Soil Solarization - In August, the hottest days of summer are well upon us. Temperatures reach the 90’s daily with heat indexes well above 100. In August, some often feel it’s too hot to work in the lawn and garden, but the climbing temperatures can be put to use to solarize your soil. Successful soil solarization takes about 4 to 6 weeks, so August is the time to get your garden ready for fall planting.

August Flower Garden Tips - Weekly deep watering -- from irrigation or rainfall -- is crucial for certain shrubs and trees, especially rhododendrons and azaleas, which are setting flower buds now for next year's blooms. The same goestrue for camellias. Plants that offer showy winter berries, such as hollies and firethorn, also appreciate consistent moisture now. If they get too dry, the immature berries may drop.

• Roses Prepare everblooming roses for fall flowering by cutting plants back by about one-third. Also, prune any dead stems. Feed plants using a rose fertilizer and renew mulch. Water roses deeply once a week if the drought persists.
• Impatiens Give leggy, lanky impatiens a haircut, trimming stems to half their length. After cutting, feed plants with a general water-soluble fertilizer, such as 20-20-20. You'll have bushy plants covered with blooms in time for autumn.

August Landscape Design Tips - Study the sun and wind patterns. You might want to place a patio on the west side of the house, but it will get lots of afternoon sun, which means dinner time in August won't be relaxing -- just hot. And wind whistling around a corner will quickly extinguish a fire pit. Those are common mistakes in landscape design for beginners - especially in August. Your plan should take into account what the sun and the wind do at different times of the day and year.