moist soils and afternoon shade. There are other purples to choose as well, so find out what your garden center has to offer.
Fragrant wands appear this month on airy stems — white or pale pink, they accent the garden and smell especially good at dusk.
Late bloomers make their appearance. Timing is everything, so they say. There aren't a lot of perennials that bloom this month, but the ones that put on a show late in the season are superstars. When everything else is shot and bedraggled, they shine.
Japanese anemone is a star of the late summer border. Called windflower for its delicate movement and thin stems, plants produce mounds of gorgeous foliage that can stand on its own. Anemone 'Robustissima,' zones 4 to 8 (pictured here) will be blooming in my garden by late August, along with asters.
Other August garden tasks
Your garden calendar: Month-by-month guides to gardening in the Northeast
Japanese anemone is a star of the late summer border. Called windflower for its delicate movement and thin stems, plants produce mounds of gorgeous foliage that can stand on its own. Anemone 'Robustissima,' zones 4 to 8 (pictured here) will be blooming in my garden by late August, along with asters.
Other August garden tasks
- Fertilize planters with a slow-release fertilizer or fish emulsion and continue to deadhead.
- Keep ornamental sweet potato vines clipped if they're in planters to maintain shape.
- Deadhead zinnias, Mexican sunflowers and coneflowers.
- Sow cool-season crops like arugula, spinach, kale, lettuce and carrots for a late-fall harvest.
Your garden calendar: Month-by-month guides to gardening in the Northeast
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Agree re the invasiveness of the Japanese anemone. I will never be able to eliminate it and I have certainly tried by digging up beds of the matted roots. It would literally take over every bit of grass and every bed if I didn't constantly pull it out. They are lovely when they flower (in my case in early summer), but wish the White Flower Farm catalogue had stressed just how aggressively invasive they are.
Encountered my first Joe Pye Weed last week-end. I thought it was lovely and the bees were busy, but I believe the garden owner said he had a skin reaction to it. I've googled, but found no info re that. He also had two truly beautiful marijuana plants, planted because he "could", not because he has any interest in their flowers. All his vegetables were spectacularly large, despite this year's proliferation of rabbits. I live in a congested downtown area and they can be readily seen hopping around here, especially in the evening! My motion detector lights are constantly coming on causing them to freeze on the spot. They haven't eaten any food from my garden, only clover in the grass. Certainly preferable to the skunks from previous years!
Rabbits have been doing a lot of damage to perennials in our coastal Connecticut area this year, stripping Echinacea of their foliage, Coreopsis of their flowers, and devouring Liriope.
With an "herb-y lawn" full of achillea, plantain, violet, clover, and such, I've had only a few nibbles on my fall asters - despite having daylight and nightly bunnies eating on the lawn all season. I was surprised and delighted.