Gardening by the Moon Weekend To-Do
An idea as old as agriculture, based both folklore and superstition but there are scientific ideas to back it up.
- Lunar Phase: New Moon, Saturday, August 11
- Saturday-Sunday: Moon in the sign of Leo/Virgo - Plant flowering Vines
- Trumpet Vines provides color throughout the summer months. They're evergreen but can suffer from the winter cold.
Later in the Week
- Tuesday/Friday: Moon in the sign of Libra/Scorpio - Plant seasonal color
- Zinnias, Salvia, Vinca, and Marigolds planted now will continue blooming into the late fall or early winter.
Other Things To-do
- Gladiolus bulbs/corms need to be removed after blooming, as they don’t overwinter in the ground. They’re removed when the foliage has turned brown and easily separate from the soil. You need to carefully lift the bulbs/corms out of the ground, wash off all the excess soil from the corms clusters, and then divide the individual corms with a sharp knife. Next, to protect the bulbs from Thrips, dip them in a solution of two tablespoons of Clorox in one gallon of water. After they have air dried, store the Gladiolus in paper bags in a cool, dry area.
- Do not let Camellias go dry in hot, warm weather as they have surface roots. Those plants that do go dry bloom poorly the following spring, as it's now that the bud development is taking place.