August is a good time to tend to your garden

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Posted: August 15, 2019 - Homebuyer's Blog

garden photoHartz Homes knows it’s not yet time to start putting your gardens to rest for the winter—it’s still peak season after all and first frost is probably eight weeks away or more. But it isn’t June either, and there are some things you can do to promote a healthy harvest and a successful future garden.

Divide Perennials

Coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, hostas and other perennials that flower in Spring will start to flag a bit in your garden by the end of August. To keep them healthy and ready to explode next spring, divide the roots as the plants die back and relocate them if you can.

Refresh Your Mulch

July and August take a toll on garden mulch—it washes away, fades out, or simply disappears into the undergrowth. Scatter a few bags now and your fall garden will look neater and be nestled in snugly for the coming winter.

Fertilize for a Fantastic Finish

Depending on the crop, your plants and lawn have likely drawn all or most of the nutrition from your Spring fertilizing. August is a great time to re-up the amendments in your garden and yard. This is especially true if you are using organic fertilizers: it takes much longer for organic nutrients to break down and become available to plants.

Order Fall-Planted Bulbs

August is too early to plant tulips, crocuses, hyacinth, garlic or any other Fall bulbs. But it is not too early to order them from your favorite gardening catalog. Most bulbs sell out as the late Fall planting season approaches, so order yours while the selection is best. Store in a cool, dry place until you are ready to plant them.

Plant Trees and Shrubs

Containers or burlap-ball shrubs and trees should go into the ground 4 to 6 weeks before first frost. In Northern gardens that means late August. This gives the plant a chance to establish itself before the onset of winter, but not to get so far along that it thinks a new growing season has begun.

Prune Your Summer-Flowering Shrubs

By the end of August, your summer-flowering shrubs (hydrangea, mock orange, spirea) will be waning a bit, which makes it a good time to prune them. You can still identify any dead branches easily and you don’t need to worry (much) about damaging the plant.

Enjoy Your Garden

You spend the whole summer with your face buried in tomato plants looking for aphids, or scanning for weeds, and it is easy to miss the big picture. Take some time to stroll through your gardens. Make notes: What worked and what didn’t? What should you do differently next year? Snap photos (or draw maps and make sketches, if you prefer), take note of plant varieties and where they are planted. You might think you’ll remember next Spring but don’t count on it. And, perhaps most importantly, enjoy your garden!

Please check out these new home communities from Hartz Homes:
Armitage Pointe of Addison, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Bella Vista Townhomes of Bolingbrook, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Blue Bell Ridge of Bolingbrook, Illinois (Chicago area new construction)
Lago Vista of Lockport, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Leigh Creek of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Marquis Pointe of Montgomery, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Marywood Meadows of Montgomery, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Nantucket Lakes of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Park West of Manteno, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Playa Vista of Plainfield, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Shannon Estates of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Sky Harbor of New Lenox, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Whisper Creek of Mokena, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)

Hartz Homes has new home communities in:
Addison, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Aurora, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Bolingbrook, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Lockport, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
New Lenox (Chicago area new home construction)
Manteno, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Mokena, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Montgomery, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)
Plainfield, Illinois (Chicago area new home construction)