How to tell it’s summer’s end
August 30th, 2007 by Kristin Green1. ‘Autumn Minaret’ day lily is blooming.
2. School started in Bristol this week. On my way to work I passed a kid who was waiting for the bus wearing a scowl that could send us all to the cornfields.
3. It’s time to start taking cuttings. This week Cathy (our summer garden helper) and I cleaned out the cutting bench for a fresh start. We use coarse perlite as a rooting medium in a bench outfitted with a mist system and heating pads. We take cuttings of any tender perennials we’d like to use in the gardens again and if we need more of a particular hardy perennial, sometimes we propagate those by cutting too. Late August into September is a great time to take cuttings because plants are putting on a burst of fresh growth. Check around the base of your Salvias, for instance, and you might see new shoots ripe for cutting: tender growth that hasn’t developed a flower bud yet. If you don’t see new shoots, cut the plant back on one side and wait a week or two. Usually the cuttings we take at this time of year become greenhouse stock from which we take more cuttings that then make it into the gardens next spring.
4. The pollinators are furiously busy. A bunch hummingbirds were pipping and buzzing all over the gardens this morning chasing each other as if there wasn’t enough nectar to go around (there’s plenty for everyone, kids). I was lucky enough to catch one resting (scoping out his territory) on the Idea Bed arbor. 
Some plants are so full of bees and wasps it’s unsafe – I guess stings are just another occupational hazard – The last few weeks, Julie, Gail and I have all gotten in somebuzzy’s way…
5. The light is long, the sky is deep blue and dew in the morning makes everybody photogenic.
What signals summer’s end for you?
August 30th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
I know it is over when the asters and toadlilies bloom.
August 30th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
There is a unique and peculiar smell to the garden at the end of the summer. A mustiness that signals the end is near! Also, the shadows are lengthening and the light is beautiful.
August 30th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
American beautyberry, Tecoma stans, fall aster, oxblood lilies. Some are already doing their thing in my garden, and some have yet to show, but summer is slowly retreating. Yea!
August 30th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
Definitely the first time I realized that it was getting dark before 8:00pm. This is my first year gardening, but I think that dwindling tomato production will also be a harbinger of fall for me in years to come. But most of all, my October birthday quickly approaching screams end of summer!
August 31st, 2007 at 12:47 pm
I think the end of summer should be a season unto itself! (Honestly doesn’t it seem like 4 seasons aren’t nearly enough to describe all the changes we gardeners are a party to?)
Carol, Some of our asters on Gail’s get-rid-of list for being too late!
Layanee, I love the light this time of year too – it’s so much better for photos than mid-summer bleachy sky.
Pam, Do I detect jubilation at the change of seasons? Summer must be pretty intense where you are although not as bad this year as usual? I’m all for a seasonal shift too – lately I’ve been enjoying/grumbling about all the seasons and my favorite is always what’s next.
Heather, I looked at the clock last night and was shocked – 7:45 and dark. I visited your site and think making salsa is a genius way to use those last tomatoes! (I’ll try to remember to wish you a happy birthday when the time comes – it’s at least a month away though – that’s ages away)