August is a special month. The pressure is off and it’s time to enjoy the late-season garden. We still have to weed, trim, and water but we can also plan grilling dinner with special friends and campfires and marshmallows for the children. Maybe there is still time for that special summer project.

As we anticipate August we will notice changes in the garden. Toward the end of the month the number of daylight hours decreases. Some of our annuals will give up for the season while others will carry on for several weeks. Our perennials will also be showing their age with the last few blossoms and some brown leaves.

Be ready to fertilize by mid-month for the last time and allow the perennials to prepare for dormancy. To encourage some perennials to self-seed, allow some of the plants to keep their flowers so the seed will dry and in spring provide the gardener with new plants. Another reason to leave seed heads is to provide food for birds.

You can neaten the appearance of the perennial garden by cutting back long leggy stems, removing unattractive foliage and cutting off flower stems of hosta as soon as the flowers fade. Remove any mildewed stems and leaves. Place these in the trash, not the compost pile. Disinfect your tools in hot water and household bleach.

Some of our annuals will need to be composted. They are done for the season, and you will not be able to bring them back. Fall annuals will soon be available to help fill in gaps in your containers. Another way to manage containers is to combine two containers. Very often the fillers and spillers will make an attractive container to give pleasure over the next few weeks. Maintain fertilizing the annuals. As long as you fertilize, many of the annuals will continue into early fall.

Just when you are tired of all this watering, your plants need more water than ever. At this point in the gardening year the plant’s root systems are taking up space, making less room for the plant to store water. Mildew can be a problem. Keep your foliage as dry as possible. As always, water the roots, not the flowers. Water in August is critical.

Early August is a good time to divide and replant spring bulbs that are overcrowded and not blooming well. These bulbs that you marked last spring can carefully be moved to a new area near your perennials. In spring the perennials emerge and will cover the dying foliage of the spring bulbs. Dig up the clumps and separate the bulbs. Sprinkle some bulb fertilizer in the soil where the bulbs are to be planted. The newly planted bulbs will have plenty of time to develop roots for a nice show next spring.

August can be a time of melancholy. As the season winds down and back to school time is near at hand, we all have memories of family vacations at the ocean or lake and hiking and camping. We try to hold on to the last of the warm summer weather. We also remember those wonderful summer projects we planned. Do what you can and let the rest wait for another season. Enjoy the late summer garden in repose.

(Rebecca Ryan is a lifelong resident of and gardener in the Bradford area. She retired from teaching at Bradford Area School District.)