With many areas experiencing warmth waves, August within the backyard is a time for trimming crispy stems, plucking spent annuals, and deadheading perennials to encourage a late-season flush of flowers. Many crops are nonetheless in full swing or at the least gearing up for his or her late summer season and early fall burst of vitality.
Relying on the local weather, August temperatures and climate can carry extremes. You possibly can nonetheless add perennials to the gathering and fill in any gaps, with common consideration to moisture and light-weight necessities. For giant installations, it’s finest to attend till the canine days of summer season are behind us, as temperatures mellow.
To plant perennials in August, keep away from significantly scorching spells. Plant early within the day for the least stress on new transplants and probably the most moisture uptake. Give your new plantings further water as they get established below the summer season solar.
Our checklist of late-summer additions has showy traits that stretch into fall. Given correct cultural necessities, these easy-going perennials are the probably to adapt to various weather conditions. Benefit from the coloration and buzz surrounding the resilient alternatives.
Scarlet Rose Mallow
Scarlet rose mallow, or Texas star hibiscus options giant scarlet flowers from mid-summer into fall. It’s a excellent perennial for August planting. 5 broad petals swirl round a showy central column of stamens. The crimson petals are extra exactly reduce and pointed than these of different mallows.
Texas star produces flowers on tall stalks lined with fine-textured leaves. Foliage is deep inexperienced and deeply palmate with serrated edges.
This mallow grows alongside roadside ditches, marshy areas, and wetland edges. It prefers moist soils however adapts to each moist and dry circumstances. Present supplemental moisture throughout dry spells for the very best flowers, particularly to nurture these planted in August.
Prime costume with a thick layer of mulch for winter safety. The native mallows could stand up to zone 5 temperatures with good insulation. Depart fading stems in place as crops enter dormancy for added safety.
Holly Fern
These sturdy ferns have broad, darkish inexperienced fronds with a lustrous end. Every frond has coarse leaflets that resemble holly leaves however with a delicate texture. Like hollies, the perennials are evergreen (at the least in heat climates).
Holly ferns make wonderful specimens in shady raised beds with a lush, full type and arching fronds. These easy-to-grow ferns choose wealthy soils with even moisture, although they stand up to durations of drought as soon as established.
Holly ferns are evergreen in areas with gentle winters and supply lasting seasonal curiosity. Let dormant fronds stay in place over the winter for added crown safety. Take away ragged fronds in spring as new development emerges.
Japanese Anemone
These fall-blooming anemones shine in border plantings with buttercup blooms. The clump-forming perennial sends up tall stems with clusters of petals in pinks, purples, whites, and golds—hues that superbly complement fall tones. The tissuey outer petals (truly sepals) body a central cluster of tiny florets.
Eriocapitella hupehensis and hybrida are fall-flowering cultivars with single, semi-double, and double blooms. Some have prolonged bloom seasons and flower effectively into November. Deep, ferny foliage helps sprays of buds and wanding blooms.
Anemones will need to have good drainage to thrive. Through the rising season, they like humusy, moist soils. Shield crops from drying winds and solar.
Chrysanthemum
Generally, I overlook in regards to the delicate-leaved chrysanthemums creating a beautiful “filler” within the backyard. The hardy backyard mums develop patiently, providing a softly mounding cushion of leaves. Then, with autumn on the horizon, they produce a spectacular blanket of blooms in seasonal jewel tones. Scarlet, gold, orange, pink, or purple blooms cowl the darkish inexperienced lobed leaves.
Hardy chrysanthemums develop vigorously with upright or sprawling stems and a clumping behavior. ‘Ryan’s Pink’ has pretty trailing stems and pale pink flowers. ‘Mrs. Robinson’ yields prolific pincushions of deep crimson. ‘Miss Gloria’s Thanksgiving Day’ has daisy-like rose pink flowers. ‘Coppersmith’ is daring in orange tones with a cushion type, excellent for slicing and arranging.
Straightforward-care chrysanthemums develop finest in moist, organically wealthy soils. Planting these perennials in August may carry some blooming, however they’ll shine by subsequent fall.
Caryopteris
Caryopteris (additionally Bluebeard or Blue Mist) provides an abundance of tiny blue flowers that rise in clusters above mounding foliage. The purple-blue tones in late summer season and fall distinction extremely with enticing foliage. Leaves are vibrant and full even when crops aren’t in flower.
Caryopteris x clandodensis creates a misty spray of blooms surrounding leaves. ‘Gold Crest’ has showy vibrant green-gold leaves, whereas ‘Emerald Crest’ options true inexperienced. ‘Blue Mist’ produces powder blue flowers, whereas ‘Darkish Knight’ has deep royal purple petals above silver-blue leaves.
Look to C. divaricara ‘Snow Fairy’ for minty inexperienced leaves with a white margin. Deep lavender flowers create a reasonably cloud above the crisp, gentle foliage.
Caryopteris grows effectively in common, medium-moisture soils. It prefers free, gentle loams and sandy circumstances and tolerates durations of dryness. It withers in moist soils that lack drainage. The mounding crops take shearing and shaping effectively and divide simply.
Epimedium
Epimediums (additionally barrenwort and fairy wings) are low-growing, compact perennials that carry coloration, texture, and type to shady spots for multi-season enchantment. Their colourful foliage has dramatic patterns with mottling, blotching, and venation.
Columbine-like flowers with delicate spurs emerge in summer season. Whereas an August planting misses the summer season bloom, the foliage is a draw. It additionally permits crops to determine over the autumn.
Epimediums are low-maintenance and develop in circumstances different perennials could discover difficult, like deep and dry shade. They’ll want common moisture on the tenuous canine days of summer season. Plant them in August amongst different shade-loving perennials, equivalent to ferns, astilbe, hellebore, wild ginger, columbine, bleeding coronary heart, and hosta.
Sage
Sage is a favourite herb with velvety silver leaves and an earthy scent. The Mediterranean plant withstands scorching, arid summers and is decorative along with its culinary worth. These aromatic herbs make wonderful rock backyard and perennial border additions.
Widespread sage thrives in medium to dry soils—even poor ones—so long as they’re well-draining. It’s each cold-hardy and heat-tolerant and grows throughout a variety of climates.
Search for S. officinalis ‘Berggarten’ (additionally referred to as ‘Herrenhausen’) for a spread with elevated mildew resistance. It options broad, blue-gray leaves and lavender bloom spikes in summer season. ‘Berggarten’ acquired the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Backyard Advantage for its decorative worth and panorama efficiency.
Fountain Grass
Decorative grasses are a signature of fall. They add texture, motion, and lasting seasonal curiosity. Pennisetum, obtainable in numerous heights, colours, and hardiness ranges, has skinny, arching blades and showy plumes.
The foliage and seed heads are showy even after the crops are dormant. For the very best show, wait to chop again fountain grass till late winter earlier than new development emerges in spring. Or gently rake the grass together with your gloved hand to take away useless leaves.
When selecting fountain grass, notice that many types self-seed aggressively in optimum circumstances and should turn out to be invasive, relying in your rising space.
The College of Georgia breeding program has a number of infertile choices that received’t self-sow. ‘Hush Pet’ is as cute because it sounds at three toes tall with fuzzy pink plumes that turn out to be tawny brown. ‘Cayenne’ has darkish crimson bottlebrushes, and ‘Praline’ has sprays in pecan and taupe.
Nevertheless, there may be a number of dialogue about whether or not or not sterile cultivars of invasive species have a unfavorable impression on the encircling ecology.
Mexican Marigold
Mexican marigolds produce lots of yellow-gold ray flowers from late summer season and fall till heavy frost. Their feathery, deep inexperienced foliage is fragrant. When different bloomers fade, Mexican marigolds carry a burst of coloration with single daisy-like flowers.
Mexican marigolds perennialize in reasonable climates. They happen naturally from Arizona and northern Mexico, from mountains to canyons. They develop in clay and sandy soils. Drought tolerant, they’ll choose moist, well-draining soils for the prettiest type and flowering.
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm has lemony-scented leaves in recent inexperienced. The mounding, spreading crops produce small bloom spikes in summer season and fall. The foliage supplies a burst of aromatherapy when brushed and is flavorful in drinks and dishes.
Develop lemon balm in wealthy soils with good drainage. They unfold simply—at occasions aggressively—and reseed after flowering. Trimming and deadheading hold crops in verify and promote a recent flush of leaves. Lemon balm grows effectively in containers and raised beds to maintain it from getting out of bounds.
The resilient perennial herbs adapt to a wide range of circumstances (which is why they made the August checklist!). After your work within the late summer season backyard, take pleasure in a glass of iced lemon balm tea.
Santolina
Lavender cotton, or santolina, is an Outdated World herb. It options fragrant silvery foliage, rugged adaptability, and acts as a low-growing, mounding floor cowl. In the summertime, santolina produces lots of golden yellow button blooms on stems rising above the foliage.
This Mediterranean choice is evergreen and drought-tolerant when established. It’s well-suited to coastal publicity and scorching summer season circumstances. It dislikes humidity—in humid zones, fungal illnesses could also be an issue.
Santolina grows finest in common, well-draining soils that dry out between waterings. It adapts to numerous soil sorts, from sandy to clay to rocky.
Agave
Agave has broad, structural leaves in blue-green with sharp spines alongside margins and ideas. After years of development, it produces a single towering bloom stalk. Whereas generally referred to as a century plant, it blooms in lower than 100 years, sometimes between 10 to 30 years, however typically as much as 80.
The desert flower is a 30-foot-tall factor of marvel. The showy bloom clusters of nectar-rich flowers draw a flurry of exercise from pollinators. The distinctive stems produce new “pups” because the mom plant fades.
Agave americana has makes use of that date again 8000 years when Aztecs employed crops for consuming, instruments, and extra. Agave depends on heat climates and fast-draining soils to thrive, making it the right perennial for planting in August.
Bearded Iris
The bearded iris actually “springs up” within the backyard with spring flowers that final into summer season. They repeat bloom and expertise one other flush within the fall.
The bearded iris bears giant, ruffly flowers in a rainbow of colours. The blooms carry vertical curiosity with three higher and three decrease petals (falls). Wealthy outer petals could have frilled edges or painterly washes. Facilities typically distinction the outer colours in vibrant white or yellow.
Irises tolerate numerous soil sorts, from acidic to clay to sand. They develop finest in moist and well-drained circumstances however are fairly drought-tolerant. It’s possible you’ll select to divide iris colonies each few years and replant the divided rhizomes to develop the gathering. August is likely one of the finest occasions to plant and divide iris in temperate climate.
Stonecrop
Sedum, or stonecrop, is a heat-tolerant succulent that blooms in summer season and early fall. Stonecrop provides multi-season enchantment, whether or not a low floor cowl or a tall, upright grower.
Hylotelephium ‘Autumn Fireplace’ is just like the favourite ‘Autumn Pleasure.’ It has tighter branching, brighter, rosy pink blooms, and thicker leaves. Stout stems assist a great deal of flat-topped flower clusters in fall.
Stonecrop is drought-tolerant and desires well-draining soil to thrive. The late-season flowers are a meals supply for bees and butterflies, adopted by seeds for birds. Recent and dried flower heads make a fantastic autumnal floral association. Or, allow them to persist on the stem for prolonged curiosity within the seeds.
Muhly Grass
Muhly is an distinctive native decorative grass. Its ethereal plumes create an intense pinky-red glow round fine-bladed foliage. Wiry leaves in deep, shiny inexperienced relaxation quietly till the panicle explosion within the fall.
Plant pink muhly in a mass to totally expertise the ethereal purple haze. For white plumes, ‘White Cloud’ lives as much as its identify. The range blooms after pink muhly and has an open behavior with dense white plumes.
Low-maintenance, muhly grass is warmth, humidity, and drought-tolerant. It grows in poor soils, together with clay, rocky, and sandy. It’s additionally extremely salt-tolerant.
Chelone
Chelone is usually referred to as turtlehead as a result of its flowers resemble just a little turtle with an open mouth. Chelone is a storied Greek nymph who the gods changed into a turtle. She stayed residence fairly than attend the marriage of Zeus and Hera, and as punishment, she turned destined to hold her residence on her again.
However turtleheads are as fairly as their identify is cute. They flower in white, pink, and crimson. Like snapdragons, they’ve two-lipped petals. They bloom from late summer season to early fall. Leaves are darkish inexperienced and glossy with toothed margins.
Chelone is native to North America and happens naturally in bogs, swamps, and moist woodlands. It prefers moist, organically wealthy soils.
Joe Pye Weed
Joe Pye weed shouldn’t be as weedy because it sounds. Crops aren’t aggressive spreaders however are tall native perennials. They’re excellent in a mass with giant, domed flower clusters when you’ve obtained the room. Dwarf cultivars make them straightforward to suit into numerous backyard areas.
Whereas they develop in roadside ditches, the decorative and ecological worth advantages the native, pollinator, naturalistic, or rain backyard. In summer season and fall, purple-pink flowers with 5 flowers per cluster appeal to useful bugs. Coarse, lengthy leaves are darkish inexperienced with purple-hued leaf nodes.
Seed pods final into winter and prolong the curiosity.
These unfussy natives develop in numerous soil circumstances, together with clay. They thrive in wealthy, moist, well-drained circumstances. To plant Joe Pye weed in August, make sure the transplants stay in moist soils.