LADYBUG SAYS ... AUGUST GIVES GARDENS THEIR GREATEST STRESS

In a recent garden column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Clarissa Start compared an August garden to a woman when maturity sets in. How true! How true! August is the month that gives gardens and landscape plants their greatest stress for survival.

A constant moisture supply is necessary for healthy plant growth, and extreme heat on plant leaves is very drastic, causing water loss from the leaves. Extreme temperatures as have been prevalent the past week have taken their toll on both flowers and vegetables.

At this time of year, plants require about 1 1/2 to two inches of water a week. Since nature has not taken care of this requirement, it has been necessary to water, water, water.

High temperatures also create pollination problems. Insects develop rapidly at high temperatures when there is last of rainfall. Many gardeners are complaining about spider mites, white flies, and scale all of which must be fought with insecticides.

During high temperatures, practices of irrigation, mulching, pest control, or light shading to keep plants healthy, are advised. With the arrival of cooler temperatures in later summer, it is our hope healthy plants will again rapidly develop new flowers and fruits, and vegetables.

After many perennial flowers finish blooming, they enter a dormant or semi-dormant state in late summer. Now is an ideal time for digging, dividing and revitalizing them. Plants such as peony, Oriental poppy, bleeding heart, phlox, madonna lilly, columbine, painted daisy, iris and daylily may be handled in this way.

How often plants need to be lifted and divided depends upon the plant. Peonies can remain in the same spot for a long time without being disturbed if growing and blooming well. Some plants are known to still be performing well after 20 years.

Shasta daisies and phlox should be divided about every three years.

Daylilies should be replanted about every five years. Some plants, such as Oriental poppies, should be moved only as they begin to lose vigor.

Late flowering perennials, such as hardy asters and chrysanthe

mums should be divided every two or three years, and in the spring.

IP1,0Bearded iris are transplanted in summer in accord with their life cycle. Immediately after flowering the plants take a little nap, or dormant period, before bursting into new growth.

Old feeding roots of iris that have served their purpose, should be taken off. New roots, leaves and potential flowering parts develop during autumn. It is important that the rhizomes be in their new location before this activity starts, for the new roots will be the ones that anchor the plant for winter.

It is not necessary to divide and transplant old clumps of daylilies unless they are so crowded they do not bloom. To increase your stock, or share plants with friends, all that is necessary to do is dig rooted portions from the old clump. One can lift the entire mass in order to cut or pull it apart into divisions of one of several fans. Remember new planted divisions do not bloom well the first year, so be patient until they become well established and you will be rewarded.

Trim the tops and roots to about four inches. If there are any little side shoots with roots, they can be detached and planted, separated and eventually they will become a large clump. Though daylilies are not fussy about soil, they do like a well prepared soil and good drainage.

Most gardeners are familiar with hollyhocks and hibiscus, but few realize these plants are close relatives of marshmallows.

Marshamallows, to most of us, describe a confection, but the first marshamallow was derived from a mucilaginous substance in the root of a plant of that name. Marshmallows are no longer produced from this plant, which was introduced from Europe and may still be found in marshy locations.

Hollyhocks are perennials. At one time it took two years for them to bloom, but recent breeders have developed varieties that flower the first year from seeds. However, these are not the old-fashioned single hollyhocks, which have almost become extinct, except for those in a few old gardens where they have been established for years.

When transplanting perennials, lift the clump carefully. Most of them are still growing, although slowly. If possible, transplant on a cloudy day or move plants into shade so the plant roots do not dry out.

Eliminate any diseased or weak portion of the perennial. In many plants the most vigorous shoot will be those around the outside of the clump.

Always replant at the same depth the clump was previously growing. Never plant deeper. If in doubt, plant them shallow to allow for some settling of the soil. Always water the new divisions as soon as possible after planting.

August may be a trying month, but hopefully there will be better days ahead.