Flowers evoke emotion and meaning for every gardener. From spring to fall, there are plenty of blooms to choose from.
Find seeds and fertilizer for all your favorite flower types! Roses are a crowd favorite for their beauty and symbolism of love. Daffodils are among the first to bloom in spring. Tulips are beloved for their rainbow of colors.
WEST BEND — If shorter days and cooler nights have you thinking gardening season will soon be best seen from your rearview mirror, there is still plenty of time left for working and enjoying your flowers, fruits and vegetables this year.
You probably don’t need to look far to see an abundance of black-eyed Susans with their yellow flowers and brown centers. Black-eyed Susans are drought-tolerant, pollinator-attracting perennials that do well in many soil and light conditions. Black-eyed Susans provide height and later-season color for the relatively short time they are in full bloom.
“You can’t look at them and not smile,” said Beth Bogenschneider, a West Bend garden enthusiast who recently enjoyed black-eyed Susans and many other plants at the West Bend Labyrinth Garden. “They are such a happy, bright plant and so easy to grow. I have tons at my home. I actually have to keep an eye on them, or they will take over.”
Regular deadheading of faded flowers will allow more plants to bloom and will prevent self- seeding and unintended spreading.
Pink and purple coneflowers are a perennial with a longer-lasting bloom, starting in spring and lasting until early fall. Popular with birds and pollinators, coneflowers add height and color throughout the year.
Look for early flowering chrysanthemums to be in full bloom soon, according to the University of Wisconsin Extension Horticulture Office. Depending on the variety, mums can flower through October.
While many keep mums in pots, they are a perennial that can survive winter. Select a hardy variety and mound soil around the base when leaves begin to brown from frost.
Whether you are growing flowers, fruits or vegetables, the next few weeks is a good time to treat plants with a balanced fertilizer, and monitor for bugs and fungus, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Regardless of your tasks, be sure to make time to enjoy all that is growing around you, Bogenschneider said.
“There is so much beauty everywhere you look,” she said. “Amazing things are growing all around us. It is worth taking a few minutes every day to be still and enjoy them.”
Here are some August tips and action items from the University of Wisconsin- Madison Extension office:
■ Stake plants with heavy blooms to enjoy for as long as possible.
■ Start daisy, coreopsis, sweet William and pansy seeds in pots or nursery beds now and transfer to permanent beds at the end of September or beginning of August.
■ Divide and transplant day lilies, the official flower of West Bend, as well as hostas and irises.
■ Cut and dry or freeze herbs.
■ Pick eggplant and peppers to allow younger fruit to develop.
■ Plant late crops of radishes, lettuce, spinach and beets.
Of course, it is never too early to think about next year. August is a great time to order spring-flowering bulbs for fall planting.
Source: gmtoday.com
