Organic Gardening News

Many of us gardeners adore our ferns. They are ancient, elegant plants with a 360-million-year history. Their lacy green leaves and cool spiral fiddleheads bring a quiet, wild magic to shady forest floors in the wild. Ferns bring the same timeless grace to home gardens, a serene beauty that has no need for colorful blossoms.

Ferns like shade and moisture, and August heat is not their favorite weather. You’ll need to step in during peak summer heat to prevent fern fronds from crisping, browning and dying. Care of outdoor ferns in August includes frequent watering and protection from harsh midday sun.

Let's explore how to keep them looking lush in late summer.

1. Can We Get a Drink Please?

(Image credit: Grafvision / Shutterstock)

Did anyone ever ask you what one thing you cannot live without? (FYI, my answer is my dog Delilah!) If ferns were required to answer that question, their answer would be water.

Remember that most ferns are native to forest environments. That means that the summer sunlight their soil receives is filtered through green canopies - so it stays moist a long time. And moist soil is what ferns like best.

How much water do ferns need in August? That depends. Are they growing under the green canopies of trees? Or in direct sun?

Hot summer weather can dry ferns out quickly, whether they are growing in containers or a garden bed. You’ll want to check the soil of every fern growing outdoors every single day in August. Poke a finger a could of inches into the soil. If it feels dry, water right away. You could also use a simple soil moisture meter from Amazon to make the process a little cleaner. The best time to water is in the morning. Add water to container ferns until it runs out the drainage hole. I also like to bottom water my container plants in the summer to ensure proper hydration.

In addition to dry soil, there are other signs that your ferns need water in August. If your fern leaves are wilting or turning brown, you’ll understand immediately that the soil isn’t sufficiently moist. Dry or brittle leaves means that the soil has been dry for more than a minute.

2. Play Misty for Me

(Image credit: Manfred Ruckszio / Shutterstock)

Ferns like water on their roots, but they also like water on their lush leaves. Misting ferns helps clean dust from fronds. Outdoors you can hose down the fern’s leaves in the morning, but it also works well to use a mister. They are not expensive and can be very effective. Use a fine spray bottle with filtered or distilled water to prevent mineral spots from forming on leaves.

Mist indoor and outdoor fronds every day during August heat. It’s also a good idea to put fern containers on a pebble tray filled with water. This helps the ferns maintain high moisture.

Note: never mist fern leaves if the plant is in full sun. Indoors, you can also use a humidifier.

3. Throwing Shade

(Image credit: ImageBROKER.com / Alamy)

If you have container ferns, check their placement. Whether you have the containers inside or outside, be sure that they do not spend the heat of the day in full sun. Intense afternoon sun will scorch delicate fronds. Dappled shade or filtered light is just fine.

Positioning container ferns can be decisive when it comes to fern care. Even indoors, if a fern’s container is placed where hot sun rays hit the plant every day, the plant will not be able to survive.

What about bed-planted ferns? Hopefully, you did not plant ferns in the soil in a spot where they get lots of direct sun in summer. If you did make that mistake, add an outdoor shade cloth like this one from Amazon to reduce the heat. You might consider adding a fast-growing shade tree in the area for future years.

4. Mulch to Protect Soil

(Image credit: Carol Thomas / Getty Images)

Another way to make ferns happy in August is to spread organic mulch over their soil. Mulching ferns helps cool the soil during the heat of summer. It also traps water in the soil during hot summer days, helping to keep the soil moist.

How much mulch to use? Use a thin layer of mulch - something like organic compost or chopped leaves works well - and don’t pile it up in a “mulch pyramid” against the center of the plant. Leave space around the center of the fronds so that they don’t rot. In addition to helping your ferns with their moisture needs, the mulch will block weeds from growing around the ferns.

5. Maintenance and Feeding

(Image credit: Tatiana Terekhina / Getty Images)

August is not the best time to prune ferns, but it’s a good idea to trim off any fronds that are yellow or brown. Take these - and dead fronds - out at the base. This encourages new fern growth and also allows for better airflow.

Should you fertilize ferns in August? If you’ve been giving the ferns a light monthly fertilization, you can continue. Use a weak, diluted liquid fertilizer and not too much of it. Do not even think about heavy fertilization during August as extreme heatwaves can occur and the combo will stress the plant.

Shop Fern Care Essentials

Balanced Nutrition

Miracle-Gro Pour & Feed Plant Food

Dilute this balanced feed 1:1 with water and pour into your potted ferns for a boost of nutrition.

Retain Moisture

Back to the Roots Organic Premium Mulch

Mulch is always a good idea. This organic wood mulch will help keep that precious moisture locked in.

Easy Monitoring

XLUX Long Probe Plant Soil Moisture Meter

I love the long probe on this soil moisture meter. It makes checking the soil easy in even the most overgrown containers and beds.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s almost fall. And that means that it’s almost time for the annual fall bird migration. If you’ve been catering to the birds in your backyard all summer, now is the ideal time to give them some extra TLC.

Many of our feathered friends travel thousands of miles during fall bird migration, which can leave them exhausted and in need of food, water, and rest along the way. There are easy ways you can turn your yard into a migrating bird’s favorite pit stop – give them high-energy birdseed, grow beneficial plants, and provide them with plenty of water and places to take a break.

If you want to do your part this fall to help migrating birds or care for the birds that stick around throughout winter, Target has everything you need to equip your landscape and turn it into a wildlife haven before summer ends.

Best Deals on Bird Accessories

Below are the best deals on bird accessories for the end of summer and fall to help winged wildlife thrive all winter and into next year.

Best Choice Products Classic Bird Bath

This timeless pedestal-style bird bath comes in 10 different colors, including black, copper, and peacock blue. It’s frost and UV-resistant, meaning it stands up to years of use from backyard songbirds. But it’s made from PVC, so it’s not as heavy-duty as a metal bird bath. However, it won’t rust. A bird bath is essential to creating a bird-friendly backyard and helping migrating birds.

WoodLink Winter Nesting Bird House

For the birds that don’t migrate south for winter, you can help them out by providing a nesting birdhouse like this lovely option from Target. It’s a basic wooden box with a metal roof and predator guard around the hole that prevents unwanted critters from intruding on your feathered friends’ home. This cedar birdhouse is specifically designed to attract bluebirds, but I suspect the other birds in the neighborhood will want a peek inside as well.

Threshold Ceramic Bird Feeder

This modern, minimalist ceramic bird feeder is perfect for a small balcony or patio garden. Simply mount it from an overhang, pergola, or hook on the side of your home and fill it with a wild bird seed mix, like this one from Audubon Park. This feeder is frost-proof, so you can leave it out for overwintering birds. But be sure to empty it after rain to prevent food from rotting or water from freezing and cracking the feeder.

Shop all Birds Choice Steel Suet Feeder

This steel suet bird feeder is a bestseller for its durability and simple design. It holds two suet or seed cakes, which attract chickadees, finches, nuthatches, wrens, sparrows, and juncos. Paired with a high-energy suet block, like these ones from Amazon, it’s just what migrating birds need to fuel them on their long journey south. This particular feeder is not currently on sale, but at only $15, that’s still a hard-to-beat price.

Nature's Way Glass Hummingbird Feeder

Hummingbirds make one of the longest journeys of all the backyard birds during the Great Hummingbird Migration that takes place at the end of summer and into the beginning of fall. If these adorable little creatures were buzzing around your garden all season, now is your last chance to enjoy them. Lure them in with a hummingbird feeder and nectar mix, which is also available from Target. It will not only give you the chance of one final look at them, but will fuel them for their journey.

COOLFLY Smart Bird Feeder With Camera

You can keep an eye on the other birds in your yard with this smart feeder that attaches to your window. If you don’t happen to catch a glimpse of your winged visitors in real time, the 2K HD camera can save footage of your feathered friends straight for you to watch later and even identifies the different species that visit your feeder.

Brown edges on a hosta rarely trace back to a single cause. Scorch leaves a different signature than a foliar nematode does, and reading those signatures wrong usually means treating something that was never the problem.

Hostas put up with a lot, which is why they end up in corners nothing else wants. Then a hot spell rolls through and the margins go papery and tan. Hosta leaves turning brown is one of the most common complaints about a plant that otherwise asks little.

Not every brown leaf points to the same trouble. Some of it is nothing but weather. Some are the result of common hosta problems working quietly at the crown or inside the leaf tissue. What matters is where the brown sits, not how much of it there is.

Sun Scorch and Plain Thirst

(Image credit: Kazakov Maksim / Shutterstock)

Afternoon sun is the usual suspect. Hosta foliage has a thin cuticle — built for filtered light, not full exposure. Bleached patches show up between the veins on the side facing the sun, then the margin crisps. Roots can't replace water as fast as the leaf loses it. Blue-leaved types have it worst, and that waxy bloom doesn't hold up in heat.

Thirst does something similar but more even, browning right around the rim instead of where light lands. Shaded beds dry out surprisingly fast, sometimes. Under mature trees the surface roots get there first. A hosta takes what's left. Deep watering once or twice a week beats a daily sprinkle, which rarely reaches past the top inch (2.5cm). A soaker hose from Home Depot laid along the bed puts water at the root zone, not on the foliage.

Salt and Fertilizer Burn

Uniform brown edging with no spotting and no banding between the veins usually means salts. Fertilizer applied too heavily is the common source. Dog urine does the same on a smaller scale. De-icing salt off a nearby walk can drift in all winter without anyone noticing. Container-grown hostas show fertilizer burn soonest, because the salts have nowhere to go.

Leaching the soil helps. Run plain water slowly through the root zone. Repeat a few times over a week or two and the salts move past the roots. Containers are easier — water until it runs out the holes, then dump the saucer. Half the labeled rate of a slow-release fertilizer covers what a hosta uses. They aren't heavy feeders.

Foliar Nematodes

Brown streaks running lengthwise between the veins, edges so sharp they look ruled in — that's foliar nematodes (Aphelenchoides fragariae). The roundworms feed inside the leaf. They can't cross a vein, so damage stays in narrow bands that widen as the season goes. Symptoms tend to surface in mid to late summer. A clump that looked fine in June can go ragged by August.

No spray reaches them once they are inside the tissue. Pull affected leaves, bag them, and put them in the trash, not the compost. Nematodes travel in films of water on the leaf surface, one more argument for low irrigation. A badly infested plant is worth digging out entirely, roots and all — the population overwinters in the crown and fallen debris. For a plant worth saving, a hot-water soak of dormant divisions gets them out, though the temperature window is unforgiving.

Anthracnose and Petiole Rot

Large tan spots ringed in dark brown, centers often dropping out to leave ragged holes, suggest anthracnose (Colletotrichum species). Warm, soggy stretches bring it on. The damage is cosmetic in a normal year, though a heavy one can strip a clump before winter. Thinning nearby growth to move air through the bed does about as much as anything sprayed.

Petiole rot is the serious one. Caused by Sclerotium rolfsii, reclassified as Agroathelia rolfsii in 2023, it yellows and browns leaves from the bottom up, with stems collapsing at soil level. Look for a white fuzzy mat at the base and tan pellets about the size of mustard seed. Infected plants come out along with a few inches (8cm) of surrounding soil.

Can Damage Be Reversed?

(Image credit: Yelena Rodriguez Mena / Getty Images)

Brown tissue does not turn green again. Once a leaf has scorched, that damage is set for the season, and no amount of watering brings it back. What can change is everything the plant puts out afterward. Trimming the worst leaves at the base with a pair of bypass pruning shears from Amazon tidies things up, provided the blades get cleaned between plants.

Correct the underlying cause and new growth comes in clean — same season for water and salt, next spring if the crown was hit. Late-season browning deserves a second look before anyone panics, too. Hostas go dormant on their own schedule, and yellowing that works through the whole clump is usually just that.

Setting Up a Better Season

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Placement does more than any treatment can. Morning sun with afternoon shade works for most hostas, and anything past midday in a hot climate invites scorch. Early spring or early fall is easy transplanting weather, and these plants re-establish fast. Where moving isn't an option — a bed hemmed in by hardscape — a temporary screen through the worst weeks helps.

Mulch two to three inches (5-8cm) deep, pulled back a hand's width from the crown, steadies moisture and holds root-zone temperatures down. Clear old foliage out in fall instead of leaving it to sit. A fair amount of what causes trouble next year is overwintering in that debris right now. Slugs (Deroceras reticulatum and relatives) chew holes that brown at the edges, and that gets mistaken for disease.

Make a note the year a hosta browns badly. The fix almost always belongs to the following spring, before shoots are up and while the plant can still be lifted. Nothing useful gets done about it in September.

If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a deserted island, you’ve likely conjured images of a romantic utopia: remote, secluded, serene, with empty beaches for let-your-hair-down privacy. The ultimate fantasy, in other words. And it can be all those things, but when fantasy meets reality, it’s not without challenges.

Most private island living is off-grid, which requires managing your own electricity, heat, water and fuel. All supplies must be brought in, either by boat or plane, which can get expensive. And no neighbours can sometimes make island life feel isolating.

But if isolation is your idea of utopia, there are dozens of uninhabited B.C. islands to be had. If, however, your private island dream requires infrastructure to maintain a comfortable home solidly and smartly built that’s conveniently close to a commercial centre, Eaglet Island, just south of Gabriola, could be your fantasy island come true.

The couple who bought the 1.2-acre island (which they named for a resident juvenile eagle) in 1992 originally intended to construct a dock to bring in materials to build an 86-foot yacht. The plan was to use the island as a base while they lived on and explored the surrounding waterways on the yacht.

“But when they looked closer at the channel, they thought it would be too big a boat,” says listing agent Alan L. Johnson of Colliers/Unique Properties. “So they took all the materials they had carefully selected over the years for a yacht and made a house out of them on the island.”

Johnson says that over the 25 years he’s represented island properties for sale, he’s observed homes that “have been done either well or haphazardly, and he has done everything to the nth degree,” referring to the current homeowner, who he describes as an “engineer/inventor kind of guy”.

That homeowner first constructed a huge workshop which houses a 10,000-pound metal lathe which he used for myriad building projects, including a walk-in freezer and a rainwater collection system for storage in massive stainless-steel tanks.

The 52 x 13-foot dock he built, which is actually a barge, has a float plane ramp and lift. The barge, which is attached to the island by a large steel pipe, houses much of the island’s infrastructure, including cabling, electricity, water lines, and a 65-horsepower pump to siphon salt water for fire protection. (The island also has two commercial desalination plants.)

“The barge is very heavy so it doesn’t move (in bad weather), and because it’s attached there’s no need to replace chains, anchors, or ground tackle like a lot of other docks,” says Johnson.

One of four heavy-duty diesel generators uses a heat capture system to heat up a massive water tank below the house for hot water heating.

“The wood stove can also provide hot water heating, and it’s lined in stainless steel so it can burn beach wood without any salt damage,” says Johnson.

The homeowner, an inventor who developed aircraft parts, built a 26-foot aluminum boat and designed the property’s septic tank and dispersal field. He also built on the property two 60-foot-high aluminum solar panel stands that are anchored to the ground and equipped with rungs to allow for cleaning and maintenance.

And he designed aluminum gutters that pull down and flip over so they can be spray cleaned without the need for a ladder.

“The exterior of the house is concrete mesh that he also designed himself with high-density foam insulation behind it,” says Johnson. “There is no sign of any cracking or pulling away from the beams. It’s just like it was 30 years ago.”

The couple also constructed a 12 x 20-foot greenhouse over the rocky shore which produces more vegetables than they can consume.

“He designed the home so you can live there comfortably off grid with as little effort as possible,” says Johnson. But since no man is an island, he’s connected to the outside world via several point-to-point internet systems as well as Starlink.

What’s inside

Because the two-bedroom, two-bathroom home’s building materials were originally intended for the construction of a yacht, the flooring is three-inch thick fir, which was to be the boat’s planks. The five big beams that span the post-and-beam interior are cedar while other trim, handrails and accents are made of super hard gum wood and purpleheart wood.

The main level, with high vaulted ceilings, is open concept with living, dining, kitchen, pantry and bathroom that all flow together. “The kitchen countertops are stainless steel for low maintenance,” says Johnson.

Upstairs is a loft-type half floor that leads to two bedrooms with a deck off each, and the second bathroom.

“It’s a very comfortable home with beautiful views towards Gabriola in the north and Pirate’s Cove to the south, but mostly open ocean,” says Johnson. “People might worry about how to maintain this place, but they don’t have to because it’s been built so well. I’ve been on a lot of private islands and recreational properties, and I have not seen one in this price range with the accessibility that’s as interesting.”

In the neighbourhood

Located in the De Courcy Group, with its handful of permanent residents, just south of Gabriola Island and 16 kilometres southeast of Nanaimo, Eaglet Island’s only neighbours are other islands, both deserted and inhabited.

Gabriola Island, with commercial services at a variety of shops as well as at Twin Beaches shopping mall, is a 10-minute boat ride away.

De Courcy Island’s 76-acre Pirate’s Cove Marine Park, one of the province’s first marine parks, has a protected anchorage that attracts boaters.

Location:Eaglet Island adjacent to De Courcy Island

Listed for: $2,595,000

Year built: 1997

Type: Two bedrooms, two bathrooms

Size: 2,500 square feet

Realtor: Listed by Alan L. Johnson, Colliers/Unique Properties

Related

• Property Watch: Lofty living in Yaletown
• Property Watch: The most intriguing (but less interesting) feature of a Dunbar duplex

If you’ve been enjoying ripe tomatoes off the vine all season, then suddenly the merriment stops, there is cause for concern. Tomato plants can be finicky and if something is lacking in its care or the environment, the plant holds back. If your tomato plant is flowering, but not fruiting, there are a few common reasons why and ways to fix it before the season ends.

Keeping your tomatoes healthy with proper care should help get production back on track. But at this time of year, the specific causes can vary. I'll walk you through several reasons why a tomato plant flowers, but has no fruit. Then I'll share how to solve these issues before the growing season comes to a close.

Follow these tips now to resolve these issues and ensure you get a big harvest of tomatoes before fall weather arrives.

How to Turn Tomato Flowers Into Fruit

After reviewing possible causes of no fruit set, there are a handful of tasks you can do right now to fix problems before the season ends to ensure you still get a huge harvest.

1. Keep Plants Cool

(Image credit: Philippe Gerber / Getty Images)

If your weather is consistently hot, above 88°F (31°C), your tomato plants may be heat-stressed and cause flowers to drop off before setting fruit. But you can cool the temperature by as much as 10 degrees by adding a shade cloth to your garden.

You can use a light-colored sheet, a window screen, row cover fabric or a shade cloth, like this one from the Home Depot, that allows a percentage of light to come through and also provides UV protection. Attach it to the side facing west and also lay some fabric across the top of your plant to shade the midday sun. You can leave it up until the heatwave passes or put it up each afternoon.

If you don’t have mulch around your tomato plants, you can do that now to conserve moisture and cool the soil. Use wood chips, straw, grass clippings, or chopped leaves and apply a 2 to 3 inch (5-8 cm) layer. Also, be sure you are watering consistently so the soil does not dry out.

2. Water Well

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

If the temperature is moderate, make sure you are watering tomatoes properly. Tomatoes need 1 to 2 inches (2.5-5 cm) of water a week. Two or three deep waterings are better than daily shallow watering. Deep watering encourages deep roots and shallow watering encourages roots to stay near the top of the soil where they dry out faster.

The soil should stay moist, but not wet. Drip irrigation puts water right where it is needed and avoids a lot of runoff. Content Editor Laura has used this easy-to-use drip irrigation kit from the Home Depot in her garden for years.

If you are hand-watering, avoid splashing water onto the lower leaves. If that is a problem, remove the lower leaves to prevent soil-borne diseases.

3. Feed With the Right Food

(Image credit: Valeriy_G / Getty Images)

Continue to fertilize your tomatoes, but lighten or remove the nitrogen from the mix. At this point in the summer, your plant doesn’t need to grow stems and leaves, it needs to concentrate on fruit set and ripening.

If you aren’t already, use a liquid tomato fertilizer with a higher middle number (phosphorus) than the first number, or nitrogen, such as 1-3-1. This tomato-specific fertilizer from Burpee is a good option. Apply it every two weeks according to the product instructions.

4. Hand-Pollinate Plants

(Image credit: Getty Images)

In case of poor pollination, you can do the job yourself and hand-pollinate tomato plants. Since tomatoes are self-pollinating, both the male (anthers) and female (stigma) parts are within each flower. So all you need to do is throw a little jiggle its way to release the pollen.

To do this, you can gently toggle the flower cluster back and forth as you walk by each morning or simply aim a fan in the plant’s direction. You also can take a paintbrush and move the pollen from the anther to the stigma. Another option is to tap a vibrating electric toothbrush behind the flower. Do this every day for several days to make sure the job gets done.

5. Catch Problems Early

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Monitor for common tomato diseases and pests that strike at the end of summer. White flies, aphids, caterpillars and diseases such as verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt affect tomato production.

When necessary, use organic controls such as insecticidal soap and neem oil, both of which are available on Amazon, or a blast of water to repel pests. Caterpillars can be removed by hand. Unfortunately, there is no cure for wilt diseases. The best defense is to grow disease-resistant tomato varieties to prevent problems.

Keeping your tomatoes healthy with proper watering, fertilizing, and monitoring for pests and disease should help get the tomato production back on track. Pollinating the plants and using a shade cloth in the afternoon also can ensure you will once again enjoy ripe tomatoes until the end of the season.

I have been obsessed with Goldie Hawn since I first saw The First Wives Club, and my love for her has never once ebbed. So when her latest TikTok landed on my feed, showing the actor dancing through her home, it was always going to get my attention. (That You Don’t Own Me sequence lives rent-free in my head, after all).

However, it wasn't Goldie's joyful dancing that made me stop scrolling this time; it was the chic patio behind her.

Now, there's no denying that the pale stone terrace and crisp white balustrade played a big part in this. The lush green palms planted in tall black containers, though? Well, they made for a remarkably simple combination... and they got me thinking about what I now refer to as Goldie Hawn's One-Plant Rule.

Goldie Hawn’s One-Plant Rule

The clue is in the name when it comes to Goldie Hawn’s One-Plant Rule: there is no complicated planting scheme, no kaleidoscope of flowers competing for attention. Instead, the actor has essentially repeated one plant across her patio – and the result is surprisingly sophisticated.

In fact, it might just be one of the simplest ways to make a patio feel more considered, cohesive and, yes, expensive.

Check it out:

@real_goldie_hawn

♬ original sound - GOLDIE HAWN

There is something inherently elegant about repetition in garden design. Designers do it all the time, actually (how many times have you heard someone telling you to plant in drifts of three?), because using the same plant throughout a space creates a sense of rhythm and cohesion.

Goldie Hawn's palms are particularly effective because they introduce a lovely pop of emerald green and some much-needed height, all without making the terrace feel crowded.

Shop Goldie Hawn's Patio Essentials:

United Nursery Areca Palm Live Plant

Veradek Tall Tapered Outdoor Planter x 2

Florida Foliage Miniature Pygmy Date Palm

It is a trick that works particularly well around hard landscaping, where greenery is being used to soften walls, paving, terraces or outdoor dining areas. And the beauty of this idea is that you don't need to recreate Goldie Hawn's patio (or have access to Goldie's bank account) to use the same design principle.

In fact, I think the one-plant rule is particularly useful if you're working with a smaller budget. Rather than buying one of everything that catches your eye at the garden center, choose a single plant that you love and buy several of the same variety. Three matching containers can create a much stronger visual impact than a collection of unrelated pots.

You can also vary the scale. If your budget doesn't stretch to larger, more mature plants, start with smaller specimens and allow them to establish over time. Or try something like lavender, salvia or rosemary, even! Any one plant that thrives on neglect should do the trick nicely; just make sure you're choosing something that suits your personal taste and your conditions, then repeat it consistently.

(Image credit: Undefined Undefined / Getty Images)

Positioning them in simple containers will help create the same sense of structure, and they can establish themselves over time if you make sure you give the plants room to grow.

And remember, Goldie's black planters work because they provide a consistent frame for the greenery. Still, black isn't essential; charcoal, dark brown or terracotta can all work – but keeping the pot color restrained is the easiest way to let the plant become the star of the show.

Goldie Hawn's One-Plant Rule is a particularly effective approach for patios because you don't need to fill every available space; a handful of well-positioned containers and plants is all it takes to make it feel as if a designer nipped in to plot it all out for you. Which, hey, is never a bad thing, right?

By the latter part of August, a lot of borders are looking tired. Salvia has started to go to seed, the catmint is yawning, and the yarrow has turned rust-colored. The instinct at this point is to write the season off and wait for some fall asters to carry the show. But if your beds and borders are starting to look floppy, brown, or seed-heavy as August winds down, don't throw in the towel just yet.

Those tired-looking perennials are mostly responding to their own seed set rather than to anything going wrong. But if you act fast (and I mean, fast!), then a late summer trim can give some of your favorite flowering perennials a whole new lease of life. Some thoughtful pruning and trimming this week can trick some of your border superstars into a late summer frenzy, so your backyard is filled with flowers into fall.

By removing spent flower heads and tattered foliage before September, you can trigger dormant buds to push out an extra wave of glorious late-season color. Taking an hour with your shears this week doesn't just recharge your yard’s curb appeal, either. It also strengthens root crowns and prevents weediness – and all without having to splurge on a brand new border full of plants. Here are the perennials you need to cut back to size right now.

Perennials That Love an August Chop

Timing trips people up more than technique does. But depending on where you live, perennials cut back this week should bounce back before September is out of the door. Before making your first cut, assess your garden's USDA hardiness zone and local frost dates. A late summer cut requires 4-5 weeks of growing weather before freezing temperatures arrive. Gardeners in northern regions (zones 3-5) should aim to prune this week. Growers in central and southern regions (zones 6-9) may have a little longer, with mild weather pushing fresh growth well into October.

Wait for a cool, overcast stretch if the forecast offers one. Even the most easy going perennials will struggle if short on water in a heat wave. Make sure you use clean, razor-sharp tools for this task. If you don’t have some super-sharp pruning shears, it’s well worth investing in something that will last, such as Corona Forged Steel Classic Cut Bypass Pruners from Amazon. These pruners ensure smooth cuts that heal within days.

(Image credit: 49pauly / Getty Images)

Sanitation is equally vital. Late August is the peak season for fungal diseases like powdery mildew and leaf spot. Before starting, sterilize your shear blades using a quick spray of diluted Captain Jack’s Neem Max Oil Concentrate from Walmart to target thrips, spider mites and mildew spores. Alternatively, rub the blades with some isopropyl alcohol. Make sure you clean the blades between different perennial cuts, to prevent cross-contaminating plants.

Always check the crown of your plants before cutting. New green shoots at soil level mean there's something to regrow from. Avoid cutting woody-stemmed perennials like Russian sage or lavender in August, which require old wood to survive winter. And skip anything already crisped from drought. That plant needs water, not a pruning. Hydrate your plants deeply the day before pruning, and again after. Then you’re ready to get the following perennials back to their blooming best once more.

1. Catmint

(Image credit: Fotolinchen / Getty Images)

Catmint (Nepeta × faassenii) can collapse in theatrical fashion by late August. By August the whole mound can look like something sat on it. Popular cultivars like Walker's Low are famous for their sprawling midsummer collapse. Once the first heavy wave of purple blooms finishes, stems can splay, exposing a bare, unsightly center. So shear the entire plant back by two-thirds, roughly to 6 inches (15cm), and don't be delicate about it. This will instantly restore a tight, mounded habit.

A pair of hedge shears handles the job faster than pruners, since precision isn't the point. Lightweight Fiskars PowerGear 2 Hedge Clippers, available from Amazon, are especially comfortable for tackling bushier, more expansive catmint shrubs without leading to hand fatigue. New growth shows within a week of warm weather. You’ll see a fresh carpet of fragrant, silver-green foliage, followed by a reliable second flush of lavender-blue flowers that lasts well into fall.

2. Perennial Salvia

(Image credit: By Eve Livesey / Getty Images)

Spent salvia spikes (Salvia nemorosa) often turn a dull brown that can hang on for weeks through midsummer. Salvia varieties like Caradonna and May Night carry dark purple flower spires that can become stiff, weathered and seed-heavy by August. Cutting spent stems all the way down to the low leaf rosette at the base forces the plant to send up secondary floral spikes from side nodes.

Cut low enough that the rosette sits in the light. Don’t be tempted to leave leafless stalks as it just slows down regrowth. For swift cuts, use Fiskars Titanium Micro-Tip Pruning Snips from The Home Depot which give a precise, clean action. Top-dress with a slow-release organic feed or a sprinkle of compost. By mid-September, you should see a second round of spikes, shorter than the first but a real bloom.

3. Yarrow

(Image credit: Alex Manders / Getty Images)

Even the most vibrant yarrow (Achillea millefolium) can look a little weary and rust-colored by August. The umbrella-like flower heads of Moonshine and Paprika dry into stiff, rusty-brown plates that linger indefinitely. Yarrow won't drop these on its own, so the plant can look finished long before it really is. Because yarrow thrives in lean soils, late-summer pruning also corrects leggy flopping caused by rich beds.

Cut spent flower stalks down to the feathery basal leaves. A second round will follow on shorter stems, thinner than the first but much tidier. After trimming spent stems, protect the shallow root zone by top-dressing with a thin inch (2.5cm) layer of aged compost or bark mulch, such as Back to the Roots Organic Premium Mulch from Amazon. Fresh stems should push up within a fortnight.

4. Cranesbill

(Image credit: Alex Manders / Getty Images)

Once cranesbill finishes its main flush, the foliage yellows and the plant spreads into a loose ring with a bald patch in the middle. Hardy cranesbill geraniums like Johnson's Blue, Rozanne and Ann Folkard often turn spotty and sprawling by late summer, leaving an open, hollow ring in the center. Cutting back to 2 inches (5cm) from soil level feels drastic, but it is the single best way to rejuvenate your clump.

Lop off all tattered foliage and spent stems down near soil level for a total reset. Don't panic when the plant looks like an empty patch of dirt for a week, as new leaves should emerge rapidly from the underground crown. Within 14 days, fresh, mound-shaped foliage emerges, often with late-season blossoms that last until frost. Water the bare crown deeply and apply a gentle liquid root tonic like Bloom City’s Organic Liquid Seaweed and Kelp Fertilizer from Walmart to jumpstart growth.

5. Tickseed

(Image credit: Terry Eggers / Getty Images)

Threadleaf tickseed types (Coreopsis verticillata) are the dependable rebloomers here, often carrying flowers to first frost after an August shear. However, deadheading coreopsis one bloom at a time is a fool's errand: there are hundreds! Attempting to individually deadhead threadleaf coreopsis cultivars like Moonbeam or Zagreb is nearly impossible, due to the sheer volume of tiny flower heads.

So, shear the plant back by about a third, straight across, hedge-trimmer style. This simple shearing removes spent seed heads, tidies up foliage, and triggers a massive secondary wave of starry flowers that blooms right up to a hard freeze. It might look alarming for the first 4-5 days, but it will fill back in. After trimming, give the sheared mound a gentle feed like Espoma Flower-tone from Amazon. This promotes root resilience and stimulates rapid bud formation within a couple of weeks.

6. Blanket Flowers

(Image credit: M-Kojot / Getty Images)

Blanket flower (Gaillardia × grandiflora) blooms itself into exhaustion, which is part of why so many clumps are short-lived. Gaillardia bloomers like Arizona Sun and Mesa Yellow produce red and gold blooms continuously through summer. If left unchecked, heavy late-summer seed production drains the plant's root reserves, causing this perennial to die out over winter. So an August cut isn't only about blooming. Taking the load off the crown gives the plant a better shot at coming through the winter.

Take the whole thing down to 6 inches (15cm), spent stems included. This redirects vital sugars back down into the root crown, ensuring winter hardiness while sparking a vibrant second wave of autumn flowers. Trim using bypass pruners, then top-dress plants with a rich, carbon-based amendment like Rosy Soil Biochar Plant Mix from Walmart to boost water retention and root strength. Flowers will return in 2-3 weeks and keep going until a hard freeze.

7. Spiked Speedwell

(Image credit: Katsiaryna Yeudakimava / Getty Images)

Veronica's spikes bloom from the bottom up. The vivid blues, pinks, or white spires of speedwell (Veronica spicata) open progressively from the base upward. By late August, the bottom of the spire will be turning brown and seed-heavy while the tip fades, giving the entire clump a really sorry and shabby look.

Rather than shearing the plant flat, cut each spent main spire back to just above a healthy set of lateral leaves. Side branches will emerge from these leaf axils to produce a secondary display of slender flower spires in about 3 weeks. After cutting back, apply a mild foliar treatment like Arber Organic Bio-Fungicide, available from Walmart. This will protect fresh cuts from late-summer humidity and leaf spot pathogens, giving your next flush the best shot at flourishing into fall.

8. Bee Balm

(Image credit: Alex Manders / Getty Images)

By late summer, high humidity and crowded stems can leave bee balm (Monarda didyma) coated in unsightly gray powdery mildew. Once the foliage turns crisp and white, deadheading alone won't restore the plant, which makes the issue of cutting back a very simple and satisfying one. Cutting the entire clump down to 2-4 inches (5-10cm) above the ground removes the diseased canopy completely.

Fresh, mildew-free green shoots will push up from underground rhizomes within 14 days, often yielding a secondary flush of blooms for migrating hummingbirds. You can be sure late season pollinators will work that flush as hard as the first. Spores can overwinter on fallen leaves, though, so the cleanup matters as much as the cut itself. Bag up cuttings using sacks like GardZen 3-Pack Garden Bags from Amazon, which are super easy to store and will carry you through plenty more autumnal litter.

Shop Late Season Bloom Companions

(Image credit: Erperlstrom / Getty Images)

Making the right cuts is guaranteed to give you more flowers for free, but if you’d like an abundance of fall splendor, these late summer perennials can help you add a splash of fresh zing and texture to transitional beds and borders. These hand-picked selections are built to settle in fast, hold their ground in late heat, and deliver effortless, high-impact blooms that will keep your borders bright right through to first frosts.

Native Classic

American Beauties Native Plants Native Purple Coneflower

Featuring rich pink petals fanning out from seed-packed cones, this iconic native locks effortlessly into gaps, shrugging off heat and poor soil, while offering a long-lasting sanctuary for pollinators through the fading days of the season. The classic color choice for rejuvenated salvia and catmint.

Designer Texture

Trees.com Karl Foerster Grass

Planting ornamental grasses behind freshly cut perennials adds vertical interest and movement to hold the eye while your lower perennials rebuild their canopy. Then once your bonus flush of blooms rushes in, these elegant designer textural elements add natural wow factor and pleasing harmony.

Late Season Gold

Nature Hills Nursery Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan

With seemingly unstoppable late-season color, these deep golden-yellow petals create natural buoyancy and light. Rudbeckia flowers contrast beautifully with intense purple salvia blues, lavender catmint, and the hotter pinks of perennial cranesbills, keeping your borders glowing well into autumn.

Need more ideas for getting the most from your plants, indoors and out, and looking for the best seasonal expert advice delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the free Gardening Know How Newsletter!

Few plants earn their place in a yard quite as elegantly as ornamental grasses, as landscape designers well know. These elegant grasses bring movement, texture, winter interest and a welcome sense of ease – some of the ingredients designers use to make planting feel intentional rather than simply filled in. August is an especially useful moment to spot what your garden lacks, whether that's privacy, a softer path edge, late-season color or connectivity – all of which can be stylishly solved with the right ornamental grass.

The design trick is to match the best ornamental grass to the job. Tall, upright grasses will screen an awkward view; blue grasses cool off a fiery color scheme; frothy grasses bring together an otherwise disjointed border. Landscape designers also use grasses where flowers cannot deliver: foliage adds structure from spring onwards, seedheads catch low fall light, and many retain their good looks through winter.

These 10 designer-favored grasses will help give any yard a more polished, professional feel, whatever its size or style. Each solves a particular design challenge, from blocking a neighbor's view to lifting a shady border or making a dry front yard feel purposeful. And don't fret: these are all non-invasive ornamental grasses, and these very well-behaved choices sill stay where they're planted so you can create a designer-worthy result with confidence this season.

1. Best Grass for Privacy: Totem Pole Switchgrass

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 4-9
• Full sun
• Flowers August-October
• Grows to 6' high and 30" wide

Panicum virgatum ‘Totem Pole’ is the designer’s elegant answer to a neighbor’s all-too-visible window. Its dramatically upright habit creates a tall, leafy screen with plenty of softness and movement, but without swallowing the whole border. Stylish privacy plants to screen your garden are a great alternative to a privacy screen, and this is the best ornamental grass for privacy. Just tuck a row of these ornamental grasses beside a patio, use it to line a property boundary, or plant a small group to turn an exposed sitting area into a cosy, private retreat.

This is a clumping switchgrass so it makes a steadily fuller crown rather than sneaking across the bed underground. Give it full sun – six or more hours of direct light – and average soil; switchgrass is also more forgiving of clay than many ornamental grasses. Water regularly during its first year while roots establish, then leave the stems in place over winter for a lovely pale, airy living screen. In late winter, cut the clump back to 4-6 inches before fresh growth begins. Switchgrass Totem Pole plants are available from Plant Addicts.

2. Best Grass for Softening Hard Landscaping: Undaunted Ruby Muhly Grass

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 5-9
• Full sun
• Flowers August-October
• Grows to 24" high and wide

Designers love to use Undaunted ruby muhly grass (Muhlenbergia reverchonii ‘Undaunted’) to take the edge off hardscaping, so this is one of those divine low-water plants that soften hard landscaping without all the hard work. Plant this ruby muhly grass beside a patio, driveway, retaining wall or path and its fine foliage and airy fall flowers will create a soft, almost gauzy transition between paving and planting. For maximum designer vibes, plant it in a loose drift of three, five or more, allowing the individual mounds to mingle into one soft, billowy layer. The late-season pink-to-ruby plumes are a gorgeous bonus, particularly when low afternoon sun shines through them, and this cold-hardy alternative to classic pink muhly thrives down to USDA Zone 5.

Undaunted ruby muhly grass is available from Wilson Bros Gardensand is a dense, well-behaved grass, not a runner, so will stay where you put it. Give it full sun and well-drained soil; if your soil is heavy, plant slightly raised to keep water away from its roots in winter. Water deeply and regularly during its first season, then only occasionally once established. In late winter, trim the old foliage back to about 4 inches before new growth appears.

3. Best Grass for Border Movement: Brush Strokes Little Bluestem

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

• Zones 3-9
• Full sun
• Flowers August-October
• Grows to 36" high and 24" wide

‘Brush Strokes’ little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Brush Strokes’) gives sunny borders the easy, breeze-catching movement designers love, without the bulk or roaming habit of larger grasses. Its tidy upright clumps weave neatly among perennials such as salvias, while slender blue-green blades slowly turn a beautiful wine-red and copper as the season unfolds.

This native grass stays where it's planted, forming a neat tuft rather than spreading through the bed. Give it full sun and well-drained, ordinary-to-dry soil; shade is what makes little bluestem flop. Skip the fertilizer, water it while it settles in, then enjoy its tawny stems and bristly seedheads through winter before cutting it back in late winter. ‘Brush Strokes’ little bluestem plants are available from Plant Addicts.

4. Best Grass for a Hot, Dry Yard: Common Blue Grama

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 3-10
• Full sun
• Flowers June-September
• Grows to 24" high and wide

Ornamental grasses offer some of the best drought-tolerant plant choices, and common blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis) proves a climate-resilient front yard can still be full of personality. This compact native grass forms low blue-green tufts topped in summer with wonderfully quirky, eyelash-like seedheads and is ideal for gravel gardens, curb strips and xeriscape schemes. Plant it in loose drifts for full on designer effect.

A small, clumping grass, common blue grama plants are available from Plant Addictsand deliver a naturalistic look without wandering through the bed. It thrives in full sun, heat, wind, and fast-draining soil, and is one of the best choices for a spot that bakes in summer. Water until rooted in, then water only during prolonged drought.

5. Best Grass for a Cooling Effect: Blue Fescue

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 4-8
• Full sun 
• Flowers June-July
• Grows to 18" high and 24" wide

Blue fescue grass, often sold as ‘Elijah Blue’ (Festuca glauca), is the landscape designer’s little color-cooling trick for borders full of fiery reds, oranges, and yellows. Its icy blue, spiky mounds make those warm shades pop even more, while adding a crisp, modern rhythm along a path or at the front of a border.

Each blue fescue grass forms a neat, non-running tuft, so try planting five or seven together, spaced about 12 inches apart, for a deliberate, repeated look. This little lovely appreciates full sun and excellent drainage so it’s perfect for gravel gardens, raised beds and sandy soil. Comb out any dead foliage in early spring and replace individual plants that may become bare in the center after a few years. Blue fescue plants are available from Plant Addicts.

6. Best for Brightening a Border: ‘Hello Spring’ Feather Reed Grass

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

• Zones 4-8
• Full sun or partial shade
• Flowers June-July 
• Grows to 4' high and 2' wide

‘Hello Spring’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Hello Spring’) is a designer’s answer to a border that feels a little too dark or heavy. Its bright variegated foliage catches the light, while its narrow, upright shape adds a fresh vertical accent. While it's happy in sun, it flourishes with only six hours of sunshine a day, so you can thread it through a border that moves from partial shade into sun for an instant luminous lift.

This feather reed grass is a disciplined clump-former so it stays put rather than wandering into neighboring plants. Give it reasonably moist, well-drained soil and water in dry spells, especially during its first year. Leave its soft, dried plumes standing over winter, then cut them back in late winter before new shoots appear. ‘Hello Spring’ feather reed grass plants are available from Plant Addicts.

7. Best Grass for Shade: ‘Aureola’ Japanese Forest Grass

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 5-9
• Part shade to full shade
• Flowers July-August
• Grows to 3' high and wide

‘Aureola’ Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’) is the designer’s way of making a shady path, set of steps or tucked-away seating spot feel brighter and more inviting. Its arching gold-striped leaves spill gently over the edge of a border, catching every bit of available light and naturally drawing your eye onward. Repeat it at intervals along a path or beneath shrubs for a subtle golden thread that makes the whole space feel more connected.

Unlike a grass that spreads by runners, ‘Aureola’ forms a low, graceful clump that slowly becomes more generous with time. Plant ‘Aureola’ Japanese forest grass, available at Nature Hills, in partial or dappled shade, in soil that stays moist but drains freely; hot afternoon sun can scorch its foliage. Water in dry spells, especially during its first year, and cut back the old leaves in late winter before fresh spring growth emerges.

8. Best Grass for Adding a Connecting Airy Layer: Golden Dew Tufted Hair Grass

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 4-9
• Full sun to part shade
• Flowers July-September
• Grows to 3' high and wide

Golden Dew tufted hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldtau’) is perfect when a border has lovely individual plants but still feels a little disjointed, or you have an awkwardly-shaped garden and wish to tie its various parts together. Landscape designers use its cloud-like sprays of tiny golden-green flowers to float between bolder shapes, cleverly softening the join between perennials, shrubs, and hard edges. It's particularly beautiful planted in small groups among hostas, heucheras, ferns and other plants with larger leaves.

Tufted hair grass is a tidy clump-former, not a runner, so it gives that airy meadow effect while staying beautifully contained. It is happiest in sun or part shade with reasonably moist, well-drained soil, and it is more forgiving of heavier ground than many ornamental grasses. Water during dry periods in its first season, then leave the faded flower stems for winter texture before cutting the clump back in late winter. ‘Goldtau’ tufted hair grass plants are available from Sunny Valley Farms.

9. Best Grass for an Informal Vibe: Prairie Dropseed

(Image credit: Getty Images)

• Zones 3-8
• Full sun
• Flowers August-October
• Grows to 18" high and wide

Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) is the designer’s choice for creating a graceful transition from a tidy border to a looser meadow planting. Its fine, arching foliage forms low, well-behaved clumps that work beautifully repeated in a ribbon, linking your border planting with prairie-style favorites such as coneflowers, asters, and black-eyed Susans. And although this brings a relaxed, informal vibe, it's still a very well-behaved ornamental grass.

The real magic happens in late summer, when Prairie dropseed's airy flower stems release a warm, lightly sweet fragrance, often compared to coriander or buttered popcorn. This clumping native stays put, thrives in full sun and well-drained ordinary-to-dry soil, and needs regular watering only in its first season. Leave its foliage standing for winter texture, then cut it back in late winter. Prairie dropseed plants are available from Plant Addicts.

10. Best Grass for a Purple Color Scheme: Twilight Zone Little Bluestem

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

• Zones 3-9
• Full sun
• Flowers September-October
• Grows to 5' high and 3' wide

Landscape designers are favoring purple palettes right now, and filling borders with ravishing purple blooms. And their secret to keeping the purple color scheme going long after the flowers have peaked is the unusual ornamental grass, ‘Twilight Zone’ little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Twilight Zone’). Its cool blue foliage is brushed with purple in summer, then deepens into rich mauve, violet, and burgundy in fall. Use a few clumps through the middle of a border to echo dark dahlias, purple-leaved shrubs and plum-toned sedums.

This North American native grass forms a tall, tidy clump and is best placed in the middle or back of a sunny border as full sun brings out its richest coloring and helps it stay upright. Water regularly in its first season, then allow the soil to dry slightly between deep waterings. Leave the stems in place over winter for their handsome silhouette, cutting them back in late winter before new growth begins. ‘Twilight Zone’ little bluestem plants are available from Plant Addicts.

The Interior Design Show (IDS) Vancouver returns to the Vancouver Convention Centre West from Sept. 24 to 27, bringing together established international names, B.C. designers, emerging makers and a series of one-off installations created specifically for the event.

It’s a show for anyone who loves interiors, architecture and the objects that make a home feel considered.

“A conventional trade show is about displaying products. IDS is a forum for ideas and an annual meeting point for the design community,” says IDS national director Will Sorrell.

“We push everyone on the show floor to create a non-conventional exhibit, to collaborate, to show new ideas,” he says.

What people can expect this year

Among the major installations are the Central Bar by Synthesis Design Architecture , a workplace installation by Kasian, STARK Architecture ’s entrance feature, a seminar space by Gensler and Hush, artwork by James Harry and a VIP Lounge by Medina Design. Landscape architect Andrew van Egmond will also create a garden installation exploring more naturalistic, ecologically responsive planting.

The range is deliberate. IDS brings together designers at different stages of their careers, mixing architecture, art, interiors, furniture and other creative disciplines.

This mixture also reflects something distinctive about Vancouver itself, says Sorrell:

“People always focus on natural materials and sustainability when talking about Vancouver design, which is true, but I think the most distinctive feature is a deliberately slow approach.”

Vancouver designers and businesses tend to be thoughtful about what they make, how much they make and how quickly they grow, he says.

“In other places, growth for the sake of growth is the focus, to the detriment of balance,” says Sorrell.

Vancouver’s design language

Restraint over relentless expansion runs through many of this year’s exhibitors.

Vancouver-based Origins, for example, combines digital design with hand craftsmanship to create expressive objects, furniture and sculpture in solid wood.

Ryan Boechler Studio is launching its modular NIFTIE Bracket System, designed and manufactured in Canada, alongside a collection of solid hardwood wall mirrors.

Made to Fly Design works with reclaimed materials, turning unwanted wood, plastic, leather and felt into new objects.

There is also plenty for visitors looking for smaller pieces to take home. Homecoming, a Vancouver family-run fragrance company, will show its hand-poured candles, incense, room sprays and brass accessories.

North Vancouver’s Billy Would creates jewelry, accessories and small homeware from recycled skateboards and reclaimed hardwood, while Grey Sage Studio in the Okanagan produces small-batch handcrafted tile.

The Central Bar

One of the show’s biggest gathering places is the Central Bar.

This year, Vancouver’s Synthesis Design Architecture is creating the installation entirely from B.C. wood, using 12-foot interlocking arches inspired by the vertical rhythm of the province’s forests.

“Creating the IDS bar is a big feat,” says Sorrell.

Synthesis was approached after last year’s show, with Sorrell particularly interested in the studio’s creativity and its desire to give the materials used in the temporary installation a meaningful life afterwards, an approach he says has become a defining element of recent IDS bars.

International exchange is another theme at IDS this year.

A group of manufacturers from Portugal are coming to Vancouver, something Sorrell believes could lead to longer-term relationships between designers and producers in the two countries.

“Portugal is famous for its high-quality production — in fact several U.K. furniture designers get their products manufactured there,” says Sorrell.

Big names on stage

The keynote program, meanwhile, brings some considerable design experience to the stage.

“Michael Sørensen from Henning Larsen is joining us from Copenhagen. Their architecture practice has completed some exciting, major projects which will be fascinating to hear more about,” says Sorrell.

Toronto designer and television personality Tommy Smythe will also appear in conversation with acclaimed Vancouver interior designer Kelly Deck.

“Tommy Smythe is coming from Toronto and having a 1-on-1 conversation with Kelly Deck,” says Sorrell.

“It has been more than a decade since he last spoke at IDS, and since then they have each built incredibly successful design studios. They are going to have an open conversation about what it takes for a business to thrive today.”

Other speakers include artist James Nexw’Kalus-Xwalacktun Harry and journalist and podcast host May Globus, who will record live episodes of The Craft.

Ticket info .

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Looking for a pretty ground cover that can do more than simply fill an empty space? One underrated perennial is tough enough to thrive where grass struggles, while spreading a colorful carpet that can transform even the shadiest corners of your garden.

Yes, if you've spent years trying to coax grass into growing beneath trees or in other shady corners of your garden, you already know the struggle. No matter how much you water, reseed, or fertilize, those stubbornly patchy spots just refuse to play ball. And that's where ajuga bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) comes in.

Now, don't let the name fool you: bugleweed may sound like a plant to banish, but this colorful ground cover could be exactly what your shady garden needs. In fact, it's become a favorite among gardeners looking for an attractive and seriously anti-trend alternative to struggling grass in difficult areas. Intrigued? Cast your eyes downwards, and I'll reveal all.

The Pretty Ground Cover That's Ideal For Shady Spots

If you want a ground cover that thrives in shade rather than fights it every step of the way, then ajuga is the answer. Especially as, spreading into a dense carpet of colorful foliage, it often looks far more inviting than a patch of tired lawn.

Shop Ajuga:

DIRECT GARDENING Ajuga Groundcover Perennial Starter Plant

CitronellaKing 2 Bronze Beauty Bugleweed in 3.5" Cubes

Pase Seeds Ajuga Reptans Perennial Seeds

Tempted? It's hardly surprising; one of its biggest advantages of this ground cover is that it happily grows in partial or full shade, making it ideal for those awkward areas where many lawn grasses simply won't survive. It can also tolerate sunny positions so long as the soil doesn't become too dry, which means you have lots of flexibility when you're figuring out where to plant it.

It's easy to assume, then, that ajuga is a solely practical choice; in fact, it's also a surprisingly eye-catching one. In fact, depending on the variety you plump for, its glossy leaves can be green, bronze, burgundy, or deep purple, adding color long before its flowers appear.

Come spring and early summer, spikes of vibrant blue, purple, pink, or white blooms rise above the foliage, creating a display that's every bit as attractive to bees and butterflies as it is to people.

(Image credit: NERYX/Getty Images)

This ground cover's spreading habit is another reason it's started making a bit of a name for itself. Growing to around 6 inches (15cm) tall, ajuga sends out runners that gradually fill bare patches, helping to suppress weeds while covering the soil with dense foliage. As such, it's a great choice for planting beneath trees, along borders, on slopes prone to erosion, or anywhere mowing is difficult.

Better still? Well, once established, ajuga is relatively easy to care for. Like many plants, it prefers moist and well-drained soil, but doesn't demand constant attention, and deer and rabbits tend to leave it alone. All it really needs is an occasional watering during dry spells and a spot of dividing when clumps get overcrowded to keep it looking its best.

Shop Three More Ground Covers:

Electric Spring

Nature Hills Nursery 'Drummond Pink' Creeping Phlox Ground Cover

Velvet Groundguard

RedCrocus 'Silver Carpet' Lamb's Ear Ground Cover

Chartreuse Sparkle

Nature Hills Nursery 'Thriller' Lady's Mantle Ground Cover

There is one catch, however (but isn't there always?): ajuga spreads very enthusiastically – which, sure, is exactly what makes it such an effective ground cover, but it also means you'll want to keep an eye on where it's growing.

Basically, in the right spot, that vigorous growth is a huge advantage, but it's a good idea trimming back runners or dividing plants if they start getting to big for their roots. Still, that caveat aside, this is something of a boon for gardeners everywhere who are tired of looking at patchy grass in their garden's shady spots.

Hey, a colorful plant that promises to be low-maintenance, all while delivering pollinator-friendly flowers? Yeah, it's easy to see why this hardworking perennial has become a go-to choice for transforming the trickiest corners of the garden!

A polished, designer-look front yard doesn't require a major time commitment, nor risking losing expensive plants if you're too busy to water. With the right low-maintenance shrubs, you can bring color, structure and serious curb appeal without a high level of effort, for a front yard that looks great all year round.

This summer's drought and heatwave has shown us just how high maintenance some staples of landscape design are. Hydrangeas, for example, are a long-time favorite but they wilt in the summer heat and have high watering needs. And it doesn't matter how beautiful a plant can look, if it's struggling to survive, it's not doing your front yard any favors.

So, it’s time to ditch those thirsty plants and upgrade your curb appeal with these tougher, more resilient alternatives for a smart long-term strategy. Landscape designers love low-maintenance shrubs because, even if their clients aren't gardeners so don't give much in the way of TLC, they still look good. Of course, all these lovelies will need regular watering until they get established and grow a big-enough root system to source their own moisture, but plant them now or in early fall and they'll feel at home by the time next summer comes around. Which one of these resilient shrubs will suit your front yard best?

1. Blue Star Juniper

Blue Star Juniper

Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’ is a compact, slow-growing evergreen that provides year-round beauty. It’s desirable for its intense, silver-blue foliage and structured, sculptural shape. If you look down on the shrub, you’ll see that the clusters of needles at the ends of stems resemble small, blue stars.

Growing no more than three feet (0.9 m) tall and wide, this is a great option for planting under windows. Once established, Blue Star juniper is extremely drought-tolerant. In fact, it prefers light, sandy soil and is an attractive option for a small shrub in a rock garden. It grows best in full sun and is hardy in zones 4 through 8. If you’ll be planting it this year, wait until the worst heat of summer has passed.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)2. Happy Face Pink Paradise Potentilla

Happy Face Pink Paradise Potentilla

Many of the showier flowering shrubs that gardeners love are finicky or need a lot of water. Shrubby potentilla, also known as cinquefoil, offers an easier alternative. It offers a long season of flowers on a compact, rounded, and attractive shrub that doesn’t require much maintenance as long as it gets at least partial sun and enough water after planting to get established.

Potentilla fruticose Happy Face Pink Paradise has semi-double flowers that retain color better and for longer than other potentilla varieties. It's a great choice for gardeners in cold climates as it's hardy in zones 2 through 7, and is well suited to smaller urban gardens as it grows no more than three feet high and wide. With an appealing rounded habit, it looks good planted in clumps to create loose drifts of flowering mounds. You can also use this potentilla as a low foundation planting or edging plant.

3. Kodiak Fresh Diervilla

Kodiak Fresh Bush Honeysuckle

If you’re looking for a native shrub with good tolerance to both drought and deer, Kodiak Fresh diervilla (Diervilla lonicerais) is your answer. Foliage is the star of this three-foot shrub, suitable for zones 3 to 8. New growth emerges in spring in shades of orange-red and turns chartreuse for summer, followed by a rainbow of classic fall foliage colors.

In addition to being native and suited to drought conditions once established, diervilla tolerates both sun and shade. Use it in a difficult spot where you might struggle to grow other shrubs in drier soil and shade or hot sun. Diervilla’s unique coloring looks best when grouped together, so plant a few, perhaps in a row to create an informal hedge.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)4. Double Play Red Spirea

Double Play Red Spirea

Spirea is known for being easy and reliable, and it also offers a lot of choices. Hybrid Double Play red spirea is hardy in zones 3 through 8, grows about three feet tall, and is very hands-off once established. You can plant it now, provided you give it a good start with regular watering. The soil should drain well, and a spot in full sun or partial shade is ideal.

This attractive shrub provides seasons of changing color. Spring foliage is a rich burgundy, summer flowers are reddish-pink, and the fall colors are varied and showy. If your front yard sits next to a busy road, then this spirea is a great choice as it tolerates pollution well.

5. Summer Wine Ninebark

Physocarpus Summer Wine Ninebark

For sophisticated color and contrast without relying on showy flowers to do all the work, choose Summer Wine ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Seward’). The foliage is a striking deep purple, which sets off the light-colored spring flowers and offers visual interest in winter. Ninebark is appropriate for zones 3 through 7 and is a native species that supports wildlife. Plant it now or in early fall in full sun and average soil. Water regularly to start it off right.

This shrub tops out around six feet (1.8 m) tall and wide and is a showstopper, so use it as a single planting and focal point in a bed where it has enough room to grow and display its graceful, arching branches.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)6. Pancake Arborvitae

Pancake Arborvitae

Evergreen option Thuja ‘Pancake’ has a low profile, growing about 18 inches (46 cm) tall, but its sage green foliage is appealingly dense and turns more blue in winter. If you’re looking for year-round interest but don't want a plant that'll grow into a massive hedge and block out the sunshine, it's a front-yard must-have. Pancake arborvitae is a favorite among designers looking for low-water plants to soften hard landscaping.

Grow this arborvitae in zones 4 through 8 and in a spot with full sun. As a drought-tolerant shrub, it prefers light, well-draining, even sandy soil. Use this arborvitae beneath windows at the front of foundation beds, or along the edges of walkways for structured, low-growing curb appeal. Now is a great time to plant arborvitae but be sure to provide plenty of water while it gets established.

7. Paraplu Violet Rose of Sharon

Hibiscus Paraplu Violet Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacusis) is a tall, dramatic shrub known for its pretty flowers, and Paraplu Violet has particularly large, violet-blue blooms. It'll bring a tropical look, though the plant is hardy in zones 5 through 9. Choose this Rose of Sharon for dramatic height and a long flowering period from summer to fall.

This variety grows up to 10 feet (3 m) tall with an upright structure so it's ideal for creating privacy, anchoring the corner of a bed, yard or house, and for creating height behind shorter shrubs and plants. It's a great choice if you're looking for wow-factor accent plants that are stunning yet simple to grow. You can plant it now, but give it plenty of water to get established. Later, you’ll be rewarded by its strong drought tolerance.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)8. Good Vibrations Privet

Good Vibrations Privet

Privet is an old standby for sturdy and tall – if a bit boring – hedges. This variety offers the same reliability and toughness in drought conditions but with far more personality. Ligustrum ovalifolium Good Vibrations has striking variegated foliage and only grows around two feet tall and wide, making it a better choice for more modern foundation plantings or narrow edges and beds. Its dense, compact foliage comes in slowly, too, so it doesn’t need a lot of pruning.

This privet will tolerate drought well if you give it the right start. Wait until the highest temperatures of summer have passed and plant in cooler weather, providing plenty of water leading up to winter to help it get established. It will grow best in a spot with full sun or only partial shade and is suitable for zones 6 through 9.

9. Midnight Wine Shine Weigela

Midnight Wine Shine Weigela

Weigela shrubs are becoming increasingly popular in landscaping for their spring flowers, pretty foliage and low-maintenance needs. Of the many types, Midnight Wine Shine is a compact variety, growing less than two feet (0.6 m) tall and suitable for growing in zones 4 through 8.

This Wiegela florida has striking, glossy, and deep purplish leaves with abundant, bright pink spring and early summer flowers. Once established, it resists drought and also nibbling by rabbits and deer, while also attracting hummingbirds and other pollinators. Plant Midnight Wine Shine near plants with brighter green foliage for great contrast, a little later in the season to avoid lingering high temperatures.

(Image credit: Getty Images)10. Flower Carpet Mini Cherry Rose

Flower Carpet Mini Cherry Rose

Roses have a reputation for being fussy but many newer varieties are easy to grow. This pretty, low-growing shrub is more like a flowering groundcover, covered in an abundance of cherry red blooms from spring through the first frost. Once established, it's drought-tolerant and disease-resistant.

You can grow this rose in zones 5 through 10 in a spot with full sun or a little afternoon shade and rich, fertile soil. Wait until September, or when temperatures drop a little, to plant your new shrubs. They look best when planted in masses, along a walkway or the edge of a bed.

Getting designer landscaping doesn’t have to require maximum effort on your part. Choose shrubs based on form, flowers, foliage, seasonal interest, site conditions, and drought tolerance to enjoy gorgeous curb appeal without spending your entire summer watering. Just be sure to water any of these choices regularly as they get established to set them up for later success.

Every fruit tree drops a share of its crop before harvest. By late August the ground under an apple or pear is usually a carpet of bruised windfalls. Raking bruises them further. Bending with a bucket works, until your back gives out.

A nut gatherer handles the task standing up. Among ergonomic garden tools, it is probably one of the odder-looking options. The whole idea is a springy wire cage on a long handle, rolled across the ground like a carpet sweeper. Fruit pops between the wires and stays put. You can find nut gatherers on Amazon, your local hardware store, and sometimes even in garage sales!

The tool gets sold as a "nut" gatherer because that was its first job. But clearing fallen fruit may be the use that pays off most in a garden, and the reasons run well past tidiness.

What Is a Nut Gatherer?

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One rotating cage does all of it. Heat-tempered steel wires run around a rotating drum at a fixed spacing. Pressure spreads them just far enough to let an object through before they close behind it. Roll the tool back and forth over a patch and the cage fills. A quick-release spreader on the handle opens the wires again to dump the load.

Size limits what any of these will pick up. Each model takes a set diameter band and ignores everything outside it. The Garden Weasel large nut gatherer from Amazon handles objects about 1.5 to 3 inches (4-8cm), which covers pears and black walnuts, along with all but the biggest apples. It will not touch acorns or pecans. Cherries and small plums roll straight underneath. Measure the fruit before ordering (Garden Weasel make smaller sizes, too).

Why Clearing Windfall Fruit Matters

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Yellowjacket colonies peak in late summer and early fall. A single nest may hold a few thousand workers by August, and as the season turns the colony diet shifts away from insect prey toward sugar. Fermenting fallen fruit under a tree is usually the strongest sugar signal in a yard. Eastern yellowjackets (Vespula maculifrons) will work a patch of rotting apples all day. Stings tend to come when somebody reaches into long grass, or runs a mower across the patch.

The pest side runs deeper. Apple maggot larvae (Rhagoletis pomonella) feed inside the fruit, leave it once it hits the ground, then pupate in the soil below and emerge as flies the following summer. Codling moth (Cydia pomonella) benefits from the same neglect. Brown rot behaves differently again, since Monilinia fructicola overwinters in dried mummies lying on the ground, ready to start the cycle in spring. Guidance for home orchards is usually a weekly pickup from early August through harvest.

How to Use a Nut Gatherer

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Work in one direction across the drop zone, then cross it again at right angles. The cage misses the occasional item on rough ground, and a second pass catches most of what the first one left. Empty into a bucket rather than onto the grass, since fruit that goes back down defeats the point.

What comes out should not go on the compost heap. Apple maggot larvae and brown rot spores both survive ordinary backyard composting, which runs far cooler than the temperatures needed to kill them. Bag the fruit for household waste, or bury it deep where that is impractical. A lidded can keeps yellowjackets out of the bin in the meantime.

Different Types of Nut Gatherers

Sizing and the emptying method can vary quite a bit between models, though the basic design has barely changed in decades. Match the cage to whatever is on the ground and the rest comes down to preference.

Garden Weasel Large Nut Gatherer

The default choice for windfall pears and small to midsize apples, plus citrus (and even tennis balls). Its steel cage takes 1.5 to 3 inch (4-8cm) objects and holds roughly 1.5 gallons (5.7L), all on a fixed 47.5 inch (121cm) handle. This version has an easy-open cage that is operated from the handle.

Garden Weasel Medium Nut Gatherer

Drops the range to 0.75 to 2 inches (2-5cm). Pecans and hickory nuts are the listed uses, along with large acorns and sweet gum balls. Crabapples or small plums sit in the same band. Capacity is about 1 gallon (3.8L), so it fills faster under a heavy dropper.

Garden Weasel Small Nut Gatherer

Built for a narrow 3/8 to 3/4 inch (1-2cm) band. Small acorns and buckeyes are its territory, beech nuts too. Windfall fruit generally sits well outside that range. This one is really for the oak rather than the apple tree.

Zozen Nut Gatherer

Emptying is where the basic cages annoy people. Open the side outlet and the contents can be dumped out. Capacity runs to about 1.5 gallons. Easily picks up nuts and fruits 3/4 inches to 2 inches in size.

YOMFEY Nut Gatherer Roller Tool With Telescopic Handle

Fixed handles usually suit average height and leave taller gardeners stooping anyway. This one extends from 28.75 to 50.5 inches (73-128cm), takes 0.75 to 1.5 inch (2-4cm) objects in a 14.6 inch (37cm) oval basket, and holds around 1 gallon (3.8L). One reviewer notes it works best on short grass or a smooth surface.

Bag-A-Nut Stab-A-Nut Large Acorn Harvester

This tool has flexible tines that allow you to “stab” at crabapples, nuts, and other small fruits 3/8 to 1.25 inches to that have fallen under trees. Once collected in the tines, use the ejector handle to deposit the fruit into a bucket or yard waste bin.

An afternoon of clearing now can save a season of stings and a spring of reinfection. That is not bad for a tool that looks like somebody welded a whisk onto a broom handle!

August can be a challenging month for orchids with high temperatures, intense sunlight, and dry indoor air due to air conditioning. Many orchids are taking a pause in flowering during this time of year, but care now isn’t about forcing new blooms. It is all about creating the optimal conditions for healthy plants that will bloom well later, when they’re ready.

August orchid care isn’t time-consuming or difficult. It’s all about ensuring your plants have the conditions they need to finalize summer growth and be healthy enough to put out flower spikes later. The effort you put in now will reward you later with abundant blooms.

Proper orchid care at the end of summer should focus on light, water, humidity, fertilizer, and checking plants for pests, healthy roots, and good airflow. Follow this simple August care checklist, which can also be used into early September, to set up your orchids for successful blooming in the coming months.

1. Provide Bright, Indirect Light

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August sunlight can be intense, especially if you have plants situated in west or south-facing windows. Most orchids thrive in bright, indirect light. Too much direct light can be damaging. Signs of too much sun include scorched, yellow, or faded leaves.

Check that the shifting August light has not compromised your orchid. If it has, move it to a better location or use a sheer curtain or taller plants to filter some of the bright light coming through the window. The right balance of light for orchids will keep your plant healthy and allow it to develop the strong foliage and root growth that will lead to flower spikes.

2. Adjust Watering as Needed

(Image credit: Alamy)

August can be hot and humid or hot and dry, depending on whether you use air conditioning or not. Most people do, so your indoor air is likely very dry during this time of year, which is not ideal for orchids.

Instead of watering orchids according to a strict schedule, check the roots and potting medium and water as needed. Healthy roots are green and fleshy, while dry roots may begin to appear silvery or wrinkled. This often means watering more than usual to accommodate the dry air.

Water your orchid until it drains through the bottom of the container, then let it dry completely before putting the pot back into a tray or dish. Standing water from overwatering can be as damaging as letting your plant dry out too much. If you're not sure how much or how often to water, you can use a soil moisture meter, like this one from Amazon, to check.

3. Maintain or Increase Humidity

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Watering well and more frequently is just one way to combat dry August weather. You also need to ensure your orchid has enough moisture in the air surrounding it. Orchids thrive in humidity and suffer in dry air.

You can manage this using a humidifier, like this highly-rated option from Levoit, in the area around your orchid. Another option is a pebble tray. Fill a shallow tray with pebbles and water and set your orchid pot on top of the pebbles. The bottom of the pot should not be sitting in the water, just on top. This creates the humidity your orchid needs in the air right around the plant.

4. Keep Feeding Orchids Carefully

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Orchids are typically still in a period of active growth right now, but they might be slowing down. It’s important to keep fertilizing orchids in August without overdoing it.

Too much fertilizer can damage the roots. The right amount of fertilizer doesn’t specifically create flowers, but it does push the plant into producing healthy leaves and roots, which support new flower spikes.

The easiest way to feed an orchid is to use a product designed specifically for orchids. Follow the instructions on the label. Never apply fertilizer to dry roots. Water the plant first and then apply the product.

Also, keep in mind that it’s better to use a diluted formula more often than to apply a strong fertilizer only once in a while. This organic orchid-specific fertilizer from Espoma is good option is a good option for mixing into water to get more blooms.

5. Check the Roots & Potting Medium

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Now is a good time to inspect your orchid roots and potting medium. Remove the plant from the pot to look at the roots. They should be firm and green. If they are lighter colored and wrinkled, they’re not getting enough water. If they are mushy or dark, they are getting too much water.

As potting medium breaks down, it holds onto more water. This can lead to mushy roots even if you haven’t increased watering frequency. If the potting medium and roots both indicate an issue, it’s time to repot your orchid. Get fresh potting medium – this orchid potting mix from Amazon is a good choice – and if the roots seem crowded, transfer your plant to a slightly larger container.

6. Watch for Pests & Airflow

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Summer conditions can easily lead to houseplant pest problems. The issue can be exacerbated for orchids if you add humidity without ensuring good airflow.

Inspect your plants this month for common orchid pests like aphids, mealybugs, scale, and spider mites. Use water to remove pests and consider isolating affected plants from others until the problem is under control.

To improve airflow around plants, use a fan. A gentle moving breeze from a rotating fan is best and will help move the air, making it a less desirable location for pests to settle down. This compact, clip-on fan from Amazon is easy to position near orchids or wherever else you may need it.

Two different plant events are underway in the strawberry bed this month. June-bearers like Jewel or Sparkle wrapped up weeks back and have now shifted into leaf and runner production. Meanwhile, Everbearing varieties like Fort Laramie and day-neutral stars like Seascape or Albion are actively ripening and setting a second heavy flush of sweet berries.

Whichever type of plant you are growing, this is a pivotal month in the strawberry lifecycle. Your strawbs need care and attention in August (just not all necessarily the exact same attention). Fortunately, none of this is tricky or time consuming: the tasks that matter for growing strawberry plants in late summer are very short ones. And they will help you to seize a bonus late-summer crop, as well as a generous extra harvest next year.

Several things you do now will reward you twice: once with fruit this season, and once in crown size for plants that will come back next spring (as well as new plants you can start for free). Containers run on a tighter schedule, as they dry out faster. They also run short of nutrients sooner, so a couple of these jobs matter more for strawbs in pots than in open ground. So take steps now to safeguard this year’s plants, and you will reap the benefits many times over.

Boost Your Strawberries in August

Depending on plant type, next spring's crop is being decided right now, out of sight underground. June-bearers are short-day plants. Once daylength slips under roughly 14 hours, they start laying down the flower buds that open next spring. Soil moisture matters enormously through that stretch, and so does a steady nutrient supply. Drought stress in late August can result in a thin crop the following spring. Nothing about the process is visible from above, either. The leaves look much the same in September as they did in July, and the difference only registers the following year.

Soil temperature is the other complication. Strawberry roots occupy the top 6 inches (15cm) of soil, which happens to be the layer that swings the hardest in August. Bare ground dries out fast up near the surface. Container-based strawberries also struggle. With a black plastic pot in the afternoon sun, fine feeder roots could cook against the sides. This month’s essential strawberry care is about buffering that top layer and keeping plants nourished while they build up new buds.

(Image credit: Westend61 / Getty Images)

Strawberry roots tend to develop in the top 6 inches (15cm) of soil. In USDA hardiness zones 3-10, late summer heat can bake this layer. If soil temperatures soar above 85°F (29°C), it can halt nutrient uptake, so moisture and mulching are vital. That said, things might be moist an inch or so down, and you can’t always tell by looking at the top. So before jumping into these tasks, check soil moisture at the root levels. Use a reliable moisture probe like the easy XLUX Soil Moisture Meter from Amazon, which gives instant results and will prevent unnecessary mistakes.

If you suspect your container mix has settled or compacted under heavy summer irrigation, it’s also worth giving it a light topdressing or repotting with some fresh, well-draining potting mix, like Miracle-Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix, which is currently 30% off at Walmart. Then you’re ready to get stuck into these quick tasks. All of this adds up to one unhurried afternoon of work, and the return lands twice: in the berries still ripening now, and in the crops developing underground for next year.

1. Pin Down or Trim Runners

(Image credit: FotoDuets / Shutterstock)

The future of your strawberry runners is one of the big decision points of the month. Every long stem snaking out from a mother plant carries a daughter at its node. Each one of these either becomes free stock or a drain on the parent. For June-bearing varieties, propagating strawberry plants from healthy mothers is the premier way to renovate an aging bed without spending a dime. To securely anchor the plantlets, press the node against the soil with landscape staples or clips. Supports like the Noraling Strawberry Support Clips from Amazon are firm, without damaging fragile runners, and encourage independent roots to form quickly.

Give these runners 4-6 weeks still attached to the mother. Roots should form in this window, and you can then transplant the babies into new rows or pots. After that the connection can be cut. However, for everbearing and day-neutral varieties actively producing fruit right now, allowing runners to grow unrestricted can strip sugars away from developing berries, reducing your late-summer yield. It’s best to just remove these now, using clean cuts with snips or scissors.

2. Shift to Deep Morning Soakings

(Image credit: Elena Grishina / Getty Images)

How and when you water strawberries can catch people out this month. Strawberries need 1-1.5 inches (2.5-4cm) of water a week. But two long soakings are better than a daily splash. Shallow watering holds roots near the surface. In August that top layer is the hottest, driest part of the whole bed. So water deeply to push moisture down into the cooler root zone. Water at the base, not over the top. Wet foliage in warm still air can leave plants vulnerable to diseases like leaf spot and gray mold. Morning beats evening for the same reason.

However, plants in containers and hanging baskets need something more frequent. To check if plants need a drink, either use your soil moisture probe or push a finger around 2 inches (5cm) into the potting mix. For container planters and tier baskets that require elevated airflow and root drainage, use simple pot risers to ensure that plants don’t end up sitting in water, as drainage is still important. Budget-friendly Dedara Plant Pot Risers from Walmart slide under and keep them healthy.Deep morning watering prevents leaf scorch and keeps any berries disease-free.

3. Switch to a High Potassium Feed

(Image credit: Zbynek Pospisil / Getty Images)

Feeding splits by strawberry type this month, so you need to adjust your fertilizing method accordingly. Plants still cropping do best on a potassium-heavy liquid feed every week or two. That covers day-neutrals and everbearers, plus anything growing in a pot. To deliver a potassium boost to fruiting everbearers on a budget, try a gentle boost of seaweed tonic such as Bloom City’s Organic Liquid Seaweed and Kelp Fertilizer from Walmart. You can also add a diluted tomato feed, but use sparingly.

June-bearing plants wrapping up their season require a different approach. They are building next year's buds instead of berries. A balanced, gentle organic feed can help them to build sturdy crowns, without pushing sappy, soft foliage that might succumb to early autumn frosts. Topdress around these plants with some bone meal. Down to Earth Organic Fish Bone Meal from Amazon is a reliable source of calcium and phosphorus, and a little goes a long way. Whichever feed you choose, add to soil that has been watered well.

4. Refresh Mulch to Protect Roots

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Whatever mulch you laid in spring has probably either broken down or blown away. A fresh 2-3 inch (5-8cm) layer of wheat straw mulch can work wonders, as soil temperatures start to drop. Adding straw layers such as CleanStraw Natural Pure Straw Mulch from Walmart gives protection that still allows for natural airflow, without packing the way shredded bark can. Tuck clean, loose straw under ripening berry trusses, keeping the mulch pulled back an inch away from the central plant crown to prevent crown rot.

Clean straw can also help to elevate low-hanging berry clusters off damp soil, eliminating rot and keeping fruit clean for harvesting. However, if you have berries developing in containers near the ground, you can also keep fruits safe by using elevated supports. Use Rooted Promise Store’s Strawberry Supports from Amazon which have an easy snap-on design and help fruits ripen away from pests and other problems.

5. Thin Out Crowded Plants

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Crowding can turn a productive strawberry bed into a disappointing one. Plants sitting closer than 4-6 inches (10-15cm) will start to compete for light and water. This is a good time to thin out strawberries by pulling out the weakest ones. Any mother plant that has held its spot for 3-4 years can go, too. Older crowns lose productivity sharply. Old leaves can come off at the same time. Anything yellowed or spotted belongs in the bin instead of the compost heap. Aim for rows no wider than 18 inches (45cm), which puts every plant within reach from one side. A June-bearing bed thinned this way will develop noticeably better fruit the following season.

Once you have made your final harvests of the season, renovation is another option. This means mowing old foliage down to roughly an inch (2.5cm) above the crowns, then narrowing the rows. The window for this is the couple of weeks right after the final picking. Handled at this point, plants have time to rebuild a canopy before bud formation begins. Northern gardens where harvest ran into late July can still pull it off. Beds that are 3 or more years old get the clearest benefit. Where the last berries came off in June, you should thin by hand instead. Rake the cut foliage off the bed rather than leaving it down, as old leaves can carry disease.

Strawberry Care Essentials

(Image credit: Westend61 / Getty Images)

Keeping your strawberry patch thriving, disease-free, and bursting with sweet berries requires only a few simple soil extras, organic feeds, and protective ingredients. This trio of top formulas can help you to round off your August strawberry care with confidence, building the foundations for next year’s growth and this year’s babies.

Potassium Boost

Bloom City CleanKelp Seaweed and Kelp Fertilizer Concentrate

Everbearing and day-neutral strawberries need steady potassium to fuel sweet late-summer crops. This organic formula builds cell wall strength, increases berry sugar content, and feeds plants without burning tender roots. Water the root zone before applying to prevent nutrient root burn.

Root Builder

Down To Earth All Natural Fertilizers Down to Earth All Natural Fish Bone Meal

This marine-based organic bone meal delivers slow-release phosphorus directly to the roots of June-bearing strawberries, encouraging robust expansion and deep establishment without sappy late-season leaf growth.

Berry Food

Espoma Espoma Berry Tone Natural & Organic Plant Food

Formulated specifically for berry crops, this organic granular feed provides a balanced mix with an added potassium boost alongside beneficial soil microbes. Applying it around crowns in late August supports the steady root and crown growth needed to set maximum flower buds for next spring.

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What looks more majestic in a landscape than a mighty oak tree or a tall, spreading magnolia? But put one in a small front yard and the house looks diminished and unimpressive. If you would like to up curb appeal with a high-end look, you’re better off installing a smaller tree, one that is interesting, elegant, and won’t outgrow its welcome.

Small trees for gardens come in many varieties but not every one will add value to your home and upgrade its look. I’ve pulled together a list of the top trees that do both – creating a strong first impression and adding a touch of elegant beauty that attracts all eyes.

Check out these small trees that will make your yard look like it was designed by a high-end landscaping company, but you can buy and plant them yourself for a fraction of the price.

1. 'Little Gem' Magnolia

(Image credit: WilliamHC / Getty Images)

We all know and love the southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), those evergreen trees with shiny leaves and a crop of what might be the world’s most beautiful blossoms in springtime. But these trees grow to 90 feet (30 m) tall, totally overpowering a small front yard.

Opt for the tidy, compact option: a dwarf southern magnolia cultivar called 'Little Gem'. This elegant tree has smaller foliage that is just as glossy and the same lovely shade of dark green as the big trees. Plus, it has the same large fragrant white saucer-shaped flowers that bloom from spring into summer.

These cultivars need a full sun location, thriving in USDA hardiness zones 7-9. When planted, they require regular watering, but they become more drought tolerant as they mature.

Little Gems top out at 20-25 feet (7-8 m) tall and offer a very compact, narrow form. They are appealing, upscale trees that give a home a polished, established look. This naturally small tree is especially captivating when it is trained as espalier against a wall or fence.

You can find Little Gem magnolia trees for sale at the Home Depot.

2. 'Cherokee Brave' Dogwood

(Image credit: Simon McGill / Getty Images)

Native trees take the cake for easy-care beauty, so if this is your preference, who can blame you. Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), which is native to the eastern half of the continent, is your best choice.

Flowering dogwood is a small deciduous tree that carries a big impact in the landscape. The trees grow to 15-30 feet (5-10 m) tall with low, broad branching. Dogwood fans call it the most beautiful of the native American trees.

It blooms in early spring, often in April. The actual flowers of the dogwood are small and insignificant, compacted into button-like clusters. But each one is surrounded by four showy, white, petal-like bracts which open flat, giving the appearance of a single large white flower.

'Cherokee Brave' dogwood has all of these attributes, but its flowers are a particularly lovely, deep crimson with contrasting white centers. Spring growth is also a stunning burgundy and the leaves turn glorious shades of red in fall. The late summer fruits are also bright red and beloved by birds.

The classic look of the horizontally-tiered branches as well as the vibrant maroon fall foliage add immensely to the curb appeal of your home. Dogwood trees thrive in USDA zones 5-8 in a full sun to part shade location. Prevent the root zone from getting hot by adding a thick layer of organic mulch.

You can find Cherokee Brave dogwood trees online from Trees.com.

3. Paperbark Maple

(Image credit: Michel VIARD / Getty Images)

Cool and classy, the paperbark maple (Acer griseum) boosts front-yard curb appeal with its rich cinnamon and chestnut-colored exfoliating bark. The bark peels back naturally, providing exceptional architectural and textural interest right through the winter.

Here’s a small tree with multi-season interest. The exfoliating bark that curls and clings to the trunk makes a stunning contrast with the glowing dark green summer leaves, and fiery orange-red autumn foliage.

Paperbark maple is a slow-growing and compact tree, topping out at 20-30 feet (7-10 m). It thrives in USDA hardiness zones 4-8 and prefers a location with partial or full sun and well-draining soil. Site this somewhere it can be seen from the street in every season.

Paperbark maples can be a bit difficult to find in stores, but you can get one from Scenic Hill Farm on Etsy.

4. 'Blue Arrow' Juniper

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With tight silvery-blue foliage and a sleek narrow form, a line of 'Blue Arrow' juniper trees (Juniperus scopulorum ‘Blue Arrow') along an entryway offers a clean, modern touch to a front yard.

Each tree grows into a compact column, no higher than 15 feet (5 m) tall and only a few feet wide, making it an elegant and space-saving alternative to the Italian cypress, often found on large estates.

These trees are very hardy, thriving in USDA zones down to zone 4. It does need a full sun location but, once mature, the tree doesn’t require much water. Only irrigate when the top few inches of soil dry out.

Did we mention how tough this little evergreen can be? It resists deer, drought, urban pollution, and harsh winter weather.

You can find 'Blue Arrow' junipers for sale from Trees.com.

Black-eyed Susans are a late-season essential but if you’ve got the classic Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ in your garden, you need to know that there are other varieties that bring more flowers, for much longer. This popular perennial was introduced way back in 1949 and since then, plant breeders have created cultivars and hybrids that are more drought tolerant, heat tolerant and disease resistant, with more abundant blooms over a longer period.

So, if you’re looking for low-maintenance late-season plants that will flower for months into fall, these modern black-eyed Susan varieties are a no-brainer. Whether you want to enjoy the daisy-like blooms yourself, provide a late-season source of nectar for pollinators, or grow a feast of seeds for your garden birds, these robust plants will give you far more flowers for far less effort.

And let's be clear: black-eyed Susan Goldsturm is still a fabulous plant – but these black-eyed Susans are better. Plant one in your garden and see for yourself.

1. Best for Disease Resistance: Black-Eyed Susan American Gold Rush

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One of the biggest issues with black-eyed Susans is that they’re vulnerable to Septorial leaf spot, a fungal disease that causes foliage to wither and die, affecting the plant’s vigor and cutting the flowering season short. However, Rudbeckia ‘American Gold Rush’ is virtually immune to this common disease because its slightly hairy leaves stop moisture from sitting on the foliage, so avoiding the conditions that the fungal spores require.

Named Perennial Plant of the Year in 2023 by the Perennial Plant Association, the excellent disease resistance of ‘American Gold Rush’ means its foliage stays flawless even in humid conditions, and it reliably flowers from July through September and often till the first frost. Growing 1 foot high and 1-2 feet wide in zones 3-8, black-eyed Susan ‘American Gold Rush' is available from Plant Addicts.

2. Best for Flower Density: Black-Eyed Susan Little Goldstar

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Little Goldstar’ boasts the highest bloom density relative to its size, its 16-inch stems smothered with yellow flowers from July to October. It’s estimated that a single plant can produce over 80 blooms, bringing impressive flower power to borders and pots in zones 4-9.

This compact plant grows to 2 feet wide and stays neat, its sturdy, shorter stems resisting the usual late-season black-eyed Susan flop. Highly disease-resistant and drought-tolerant once established, black-eyed Susan ‘Little Goldstar’ is available from Nature Hills.

3. Best for Temperature Extremes: Black-Eyed Susan Glitters Like Gold

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Rudbeckia ‘Glitters Like Gold’ looks very similar to Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’, growing 2-3 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide, but it’s been specifically bred to handle hot, humid summers. It’s also hugely cold-hardy down to -40°F so it can handle life at both ends of the temperature scale in zones 3-9.

With strong disease resistance to Septoria leaf spot and sturdy stems that don’t flop over, this boasts more flowers that bloom for longer than ‘Goldsturm’ too. Black-eyed Susan ‘Glitters Like Gold’ plants are available from Nature Hills.

4. Best for Wildlife: Black-Eyed Susan Deam’s

(Image credit: Getty Images)

If you’re looking for a black-eyed Susan for a wildlife meadow or garden, then Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii is the one for you. Not a modern cultivar but native to parts of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, black-eyed Susan 'Deam's' nevertheless holds not just the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit but also its Plants for Pollinators recommendation.

The dark central cones of this clump-forming perennial are particularly rich in nectar for pollinators, and produce a heavy load of seed to feed finches through winter. As a native, it’s very adaptable and grows in pretty much any well-drained soil and, though it’s highly drought resistant once established, the trick to lots more fall flowers is to give it a good drink once a week. If you deadhead, it will keep flowering from July to October, though be sure to leave the last flush of blooms intact to form seedheads and keep your garden goldfinches happy. Growing to 2-3 feet high and 1-2 feet wide in zones 4-9, black-eyed Susan Deam’s is available from Plant Addicts.

5. Best for Flower Color: Black-Eyed Susan ‘Blackjack Gold’

(Image credit: Getty Images)

While the yellow petals and dark centers of most black-eyed Susans are joyful enough, the color of Rudbeckia triloba ‘Blackjack Gold’ is particularly intense. Because of its tall but narrow habit (the plant grows 3 feet tall and 1 foot wide in zones 3-8), you can pack plenty of these into a border, too, for a real hit of saturated color.

The flowers are smaller but the densely branched stems carry a profusion from July to October, and those golden petals are enhanced by striking central cones and sturdy stems that carry a red tone.

While Rudbeckia fulgida are long-lived, clump-forming perennials and a pretty-much permanent addition to your garden, Rudbeckia triloba is a shorter-lived perennial but reliably (and gently) self-seeds so you'll never be without it. Black-eyed Susan ‘Blackjack Gold’ plants are available from Plant Addicts.

6. Best for Containers: Black-Eyed Susan Viette’s Little Suzy

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

This compact dwarf variety grows to 12-18 inches high and wide so it’s perfect for a pot. Rudbeckia fulgida Viette’s Little Suzy is heat- and drought-tolerant once established so can handle the more erratic environment of life in a container, and copes well with both humidity and heavy rainfall. This bonny black-eyed Susan has exceptional disease resistance, too, to flower through summer into early fall, making it one of the best perennials for patio pots.

For low-maintenance pots to pretty up your patio or deck, you won’t do better than this little lovely, and it attracts bees and butterflies, too. Black-eyed Susan Viette’s Little Suzy plants are available from Garden Goods Direct.

7. Best for Low-Maintenance: Black-Eyed Susan ‘Treasure Trove’.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Taller black-eyed Susans can require staking to stop them flopping over once fall weather arrives, but not Rudbeckia ‘Treasure Trove’. This is one of those wonderful low-maintenance flowering plants that practically grow themselves. Though it grows to 2-3 feet high and wide, it has a neat, bushy habit with heavily-branched stems, so supports itself well. And yes, those branching stems mean a massive volume of flowers!

It has strong Septoria leaf spot resistance, handles summer heat in zones 4-9, usually resists nibbles from hungry deer and rabbits, and once established, only needs watering in prolonged dry spells. So pretty much all you need do is an occasional deadhead if you want it to keep blooming from July to October. Planted with other low-maintenance heroes like daylilies and goldenrod, this is a great choice for beginner or busy gardeners alike, and black-eyed Susan ‘Treasure Trove’ plants are available from Plant Addicts.

Regular readers will know that my passion for bird bathing has reached such a level that I have given my birdie zone its own special name: Featherspoons (named after a certain UK-based food and drink franchise). I’ve been using this name since spring, as it really encapsulates that cheep-and-cheerful vibe (yes, pun intended). But while I’ve been mostly thrilled with the results of my expanding birding empire, it’s felt like something’s been missing… like I’ve been a few feathers short of the full spoon, as it were.

Don’t get me wrong: my thoughtfully tailored bird zone has responded diligently to the demands of my local feathered buddies. Featherspoons is quite the sight for attracting birds, replete with platform bird feeder, secondary hanging feeder, a recently vacated bird house, a classic pedestal bath, trusty waiting branch, and even a little homemade sign letting the local wildlife know they’ve arrived. So what could possibly be missing, you might well ask?

You could say I’m a “bird bath half empty” kind of gal, because I’m always wondering about the birds I don’t see. For every sparrow splashing merrily, I’ll think about the robin I haven’t seen in weeks. I hate to think there’s something I’ve forgotten that’s keeping those other birdies away. And then it rained for the first time in weeks, and Mr Robin hopped into view, happily sploshing in a puddle. That’s when it hit me: I had cleaned a plant pot tray weeks earlier and forgot to put it back outside. Sometimes, the little things make all the difference for our bird friends. Here’s why…

Why Add a Puddle Bath?

Have you ever wondered why your pedestal bath gets plenty of visits from sassy blue jays, while robins act like it doesn't exist? It turns out height is an issue, even for friends with wings. Some songbirds are total turf lovers. Species like robins, juncos, mourning doves, and northern cardinals do a lot of their hanging out at ground level. In the wild, they seek out rainwater pools. To them, a pedestal bath feels like trying to take a dip on top of a skyscraper: scary, and way too exposed.

(Image credit: Vicki Jauron, Babylon and Beyond Photography / Getty Images)

Then there’s the depth issue. Standard bowls are often way too deep, leaving timid towhees and thrashers feeling literally out of their depth. A ground-level puddle bath fixes all of this, by mimicking the conditions of puddles these birds are naturally hardwired to seek out. Something shallow, like the gorgeous bird-friendly Bakayoyo Shallow Ground Bird Bath Saucer from Amazon works well, and it provides texture for tiny toes.

The beauty of a ground-based splash zone lies in its gently sloped gradient. Starting at a half-inch (1.25cm) depth and gently dipping to an inch (2.5cm) in the middle, it lets tiny sparrows and waddling doves wade in at their own pace and comfort level. Add nearby branches for safety and shelter, in the form of a native staging branch like the stunning Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry Tree from Fast Growing Trees, and you bring a highly naturalistic environment into play. Even northern flickers and purple finches will join the ground-level pool party once word gets out.

Which Puddle Bath is Best?

(Image credit: Joao Roberto Martins Filho / 500px / Getty Images)

Creating a welcoming ground-level splash zone doesn't require a lavish budget or complex installation. In fact, some of the best ground baths are sitting right in your garage, shed, or kitchen. An unglazed terracotta plant saucer is a gift. The rough clay gives wet little toes fantastic grip, and costs next to nothing. If you don’t have any, Vigoro Clay Plant Saucers from The Home Depot are the perfect depth and also frost resistant. Alternatively, flip a small upside-down garbage can lid into the grass, filled with a few handfuls of clean pea gravel. But there’s more…

(Image credit: Andrea Kessler / Getty Images)

Whether you go full DIY or treat your yard to something fancier, keep these golden rules in mind: shallow depth, non-slip texture, and low sides. Slippery bowls are a no-go – unless you throw in a few grippy stones to save the day. I like adding a few flat textured pebbles and rocks, like Simetufy River Rocks from Amazon, which you can color up in your favorite birdie shades. Furthermore, the basin should have a low edge that lets birds survey their surroundings. There are plenty of gorgeous, low-profile options that deliver maximum splash-factor with zero hassle.

Puddle Baths for Low-Level Splashers

High pedestals are great for boisterous bathers like jays and thrushes, but shy types need something closer to the turf. These shallow, ground-level options mimic natural rainwater puddles, giving timid bathers the gentle entry, textured footing, and low-stress environment they instinctively crave.

Earthy Simplicity

Esschert Design Esschert Design Terracotta Saucer Dish, Set of Three

If you want a budget-friendly option that blends seamlessly into flower beds, these mixed-size aged terracotta saucers are a gorgeous basic fix. The natural clay provides built-in traction for wet bird toes, while the textured surface keeps the water cooler on baking summer days. Set it right on the lawn or nestle it into mulch.

Artisanal Puddle

Wayfair Charlton Home® Gabir Celeste Birdbath Bowl

If playful squirrels are flipping over lightweight dishes, this old world concrete basin stays firmly anchored in place and makes a sweet small model for a modest yard space. Styled with pretty vintage patterns, the blue vibe is very soothing and makes the puddle look serene, and the base offers great grip for little birdie feet.

Gentle Basin

Bakayoyo Bakayoyo Shallow Ground Bird Bath Saucer

Elevated pedestal baths are great for main lawns, but this secondary bath helps ground-dwelling towhees, juncos, and sparrows. This shallow saucer is ideal for placing near the base of a serviceberry, as well as a fine choice for balconies. Its textured bottom is kind to small feet: a lovely, low-stress backup for timid bathers.

Where to Put Your Puddle Bath

(Image credit: Ray Kennedy / Getty Images)

This might sound obvious but location is critical, and I don’t just mean nice grass. Ground bathers face unique challenges. A soggy robin can’t pull off a high-speed retreat when danger appears. It’s all about balancing protective cover with open sightlines. Position your basin 10-12 feet (3-3.6m) away from dense shrubbery or thick hedges. This gives cautious bathers clear sightlines to spot cats, but keeps branches close enough to flutter to if startled. For a low-key extra, a nearby trellis like the Red Barrel Studio Garden Trellis from Wayfair adds comfort for finches and sparrows.

(Image credit: Diana Cooper / Getty Images)

Sunlight strategy is another biggie. Because puddle baths are shallow, a full day of sun can turn your dish into a hot or dried-up mud flat. Try to find a cozy pocket that gets bright morning sunshine (perfect for early birds) and dappled canopy shade for scorchio afternoon hours. Nestling the bath alongside sturdy native flowers and mid-height perennials like Native Purple Coneflowers from Plant Addicts gives timid visitors lovely, natural staging to check out the scene before hopping down for a dip.

Also, keep your puddle station well away from your main bird feeders. Falling seed hulls, messy shells and crumbs, and bird droppings will turn clean bathwater into murky soup faster than you can say featherspoons. Give your ground dish its own peaceful corner, away from high-traffic footpaths and lawnmowers, to create the ultimate splash zone for ground-level wildlife.

Puddle Station Extras

(Image credit: Gary W. Carter / Getty Images)

Creating a thriving puddle station is all about building a welcoming community around your ground basin. While the dish itself provides the water source, thoughtful accessories create a multi-sensory magnet for the ultimate poolside lounge. The best way to do this is with moving water. Songbirds rely on sound to locate water sources. The right sparkle and trickle is vital to promoting your splash zone.

(Image credit: Wirestock / Getty Images)

The gentle dancing sprays of the Mademax Solar Powered Floating Fountain Pump from Amazon make it clear to ground bathers that the water is fresh. Or for a more subtle sparkle, the Solar Water Wiggler from Walmart creates quiet, continuous ripples that reassure nervous bathers. As mentioned before, I also like to add a few nicely shaped rocks to the base of the bath. This gives a variety of levels as well as texture and natural footholds, adding extra security for hasty or stumbling bathers.

Moving water features also prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs in your ground basin. By pairing your ground dish with water agitators and a few grippy stones, your ground-level puddle station will quickly become the hottest ticket in town.

High Rise Havens for Bold Bathers

Once your ground-dwelling birds are happily splashing down low, give your chickadees, finches, and jays a glamorous front-row seat! These raised, hanging, and pedestal options double as eye-catching garden focal points while providing a safe, elevated sanctuary for watchful songbirds.

Classic Charm

Best Choice Products Best Choice Products Vintage Fleur-De-Lis Pedestal Bath

If you want an iconic garden look without the heavy lifting of solid stone, this resin pedestal is a winner. It features a fillable base column for rock-solid stability, plus an aged antique finish that makes every backyard feel like a classic picture-perfect cottage garden.

Metallic Glos

Wenbery 10 Inch Iron Hanging Bird Bath Outdoor Yard Bird Bath

A gentle rim is ideal for small feet and this bath creates a lovely splashing sound when paired with an overhead dripper. With its patina finish, this hanging bowl develops a natural aged look while providing elevated safety from ground predators.

Artisanal Pop

MUMTOP Mumtop Hummingbird Glass Bird Bath

For a splash of jewel-toned magic in sunny flower borders, this glass basin holds its own beautifully. While common garden birds will use it more than tiny hummingbirds, its textured interior gives visiting songbirds a surprisingly secure, non-slip footing.

Caring for Your Puddle Bath

(Image credit: BirdImages / Getty Images)

Keeping your new puddle bath sparkling fresh is easy, and a little routine love goes a long way. Because ground dishes are shallow, they warm up quickly under the sun, so giving yours a swift daily splash-and-dash top-off keeps water cool and clean. Once a week, grab a stiff cleaning brush, like the Modanu Ergonomic Heavy-Duty Bird Bath Brush from Walmart, and give the basin a solid scrub with nine parts water and one part plain white vinegar. Skip the harsh household soaps or bleach: nobody wants soapy chemical residue ruining their afternoon feathers.

Create a natural "bug and bath" combo, by planting black-eyed Susans near your dish to attract native beetles and caterpillars. Add clumps of coral bells (heuchera) to act as tiny insect hotels for midges and spiders. When robins and song sparrows finish their bath, they can hop straight into the leaves for a delicious, protein-packed snack. And as an extra safeguard to reduce algae build-up (if you have space), place a copper purifier like the Mellbree Copper Bird Bath Disc from Amazon in the basin. Do all this, and your puddle station will stay the cleanest, happiest hangout on the block.

(Image credit: Tomazl / Getty Images)

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August feels like the end of summer in a lot of ways, but it doesn’t have to be the end of your herb garden. While other plants are fading and only the hardiest fall flowers remain, you can still plant some herbs that will persist well into fall, even up to the first frost.

These common herbs are the best choices for planting now and enjoying several fall harvests. Look for young nursery plants and consider putting them in pots that you can move indoors once it gets too cold. How long these herbs will last depends, of course, on your local weather and climate, but with good care, you can enjoy them for weeks or even months.

Let's dig in and see what you need to be planting now to keep the flavor coming!

1. Parsley

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Parsley is one of the most versatile of all herbs with a fresh, green flavor that is more subtle than others. It’s an herb that actually prefers cooler weather, so now is a good time to start a new plant. Its lush green foliage will remain while plants around it fade and brown.

Give your parsley plant full sun or a spot with a little shade. Keep the soil consistently moist, but don’t let it get soggy. Harvest outer stems as needed to encourage fresh growth well into fall. Find a wide variety of parsley seeds from True Leaf Market.

2. Cilantro

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Like parsley, cilantro prefers the cooler weather of the shoulder season. It tends to bolt in the heat of summer, resulting in lower flavor quality of the leaves. This is a love-it or hate-it kind of herb, but if you’re in the former camp, plant one now.

Full sun or partial shade is ideal for a cilantro plant. Keep the soil moist but ensure it drains well. As with parsley, trim off stems from the outside in to use and encourage fresh growth while decent temperatures persist. Burpee offers organic cilantro seeds for growing your own cilantro to pair perfectly with Asian and Mexican dishes this fall!

3. Chives

(Image credit: Lucy Lambriex / Getty Images)

With a delicate oniony flavor, chives are a great addition to almost any savory dish, including salads, fish, and eggs. Chives not only tolerate cooler weather, but they’re also actually hardy in many climates. Get a plant established now, enjoy it this fall, and, with good care, expect it to emerge again next spring.

Plant chives in full sun or partial shade. Make sure the soil drains well and keep the soil moist as the plant establishes strong roots. Snip off leaves to use as needed, making clean cuts at the base. Don’t harvest too heavily this season if you’re hoping it will come back next year. You can find heirloom chive seeds from Sow Right Seeds on Amazon.

4. Thyme

(Image credit: Robert Kneschke / Shutterstock)

Thyme is a hardy perennial in zones 5 through 9, so plant and get it established now to enjoy this fall, even as temperatures drop, and again next year. The tiny leaves of thyme plants pack a punch and are especially tasty with meats, poultry, tomato dishes, and soups and stews.

You can grow thyme in a container or in beds. Its low profile makes it a good edging plant. Choose a sunny spot and ensure the soil drains very well. Thyme doesn’t like getting too soggy and will tolerate dry conditions very well. Water regularly now to help it get established. You can start harvesting stems this fall, but avoid cutting into woody growth, which won’t regrow. Organic English thyme seeds can be found at the Home Depot.

5. Sage

(Image credit: DUSAN ZIDAR / Shutterstock)

Like thyme, sage is a perennial suited to many climates. It will keep green, usable foliage well into fall and even through the first few light frosts. Sage has a strong flavor, so pair it with foods that can stand up to it, like meats, turkey, buttery pasta dishes, and squash.

Plant sage in full sun in an area that has very good drainage. Water it regularly to get it established and then water only when the soil dries out. You can harvest individual leaves or cut off stems. Add a layer of mulch around the plant to help protect it during winter. Find sage seeds from Sow Right Seeds on Amazon.

6. Mint

(Image credit: Karl Tapales / Getty Images)

Mint is a very easy herb to grow. It is tough and vigorous, spreading and growing rapidly from runners. For this reason, it’s a good option to grow now but only in containers. In beds, mint can quickly run amok. Use mint leaves in desserts, salads, and savory dishes. (You can even burn peppermint like Content Editor Kayleigh Dray to freshen your space and ward off pests).

Mint will tolerate a spot in full sun or partial shade. Keep the soil evenly moist and harvest entire stems to encourage new growth. Consider bringing your mint indoors to enjoy all winter or let it go dormant outside. It will likely come back next year. Peppermint seeds can be purchased from True Leaf Market.

Starting herbs in August is worthwhile if you choose the right ones. While the rest of the garden winds down, these hardy herbs will continue producing tasty leaves for weeks or months.

Keep them well watered, provide some winter protection if needed, and some of these herbs will even come back in the spring.

Some garden plants earn their space in beds and borders twice: first with a showy display of flowers and later, once the flowers have faded, with structural elements that lend a little extra something to look at in fall and winter. These include seedheads, tall stems, interesting foliage, or even winter color.

Many gardens lose visual interest once the blooms are done, but structural plants continue to shine even in fall and winter. When choosing plants for your garden, consider what they’ll look like after the flowers are done. Look for plants, like some of our favorites below, that both bloom and have interesting structure after flowering. For best results, make sure your choices are suited to your USDA zone, soil type, and sun exposure.

1. Sedum

(Image credit: schnuddel/Getty Images)

• Botanical name: Hylotelephium and Sedum
• USDA zones: 3–9
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Well-drained, on the dry side
• Best for: Rust-red and bronze dried flower heads

Sedum, or stonecrop, is a big family of succulent plants that flower in late summer and fall. They bloom with very small flowers clustered in large, flat-topped heads. Sedum grows best in full sun and well-drained soil that stays mostly dry. While stonecrop flowers are attractive and great for pollinators during the growing season, the plants have more to offer.

In fall, the flower clusters on many sedum varieties change color and dry in place in attractive rust-red, copper, or bronze shades perfect for the season. Additionally, the fleshy leaves provide ongoing visual interest, so resist cutting this pretty perennial back in the autumn. Let it shine, even in winter, as snow collects on its dried blooms.

For a standout variety, try Autumn Joy sedum, pictured above and currently on sale at Trees.com. Its large flower heads open pink in late summer before deepening to coppery-red and eventually drying to brown for winter interest. For something different, Back in Black sedum, available from Plant Addicts, pairs near-black foliage with pale flowers and persistent seedheads, while Mr. Goodbud, available from Nature Hills, has huge, richly colored flower heads on sturdy reddish stems.

2. Coneflower

(Image credit: Katarzyna Derbich / Shutterstock)

• Botanical name: Echinacea
• USDA zones: 3–9
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Well-drained
• Best for: Sculptural seedheads that feed birds

Always popular in gardens for its tall, elegant stalks and striking summer blooms, coneflower is a native plant that supports pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. It’s a great addition to beds and naturalized areas where it thrives in full sun and well-drained soil.

Don’t be quick to cut back the stems after coneflowers have faded. They’re about to put on the second act of their show. The cone-shaped seedheads remain atop the tall stems, feeding birds and also providing striking structural interest in beds. These act like winter yard sculptures, so leave them in place until warmer weather returns.

For the classic look pictured above, try purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), available from Walmart, with its familiar pink-purple petals and prominent orange-brown cones. For more color, Cheyenne Spirit coneflower, available from Garden Goods Direct, produces flowers in a vibrant mix of red, orange, yellow, cream, and purple. If you want to grow a larger drift economically, this coneflower seed mixed color pack from Sow Right Seeds on Amazon is an easy way to get plants started.

3. Sea Holly

(Image credit: Alexmak72427 / Getty Images)

• Botanical name: Eryngium
• USDA zones: 5–9
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Dry, well-drained, even sandy
• Best for: Spiky, sculptural dried flower heads

Sea holly is a unique non-native perennial that grows well in zones 5 through 9 in full sun and well-drained, even sandy soil. It blooms in summer and fall with silvery blue, thistle-like flowers. These flowers, as well as their bracts, dry prettily in place once the growing season is over, leaving behind sculptural flower heads atop stiff, structural stems.

For particularly vivid color, try Big Blue sea holly, available from Plant Addicts, with large, intensely blue flower heads and matching spiky bracts. Another striking option is Blue Glitter, available from Walmart, which produces masses of smaller steel-blue blooms on branching stems and is especially good for cutting and drying.

4. Ornamental Alliums

(Image credit: Joe Kuis / Shutterstock)

• Botanical name: Allium
• USDA zones: 4–9, depending on variety
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Well-drained
• Best for: Striking spherical seedheads

These ornamental relatives of culinary onions are favorites in garden beds for their unique, spherical flower heads that tower over other flowers. They’re also easy to grow, requiring only full sun and a spot with soil that drains well. Once established, they don’t need a lot of water to thrive.

Alliums bloom in spring and early summer, but don’t cut them down when they’re done flowering. The spherical seedheads will remain in place, providing an interesting sculptural element to your bed. They look good long after the flowers have faded and can even last into winter if the stems remain upright and in good condition.

For a dramatic display, try the pictured Gladiator allium, available from Walmart, with huge purple globes held high on sturdy stems and attractive dried heads after flowering. For something a little different, Bobblehead allium, available from Plant Addicts, produces pale lilac globes followed by perfectly spherical seedheads, while drumstick allium (Allium sphaerocephalon), available from Burpee has smaller burgundy-purple flower heads that bring a more delicate, naturalistic effect to borders.

5. Jerusalem Sage

(Image credit: Alamy)

• Botanical name: Phlomis
• USDA zones: 5–10
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Dry, well-drained
• Best for: Architectural, pom-pom-like seedheads

Jerusalem sage – often known as Turkish sage or its botanical name phlomis – is a small shrub native to the dry climate of the Mediterranean. In zones 5 to 7, it is deciduous but evergreen in zones 8 through 10. Give it a sunny spot with dry soil, and it will thrive and bloom with yellow flowers in summer.

Phlomis offers a dramatic architectural and visual effect in fall and winter if you leave the seedheads in place. The flowers grow on tall spikes, and when they fade and set seed, you’re left with interesting pom-pom-like structures that look like beautiful yard art. Even without evergreen foliage, the dried stems also add to the visual appeal of this unique plant.

For a particularly architectural choice, try Phlomis russeliana, available from US Perennials. Its pale yellow flowers appear in distinctive tiers up sturdy stems, leaving behind sculptural seedheads that can provide interest well into winter.

6. Astilbe

(Image credit: Chamomile_Olya / Shutterstock)

• Botanical name: Astilbe
• USDA zones: 3–9
• Light: Partial shade
• Soil: Rich, moist, well-drained
• Best for: Feathery dried plumes in tan and bronze

Astilbe is a small, shade-tolerant perennial with feathery plumes of summer flowers in shades of pink, purple, white, and red. Partial shade is ideal for astilbe, but it will tolerate full shade or even more sun. The soil should be rich and moist.

The pretty flowers will have faded by late summer, but leave them on the plants. They retain their feathery shape and texture as they dry to muted tan and bronze colors, bringing visual interest and lightness to shady beds and borders.

For a similar frothy pink display to the picture above, try Younique Silvery Pink astilbe, available from Plant Addicts, which produces masses of soft, feathery pink plumes. For something more dramatic, Dark Side of the Moon, also from Plant Addicts, pairs rosy-purple flowers with striking chocolate-brown foliage, while Fanal, also at Plant Addicts is a compact choice with rich red plumes. Leave the faded flower heads standing to provide texture and interest later in the year.

7. Ornamental Grasses

(Image credit: Inna Reznik / Shutterstock)

• Botanical name: Varies by species
• Light: Usually full sun, with a few exceptions
• Soil: Varies; most prefer well-drained soil
• Best for: Airy seedheads, texture, and winter movement

You can hardly go wrong with any type of ornamental grass for visual interest at any time of year. These grasses grow in clumps, some strictly upright, others with an arching shape. Some grow several feet tall, while others grow much shorter, giving you options for beds, borders, privacy screens, and even containers.

Grasses aren’t known for their flowers, although they do bloom with feathery flower heads in summer. In fall and winter, the blades, airy seedheads, and movement in the wind all offer great visual appeal. As long as they remain upright and in good condition, leave your ornamental grasses in place and wait to trim them next spring.

For some of the best varieties, try pink muhly grass, pictured above and currently on sale at Trees.com, which produces clouds of pink flowers in fall before fading to soft tan. Little bluestem adds coppery fall color and fluffy silver seedheads – in particular, Standing Ovation little bluestem, available from Plant Addicts, is prized for its strong, upright habit. ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass, available in a three-pack from Walmart, is a great choice for tall, upright structure that lasts well into winter. For a shadier spot, try All Gold Japanese forest grass, available from Plant Addicts, which brings graceful, arching foliage and bright golden color to beds that receive less sun.

Shop Structural Beauties

Plants That Work Mr. Goodbud Sedum

Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower

CZ Grain Blue Glitter Sea Holly – 3 Plugs

Mappe Garden Gladiator Allium Bulbs – 5 Pack

Younique Silvery Pink Astilbe

Proven Selections All Gold Japanese Forest Grass

Take inspiration from this list and find plants that work for your garden and that provide more than just summer flowers. Consider how any plant will look after its colorful blooms fade to get more year-round visual interest.

For the best results when planning a garden that goes beyond the standard growing season, consider diversity. Use a mix of textures, like a combination of airy ornamental grasses with spiky sea holly. Create layers with short, medium, and tall plants. And don’t forget containers. They can also add to the fall and winter landscape with versatile, interesting plants. Choosing plants based on their entire life cycle creates a garden that remains interesting long after the blooms peak.

There is something magical about adding moving water to your outdoor living space. Ponds come and go in terms of popularity but the newer trend of pondless moving water is an exciting garden addition. Not only does it capture a bit of nature in our own backyard, it adds soothing sound, introduces motion to the landscape and attracts wildlife to our homes. To gain a greater understanding of how folks can incorporate these unique features into their gardens, I had the pleasure of speaking with Diego Fontana, co-owner, along with his business partner Dan Paterson, of Fontana Ponds and Water Features.

My first question was about the environmental impact of these pieces. With the increasing severity of heat and drought in our area, the addition of self-contained water, surrounded by trees and plants would seem like a positive addition. Fontana mentioned that the most delightful benefit was the attraction of natural wildlife, from frogs and other semi-aquatic species like salamanders, to birds and beneficial insects. A year-round water source within a natural setting is amazing. The obvious cooling effect, especially in today’s heat , is most welcome, as is the mitigation of urban noise pollution.

Working within today’s many smaller space gardens is always a challenge, and I was curious to know how much space was needed to accommodate one of these moving water landscape features. Fontana said they have designs to fit comfortably in an area as small as two metres by two metres. These models may include pre-drilled gurglers with stone covered water reservoirs which still add all the elements of moving water.

Are permits required for installations? He said if it’s simply a pondless system with no deep water, no permits are required. For larger projects, homeowners should check with their local authority to see what is needed.

Today’s water pumps are much more efficient and use far less electricity. Without knowing the pump size, it was hard to give a sense of electrical costs, but as a rule of thumb, running smaller installations for extended periods may cost about a dollar a day, while large pond systems may cost around $80 a month.

Do these systems require a great deal of maintenance? Fontana emphasized the simplicity of keeping the reservoir clear of debris. A weekly leaf blowing around the reservoir area is all that’s required. Since we’re dealing with contained water, it’s important to control algae, but with applications of organic beneficial bacteria, clear water can be maintained in an environmentally friendly way.

Our winters in the Lower Mainland are normally reasonably mild, so I asked if these pondless water systems could keep running all winter. He said -15C is the tipping point for these features and when some maintenance would need to take place. The key to success is to create a deeper and better protected reservoir to keep the water flowing and safeguard the pump. It’s also not a bad idea to use protective coverings over the reservoir when we do get those cold spells.

The streams and waterfalls take on a whole new winter complexion with frozen water droplets and icicles forming but it’s also important to keep the fountain running as a water source for birds and other wildlife. In extreme cold, however, the system is designed to be shut down if necessary.

Once the water system is in place and fully functional, the beauty of trees, shrubs, perennials, and even annuals can be added. Plants have a way of further enhancing the attractiveness of the water and stones. As a rule of thumb, try to use plants which are evergreen, or broadleaf evergreens, to prevent dying fall foliage from cluttering up the water landscape.

Sunny or shady locations are key considerations when determining the types of plants being used. He prefers a shady location simply because of fewer algae issues, but emphasized how either location can be equally beautiful.

In the case of open water features, there are an abundance of water plants which can live year-round to enhance your water garden. Evergreen plants like sedums, or shrubs like trailing cotoneasters gently spilling over rocks above would add a welcome touch of greenery.

The cost of planning and installation varies, of course, with the scope of each project. Their website, fontanawaterfeatures.ca , provides details and a great deal of information on installations to give you a sense of pricing. They also provide online videos which offer further insight into the possibilities of adding your own water feature.

Their systems have become very popular and, depending upon the size of the project and the time of year, there may be a three to four month timeline from the initial consultation to completion.

Whether you have a well-established landscape or you’re just beginning to garden, the addition of water in its many unique forms adds life and vibrancy to your outdoor living space. Fontana also mentioned how seniors’ homes have benefited from the addition of these lush water displays in their landscapes, as they create an important connection to nature and provide a calming area to enjoy year-round.

I am truly grateful for the time Fontana spent educating me, and for the inspiring work their team does to add magic to landscapes. The versatility and motion of pondless water systems makes any green space come alive and generate, in many ways, a sense of intimacy. It’s a creative way to take your outdoor living space to the next level, and one you would enjoy for years to come.

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