According to the calendar, it says that we turn to Autumn this month. However, one would not know that given the high temperatures throughout the last month and into the first part of September here in the PNW. This can be a big advantage for gardeners. If you were thinking of a fall crop and thought you missed your August window, the temperatures are well within the range to possibly extend planting into early September. You may want to try plant starts as opposed to seeds at this point since the window is relatively short. That said, the wild animals around are also sensing a change in the seasons and just a little warning that anything you plant is fair game. Tulle netting over the top of lettuce and greens crops should help although may be an inadequate deterrent to the especially motivated squirrel. Tomatoes are also continuing to produce well here. While they are not fans of the cooler weather in early summer, they have thrived in the past several weeks with the persistent heat we have had, provided they get enough water.

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There are plenty of flowers that are presenting us with amazing color this month. The cosmos are a garden workhorse. If you are lucky enough to have planted these beauties a few months ago, they continue to reward us with beautiful and vibrant colors. If you are a dahlia fan, now is their time to shine! Sunflowers of all types had their hey day in August, but some are continuing to give us those vibrant yellows and browns. The Pacific sunflower for example, which looks more like a yellow daisy than a sunflower, is at its best right now, and often times at heights that exceed six feet, they are an amazing plant to have in a border. Goldenrod is another flower that is just now coming into its own, providing beautiful clusters of blooms when a lot of other things have died away. There are a lot of advantages to goldenrod. It is native to the PNW, is an excellent late pollinator source, provides seeds for birds, and the hollow stalks will provide habitat for nesting bees and other insects throughout the winter. If you don’t have one of these in your yard, you might want to think about it for next year.

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As for garden chores, there is never a shortage of those. Here are a couple of things that might be headed your way: You might have enjoyed a reprieve from mowing if you allowed your lawn to go dormant in the heat, but it may be waking up this month with periodic sprinkles and as the nighttime temperatures cool. Apples and pears are generally ready for picking. Whatever you do with them (can them, make a pie, or eat them fresh, etc.), the bounty from these trees this time of year is very satisfying.

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It has been an extraordinary summer in the garden, and it’s difficult not to look to the possibilities that next spring will bring. For the moment though, let’s just enjoy this month of change as the leaves begin to turn to golds and reds and fall gently to the ground.

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Happy gardening!