Pacific Northwest Gardening in August

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

• Prune out raspberry canes that have finished producing fruit and trim the new canes to six feet, or to a height you can reach.
• Keep deadheading those perennials, or save some of the seed heads for the birds (Echinacea, Sunflower).
• Preserve the harvest! Freeze, dry, pickle or can the summer bounty to enjoy all winter long.
• Prune water sprouts or suckers on trees.
• Keep weeds under control
• Taste the first tomato!
• Water garden regularly.  Don’t forget established shrubs such as rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas.  They are setting buds for next years bloom and don’t want to dry out.