A deciduous tree that looks like an evergreen? Plus gardening tips for late summer
The third week of August is a good time to order spring blooming bulbs from mail order companies, especially if you need a large quantity of daffodils, tulips or alliums.
This is also the week to give hanging baskets and other annuals a dose of fertilizer along with more frequent watering as we still have about six weeks of frost-free weather ahead and tending to annuals now will ensure a colorful September. Keep asters, chrysanthemums and dahlias well-watered in August and they can flower until October.
Q. When and how does one prune lavender? My plants have stopped blooming. — R., Email
A. Get snippy with your lavender plants as soon as they are done flowering. Use a pair of scissors to remove only the top third of the plant so you don’t cut into the woody growth. Lavender is a drought resistant plant that thrives in poor soil, but it does have a short life span. After 5 to 7 years, mature lavender plants become more woody and more difficult to prune. Give old plants a death with dignity and pull them out when they are no longer attractive. Plants are not your children, and you don’t need to put up with them once they grow too big, too demanding or too ugly.
Q. I have read that one should not fertilize roses in the month of August as they begin to go dormant. My question is does this apply to roses being grown in containers? I have some miniature roses in pots about 18 inches tall. They seem to do their best if I fertilize every week with a liquid plant food. — P.Y., Auburn
A. The general rule of green thumb is to hold back on the plant food during late August and September as perennials, trees, shrubs and roses slip into dormancy. But don’t contain your enthusiasm when it comes to feeding roses and annuals in containers. Plants in pots need even more fertilizer and water at the end of summer as their roots fill up the container and demand more nutrients.
Now let me congratulate you on growing miniature roses successfully. These very compact rose plants can be tricky to grow as they are more susceptible to pests and disease, and as you have seen, the mini roses demand plenty of fertilizer and water.
Q. What is the name of the tree that turns yellow then brown in the fall, but has needles and not leaves? It looks like an evergreen fir tree but then drops all the needles and is leafless all winter. It also grows very large. I would like to add one of these unusual trees to my landscape. Thank you. — M. Olympia
A. Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) is a deciduous tree with soft and feathery needles. It is also known as a living fossil and is one of the oldest trees on earth. This unique tree turns russet brown in the fall before it drops its needles.
Dawn Redwood does well in Western Washington gardens if you have space for a large tree. It needs full sun and prefers moist, acid soil. The best time to add one of these beauties to your landscape is early fall.
Garden gossip: This tree may look like it is dead or dying when the needles turn brown and drop. You may want to alert concerned neighbors.
Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of several books. Reach her at binettigarden.com.
This story was originally published August 16, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "A deciduous tree that looks like an evergreen? Plus gardening tips for late summer."