TO DO THIS MONTH: Divide bearded iris, oriental poppies, peonies. Prepare beds for fall planting and/or spring bulbs. Work in organic matter & for bulbs, phosphorus. Staking may be necessary for tall plants. Continue to fertilize annuals but avoid fertilizing perennials so they harden off for winter. Deadhead & deadleaf ratty looking plants, such as daylilies. Cut spent flower stalks down as far as you can reach, pull off discolored leaves. Mid-month, cut down badly damaged daylily clumps to six or eight inches or just above newly emerging foliage. Cut off hosta flowers so spent petals don't paste themselves against leaves already savaged by slugs & sun or heat burn. Shear perennial geranium cultivars for better rebloom & general shaping. If you didn't cut your mature clumps of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' back by half in June, consider staking them now. I used a bamboo pole & green plastic landscape tape around their middles, not fancy but if it prevents autumn sprawl, fine. Keep on watering, especially new trees, shrubs & don't forget to mulch. Keep on weeding. Sprays applied to mildew prone plants negate any appeal the plants may have had for butterflies. Don't prune evergreens anymore this season -- it encourages new growth which hasn't time to harden off before winter kills it. Avoid applying insecticides, fungicides, fertilizers to dormant lawns; apply this stuff only is lawn is green, watered, actively growing.

Michigan Hosta Society invites all gardeners to its annual picnic/plant auction/bulb sale at Hidden Lake Gardens, Tipton, MI August 26. The day gets rolling at 10 a.m. with a workbee on the Hosta Hillside established by MHS in the late 1980s. After planting, pruning the Hillside, a picnic lunch will be served under the Big Tent. The plant auction features hosta & companion plants donated by regional growers. Hidden Lake Gardens is a 755-acre Eden nestled in the lovely Irish Hills. The gardens were started in 1926 & given to Michigan State University in 1945. They're definitely worth a visit, either this day or any day.

Springfield Branch, WNF&GA, hosts a Tomato Taste Fest at 11 a.m. on Aug. 28 at the home of Branch President Mary Bertolini, 9934 Cedar Valley Lane, Davisburg (248.620.9281). Tomatoes, purchased or grown by members & guests, will be judged on sweetness, acidity, color, texture & overall appeal. This mean it must have an authentic name. The Top Tomato winner gets a certificate. Everybody gets lunch featuring tomatoes in every dish. All attendee are asked to bring a dish or dessert to serve six to eight. Sounds like fun.

Speaking of sites: I have four Springfield Twp. native plant CDs remaining. And speaking of native plants, the media is swinging in that direction. The Detroit News ran an article with color photos on Aug. 1. The May/June issue of Audubon Magazine did a story entitled "Dawn of a New Lawn" which discussed the evolution of our lawn culture & how to develop a total or partial native landscape.

Onward & Upward,

Linda Meadors

Hort Chair