By Joyce Corson
Guest Columnist

SYRACUSE — The fruits of your labor will begin to show in August whether they are flowers or vegetables.

Chrysanthemum

With early flowers August is the best time to dig and divide perennial flowers such as hosta, Oriental poppy, daylily, ornamental grasses and bearded iris.

Use a spade to lift the plant from the ground, being careful to not damage the root ball. When the clump is out of the ground, use a large garden knife or spade to cut it into smaller pieces. Then, replant the smaller pieces or divisions as soon as possible.

When gathering vegetables wash thoroughly and refrigerate until ready to process.

Give your flower border a late-summer injection of color by adding a generous helping of chrysanthemums. Available in an almost unlimited selection of colors, shapes, and flower forms, chrysanthemums go well with any garden decor. Plus, because they are sold in bud or bloom, they’ll add instant impact to pots, planters, or flower borders.

Their nectar-rich flowers attract a variety of colorful pollinators including migrating Monarch butterflies. Mix single- and double-flowering varieties with asters, pansies, and other fall bloomers.

Although herbs can be harvested throughout the summer, the oils responsible for the most intense flavor and aroma are at their peak in late summer, just before the plants flower.

Joyce Arleen Corson

Clip foliage in the early morning after the dew dries, but before the day heats up. One of the easiest ways to store herbs is to rinse them under cold water, chop them coarsely, and place them in water-filled ice cube trays. Then, simply place the trays in the freezer and pop out frozen herbs as you need them.

By late summer, some annual flowers may look a bit worn out. Give your pots and planters a makeover by tucking in fresh, ready-to-bloom cool-season annual flowers that will keep the color show going through the fall. Just gently pull out dead or dying annuals, mix in a bit of fresh soil, and drop in the replacement. It’s that easy!

Be creative when you select replacement annuals. It’s your chance to experiment with something you’ve never grown before to see how it performs for you. The reward of sharing new starts with friends is a special gift that keeps on giving.

Use a soil-less potting mix when you plant. Avoid using soil from your garden because the soil structure isn’t ideal for container culture and it could contain insect pests, diseases, or weed seeds.

Contains special tips from Costa Farms.