Three Perennials, Prime for August Planting

It’s early August. Which plants should you add to your garden now?

August is among the prettiest, most comfortable months. With heat lessening in many regions but summer still going strong, it’s pleasant as can be. It’s also prime time to add plants to your garden which will ensure pleasing views now, in autumn, and beyond. 

If you get nervous about planting so close to a change in seasons, then your best focus will be choosing plants that:

• look great in both summer and fall;
• take hold quickly and well; and
• will add to the beauty of the garden next spring and summer. 

So what should you plant now that your calendar page has turned to the eighth month? Here are three of the best perennials to plant this August:

1. Catmint
2. Hen and Chicks
3. Bugleweed

Catmint

If you’re a Lavender lover but find it finicky, then opt for the similarly beautiful Catmint, such as Nepeta ‘Cat’s Pajamas’. August-planting of virtually all Catmint varieties is fine. Catmint will appreciate the weeks ahead which it can use to develop a strong root system. And while you’ll cut it back before winter, your Catmint will add visual interest until then.

Bonus: Once established, Catmint can be divided and transplanted, with August and September being fine months in which to do this. One plant can become several over the years, making Catmint a great investment.

Hen and Chicks

Like Catmint, succulent Hen and Chicks take hold easily in August and later. These little guys will not develop deep root structures, but oh, how they’ll hold on! One of the most charming ways to use Hen and Chicks is to tuck them between the stones in loosely stacked walls, making use of the bit of soil that will have made its way into the crevices. Just be careful that autumn raking and leaf-blowing don’t disturb your stonewall decorations.

Bonus: Some Hen and Chicks put on a color show. Afraid these succulents will lose their “oomph” when the cool weather arrives? Don’t be. Some Hen and Chicks will turn more vibrant in the cold. Sempervivum ‘Montfort’ is a Hen and Chicks plant that will turn red when temperatures drop. ‘Sir William Lawrence’ will gain intensity in color.

Bugleweed

This flowering ground cover is a wonderful August addition to the garden. In August, it is likely that you’ll enjoy foliage rather than flower color when you purchase Bugleweed. Not a bad deal, as foliage is the focal point for many Bugleweed varieties…. (Examples: Bugleweed ‘Flashy Flamingo’ has showy golden foliage. ‘Chocolate Chip’ Bugleweed has spoon-shaped leaves, dark as rich cocoa.) Flowers will greet you next spring and summer, but digging Bugleweed in during August means you’ll enjoy its evergreen (or ever-gold, ever-chocolate) foliage all winter, without much dying back unless you live in the coldest regions.

Bonus: Puzzled over what to plant in turf that is full of tree roots? Bugleweed can handle the task. Dig up just enough turf and water in your plants. Bugleweed should settle in nicely.

August planting? Prime time. Invest in perennials with autumn and winter interest, not to mention returning beauty that will be enjoyed next spring. Add Catmint, Hen and Chicks, and Bugleweed, and soak in the pleasantness of August as your plants do the same.