August can be a long month for gardening, but with a few tips, you can help your garden thrive. When it comes to watering, be sure to give your plants enough water to prevent drought stress. For example, if you have a Sunshine Ligustrum, be sure to give it plenty of water during the warm summer months. August is also a good time to start planning your fall garden and planting fall vegetables like Kale, Lettuce, and Broccoli.

When choosing garden plants for August, look for heat-tolerant varieties like Zinnias, Marigolds, and Portulaca that can withstand summer temperatures. August is here and in a few more weeks, fall will be knocking on our doors. While we move closer to a new season, make fall even more beautiful by giving your garden some TLC this month. Unsure of where to start? Here are 5 easy and helpful gardening tips for August.

 

TIP #1: WATER YOUR PLANTS

Regular watering is important to maintaining the health of your plants. With the lack of rainfall and drought conditions, our plants are thirsty. First, be sure to check your local community guidelines to see if there are any restrictions in your area. It is recommended to water your outdoor container gardens and hanging baskets daily. To make it easy, we have watering cans available in 56 oz and 2.5 gallon sizes ideal for watering your containers. They come in a variety of colors to match your personal style.

Water lawns and flowerbeds about 1 inch per week. This is best done early in the morning to ensure your plants can absorb the moisture before it evaporates from the Texas sun.

Need watering tools? Check out our selection of hoses, sprinklers, watering wands, and nozzles for proper coverage.

Water with ease and use the Flexon™ Heavy Duty Hose. This tough, weather-resistant hose provides excellent handling and continuous water flow with year-round durability, reliability, and lasting quality. Give your plants a refreshing rain-like shower with the Melnor® RelaxGrip® Shower Head Watering Wand. It has an 8 pattern, multipurpose head with stress-free thumb control. For full yard watering, use the Melnor® XT Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler! It has a clog-resistant design that provides even watering.

 

TIP #2: PROVIDE NUTRIENTS

Just like humans, plants need vitamins to survive. Plant food can give your plants an extra boost to get through the season. Paired with proper watering, your seasonal blooms, trees, shrubs, and tropical plants will thrive. Give your plants Calloway’s Premium Plant Foods and make your neighbors jealous with garden envy!

• Calloway’s Premium Flower Food is ideal for all annual flowers like Periwinkle, Zinnia, Marigolds, and more. Our 12-4-8 specialized formula contains nitrogen, Fx Iron®, phosphate, and other key ingredients to help your flowers bloom with big, bold color!
• Calloway’s Premium Tree & Shrub Plant Food helps your plants grow with more vibrant foliage. The 16-4-8 formula contains a controlled release nitrogen, Fx Iron®, and other key ingredients needed to ensure your trees and shrubs are fed everything they need for healthier growth.
• Calloway’s Premium Tropical Plant Food is ideal for Bougainvillea, Hibiscus, Indoor Plants, and more. Our 15-5-10 special formula contains a controlled release nitrogen, Fx Iron®, calcium, and other key components to help your tropical plants have healthier growth and dark green foliage.
• Calloway’s Premium Flowering Shrub Plant Food is ideal for all flowering shrubs such as Azaleas, Camellias, Gardenias, Hydrangeas, and more.

Our Premium Plant Foods were designed with your garden in mind, and they are now available in large 16 lb Texas sizes! Use all Calloway’s Premium Plant Foods as directed for your gardening success.

Keep your lawn green and help it stay healthy for a lush fall season. Calloway’s Premium Lawn Foods will do the trick! Our lawn foods are specially blended for Texas lawns.

• Calloway’s Premium Lawn Food is preferred for new lawns that have been fed less than three times. The 21-5-10 formula will provide your lawn with triple controlled release nitrogen, trace elements, and iron to establish strong roots with lasting, green color. It contains a precise mix of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and micronutrients recommended by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
• Calloway’s Premium Lawn Food Phosphorus Free is the ideal fertilizer for established lawns, with extra iron to create a deep emerald green. The 21-0-0 formula contains triple controlled release nitrogen, as well as vital iron and micronutrients. It was carefully developed by Calloway’s Nursery Professionals according to the exacting standards of Texas A&M AgriLife Earth-Kind® recommendations.

For a natural and organic approach, use Calloway’s Natural Lawn & Garden Food. This food is great for lawns, vegetable gardens, and landscaping beds.

 

TIP #3: WEED CONTROL

To keep your lawn weed-free this fall, start applying weed control products in mid-August. Bonide® Weed Beater Complete kills the weeds in your lawn, including crabgrass and many varieties of broadleaf weeds. It also contains a pre-emergent, preventing new weeds from germinating. Use Bonide® Crabgrass & Weed Preventer for a flawless lush green lawn! This weed control contains Dimension, a selective turf and landscape herbicide that prevents the emergence of undesirable weeds.

At Calloway’s and Cornelius, we have a wide selection of ready-to-use sprays to directly battle tough weeds, as well as natural options like AgraLawn Crabgrass Killer. AgraLawn Crabgrass Killer is an organic formula that gets rid of stubborn crabgrass.

 

TIP #4: APPLY MULCH

Mulch provides the ultimate protection to your flowerbeds. Adding an organic mulch covering will help regulate the sub-surface temperature, providing a moderated environment for plant roots. It allows your soil to retain moisture and it helps to control weeds.

• Calloway’s Premium Organic Hardwood Mulch is a 100% organic top dressing. The shredded wood mats together to form a protective covering over your plant roots that won’t wash away.
• Calloway’s Premium Organic Cedar Mulch is made with 100% organic shredded cedar. It provides your garden with an elegant red-gold finish that is eye-catching and functional. Cedar mulch also helps repel insects and provides a pleasant fragrance!
• Calloway’s Premium Organic Pine Bark Mulch contains 100% organic pine bark. It is the ideal mulch for plants and shrubs that prefer an acidic environment like azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas, and more.

 

TIP #5: PLANT FOR SUN

Spend time in your garden in early morning and late evening to improve your mood and decrease stress. There are a variety of flowers, trees, shrubs, and more, that will thrive in our Texas sun. Trees, shrubs, and groundcovers are great options to plant now. They need more time to establish before next summer.

Crapemyrtles make a beautiful addition to any landscape, especially this time of year. They will adorn your garden with colorful blooms as they produce frilly flowers through late summer. Sunshine Ligustrum is an outstanding shrub variety that produces dense foliage. The leaves turn gold as the plant matures and the color stays vibrant with our Texas sun.

Adding annual, sun-loving color is another great way to keep your gardening looking vibrant and beautiful. Choose from Lantana, Zinnia, Cora® XDR Vinca, Pentas, Purslane, and more!

These blooms thrive in our Texas sun, and many of these options are great for attracting beneficial pollinators.

You can add even more color to your greenspace by planting container gardens. Container Gardens are an easy way to make a visual impact, especially paired with eye-catching and colorful pottery. Containers are an easy way to garden and can easily be swapped out with fun autumn blooms to match your pumpkin décor.

 

SHOP WITH EASE

At Calloway’s and Cornelius, we have everything you need for your August garden! Shop our neighborhood stores or shop online for Curbside Pickup or Delivery!

Stop by today to get inspired and explore our entire selection of premium plants, pottery, gardening tools, and more! Plus, learn more about your plant selections with the help of our new product signs! Each product sign will have helpful QR codes that link to product pages and to our blog to help inspire you to grow!

Have questions? Ask our Texas Certified Nursery Professionals; they are here to help!