In my fantasy, gardening in August is easy. I lie to myself by saying there are only three things to do:

Keep the grass cut.
Prune, no, whack back hard all the giant perennials.
Spend lots of time in the Caribbean.

But here’s what I’ve been up to this week. It’s all essential for perennial gardening in the SOUTH. Since so many books are written for cooler climates, lots of gardening liturature will warn you against some of this.

Cutting-back perennials AND annuals so they’ll look great through fall. We’ve moved truck loads of cut foliage, everything from Arundo to Zinnias.

Pruning Woody Shrubs and Trees including Willows, Viburnum, Hydrangea

Shearing hedges of Bamboo, Sassanqua, Yaupon and a wall covered with fig vine.

Seeding In for fall color; Cosmos, Zinna, Peas and Salvia and variegated Corn.

Perennial Border Flowers for August Gardening

Here is my list of Standby Perennial Border Flowers for the Heat of August:

Almond Bush
Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’
Clerodendron myricoides ‘Ugandense’
Coreopsis rosea and lots of other coreopsis
Crinum ‘Marisco’ and Crinum ‘American Maid’
Manettia luteo-rubra
Pavonia cymbalaria
Salvia ‘San Carolos Festival’
Phlox ‘Nikki’
Veronica gigantea ‘Jonesboro Giant’
Zephyranthes regina and ‘Pink Panther’

FINALLY, be warned, the following contains material for rational thinking, libitarian types only, go on and label me heretic or tag me as a crepe murderer….but for tons of flowers in the August gardening perennial border, you just can’t beat a Crepe Myrtle that was cut all the way back to the ground in the winter. It works, they live for decades this way and the flower like little bushes, perfect size for the perennial garden. Crepe myrtle make killer little bunches of drop dead gorgeous flowers for August. Yes, I know, in a new garden, you could just pick a dwarf crepe…but in an old garden, or if the crepe was just in the wrong place, this is an option. It’s ok.

FINALLY, FINALLY, I found in my garden years ago, a variegated sport of the old weedy Virginia Creeper. I looks great in August. It’s new leaves are all pinky, white and the old leaves hold variegation pretty well. For years, my goats ate it down to the ground, so I couldn’t really evaluate it….now, it’s grown and is really a lovely little plant! Since I found it, I get to name it. I’m thinking Parthenocissus ‘Jenksi Pinksi‘ I’d love to hear comments about the name on Facebook….