August 2007

The summer of 2007 has been a unique experience for many Hill Country gardeners. With July bringing 17 days of rain, more than 9 inches in the rain gauge, and relatively mild temperatures in the 80s, many yards were transformed into jungles—a far cry from the hot, parched plots we usually encounter as summer comes to a close. Now as fall approaches it is the perfect time to undertake most landscaping activities.

Abundant moisture has produced extraordinary growth in all of our landscape plants, including weeds. Begin your gardening efforts by removing weeds that have taken root in your yard. Try to remove weeds before they set seed. If you don’t have time to remove the whole weed, at least remove the flowers.

In an established garden, an important task is keeping plants pruned, shaped and divided to maintain the original design intention. Many of our landscape plants will likely require pruning following this wet summer. Pruning perennials prevents spindly plants and helps keep them vigorous. Shrubs may also need shaping now. Use clean, sharp pruning equipment, and disinfect pruning shears between plants to help prevent the spread of disease.

Fall is the ideal time to divide and transplant perennials. The lush growth this year may mean that you have many plants to share with friends and neighbors. Keep the plant roots dark and moist while you are moving them to their new locations, and plant them as soon as possible after digging them up.

Perennials and shrubs planted now will have a great advantage over those you plant next spring because of the extra time over winter to establish deep roots. August through October is the time to sow spring wildflower seeds, and October heralds the beginning of tree planting season in Central Texas.

Soil can benefit from the addition of compost at this time of year, especially in areas such as vegetable beds that have been in full production all summer. If you have thin soil under your turf, top dress with ¼ to 1/2 inch of compost now. This will work wonders for your turf, eliminating the need for fertilizer while improving the water holding capacity of the soil.

Finally, don’t forget to check in with your irrigation system. Although you may not have run the system much during this wet summer, this is a good time to check for broken and misaligned sprinkler heads. Also, cut back your watering schedule to 50 percent of the summer schedule for the cooler, wetter days of fall.

Now is the perfect time to take advantage of prime gardening season in Central Texas, under the harvest moon. And, don’t forget: Just because we’ve had a wet year doesn’t mean conserving water isn't a good idea. Test your knowledge and obtain water-saving landcaping tips for your area at http://wateriq.org.

Elizabeth Drozda-Freeman is the conservation landscape specialist for the Lower Colorado River Authority. She can be reached at (512) 473-3200, Ext. 2230.