Tofino Gardening in August
by Trina Mattson, Tofino

For anyone that has not been keeping up with the previous articles on gardening especially for August I have decided to let you in on an important bit of information on what gardening is about in Tofino in August:

August is purely maintenance month, water, weed, water, weed, clip, prune, trim, fertilize, water, weed, drink margaritas, get a tan, water, weed. Light duty projects are the name of the game, don‚t over exert in the hot sun, drink plenty of your favourite liquids, or at least a generous amount of water to keep hydrated.

Dead head annuals on a regular basis and also continue fertilizing them. Prune any blossomed out roses, including bare stems that have been attacked by black spot, as they will re-grow, and if our season lasts long enough you may even get a fall blossom. Harvest any herbs, and either dry, freeze or make herb infused oils. Trim back any lavender that has finished blooming to help make fuller plants, and as an added bonus you may get a second flush of blossoms as well. If you are going to harvest lavender flowers, it should be done before the blossoms open. Raspberries can be fertilized again, and the canes that bore fruit can be removed. Climbing roses can be pruned this month as well, side shoots are pruned back to several leaves from the main canes.

Seed lettuce, radishes, peas, beans, beets, carrots and over winter broccoli this month.

Get your garden ready for fall , check out the areas that may need a splash of colour, mums, asters, rudbeckia, heathers and other fall flowering perennials are on their way as well as the bulbs and don‚ t forget the best tip for the month, August is a good month to get great deals at garden centres, as supplies are limited you‚ll want to get there quickly, as the nurseries are trying to get rid of bedding plants and perennials, to make room for the fall selection arriving soon.

Happy Gardening

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Trina Mattson runs the Ordinary Corner Nursery in Tofino