August Garden Calendar

-- Water containers often. In hot weather, they usually need watering daily and may even need watering twice a day -- especially thirsty plants such as fuchsia, impatiens and hibiscus.

If the container soil dries out and gets so hard that water runs rapidly down the inside surface of the pot, set the pot in a bowl or bucket of water halfway up the container's sides. After a couple of hours, the soil will rehydrate.

-- Every time you water container plants, pinch off yellowing or problem foliage and spent flower blooms to encourage more lush growth and flowers.

-- Fertilize containers every two weeks to assure plenty of growth and bloom. Use a bloom-booster fertilizer with flowering plants.