By Jessica Carlson

Master Gardener Intern

Minnesota is home to some of the nation’s most inspiring public gardens. Whether you’re seeking structural ideas, bloom combinations, or creative uses of native plants, these destinations offer a visual feast! Make it a day trip, or stop on your way to that vacation destination.

So you’ve wandered through flower-lined paths and snapped 200 photos—now what?

Borrow plant combinations. If you loved the pairing of purple coneflowers and Russian sage, recreate the combo in your sunny bed. Shape with structure. Note how paths, trellises, hedging, and containers create movement. Add structure with arbors or low boxwood edging. Observe bloom timing. Layer early, mid, and late bloomers. Snap photos now, but research if those plants peak in May or September. Consider the colors. If a garden’s monochrome palette made your heart sing, consider editing your planting scheme for unity.

Perhaps you’ve done your summer travels and you just want to stay put. You can certainly refresh the garden in August! Minnesota’s late-summer heat can leave even the most devoted gardener uninspired. But small tweaks now will revive your garden’s spirit—and yours! Deadhead and cut back. Give leggy annuals a trim and remove spent blooms on perennials to encourage new flushes. Tidy the edges. Crisp borders with a spade or edging tool instantly elevate a space. Consider adding fresh mulch. A thin top-dress of compost or shredded mulch retains moisture and looks clean. In a lackluster area of your landscape try tucking in potted mums, ornamental kale, or fall-blooming anemones for a seasonal boost.

And certainly, you can keep on sowing if you are up for it. Quick crops and late flowers from seed (Zone 4a) August isn’t too late to plant—if you choose the right varieties and know your average first frost date (Sept 25–Oct 5). Vegetables you can still sow are Radishes (harvest in 25–30 days). Lettuce and Spinach (cool temps sweeten the flavor). Turnips and Beets (great for fall roasts!). Arugula and Mizuna (peppery greens for fall salads) Peas (choose quick-maturing dwarf types).

Would you like some new blooms? You can still start from seed Calendula. Hardy, fast, and frost-tolerant. Bachelor’s Buttons bloom within 45–60 days. Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist) which has autumn bloom and whimsical seed pods, while you’re at it scatter Poppies and Larkspur for an early spring bloom session. A quick word on late-season pruning and fertilizing, as tempting as it is to tidy things up with pruners or push out one more flush of growth with fertilizer—hold off! Avoid pruning trees and shrubs now. Cutting stimulates tender new growth that may not harden before frost, leaving it vulnerable to winterkill. Hold the fertilizer on perennials, trees, and shrubs. Instead, shift focus to root development with compost or a low-nitrogen feed (e.g., bone meal). It’s okay to deadhead annuals or cut back perennials that have gone floppy or diseased.

In closing, the dog days of summer are a natural time for rest and reflection in the garden. But that doesn’t mean sitting still. Visit gardens, edit beds, scatter seeds, and take notes for next year. Gardening is a cycle—and even now, you’re laying the groundwork for what comes next.