gardening notes for August | garden gazpacho with Eric Wilson

Movies in the wild: bring a blanket to the Wildflower Center this evening at 6:30 p.m. for the 1959 classic 'Some Like It Hot' with Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis. Next Thursday, the kids comedy 'The Sandlot' (1993). Wildflower Center ❦

Some timely sales at the Natural Gardener this weekend, 20% xeric sale: low-water plants outdoors and indoors (succulents). 20% off watering equipment. / Also on Sat., 10 a.m. free class: 'Creating a Woodland Landscape' with Colleen Dieter. TNG ❦

At Barton Springs Nursery this weekend: for $5 you can buy 1 gal. thryallis, purple fountain grass, or echinacea cone flowers (sundown and Cheyenne spirit). 15 gal rough leaf dogwood 40% off. Soil innoculent Mycostem: $16 (reg. $28). Houactinite com-post 40% off. 3601 Bee Caves Rd.❦

Are Turk's caps edible? A definite 'yes' from the folks at For-aging Texas. You can eat the flowers and young leaves raw or cooked, and you can turn the flowers into a pink lemonade. Creating tea or preserves from the fruit are also possibilities. Foraging Texas ❦

Garden gazpacho recipe: watch Eric Wilson whip up a delic-ious summer soup in his field kitchen - complete with summer squash and cucumber noodles. Avoid using a blender when mak-ing this soup, he advises. Modern Farmer ❦

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The Austin Garden is sponsored by Hays Free Press

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Central Texas Gardener: on tour, visit the cliff-top gardens of the Holcombs in Burnet. In the studio, a chat with designer Leah Churner about control and use of heavy rainfall in the garden. Saturday 4 p.m. Sunday 9 a.m. KLRU ❦

Gardening Notes for August

by Chris Winslow

For Gardeners in the Heat of the Summer

1. Mulch and water: Your vegetable garden, landscape, flowerbeds and trees need some help to make it through this torrid month. Mulch generously, and water deeply.

2. Lawn care: Your grass also needs deep, infrequent watering and keep the cutting height for your lawnmower as high as possible. This will help shade the roots and conserve water.

3. Vegetables: This is the month to start sweet corn, okra, snap beans, cream peas and black-eyed peas from seed. Because the first frost (on average Nov. 27) is likely to occur within 120 days, use transplants for your peppers and tomatoes. During the second half of this month, plant your broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.

4. Survive: While it is nice of you to nurse your plants through this brutal month, it is perhaps even more important that you look after yourself. Three gardening rules for August: garden early in the morning; wear sunscreen and a large brimmed hat; drink gallons of water.

For the Birds in the Heat of the Summer

1. Water: Set up a birdbath in your garden. Keep it topped up every day, and clean once a week. Keep the area nearby clear, so that predatory cats have nowhere to hide.

2. Food: Help our feathered friends survive with good quality seeds. Buy in bulk from feed stores to save money.

3. Hummingbirds: Mix 4 parts water to 1 part sugar and place in a feeder, and enjoy the magic of the visiting hummers. Make sure your feeder is red (their favorite color), and you can tie a red ribbon nearby to help them find their way.

4. Brush piles: While out in the yard, create little brush piles here and there out of twigs and branches. This will protect the birds so they can feed on the ground, and if a cat appears or a hawk swoops down, they’ll have somewhere to retreat.

5. Native landscapes: Our native birds grew up with native berries, and they are the best form of nourishment. Keep this in mind when shopping for plants. Sunflowers, salvias, yaupon holly, possum haw holly, agarita, coral berry, American beauty-berry and Turks caps are all good choices. Happy Gardening Everyone.❦