我们正朝着最后冲刺——夏天的结束. 天气还是很热，适当的浇水是很重要的, but as the days wane a little shorter, you may notice your plants starting to “open up” a little. Relaxing. Breathing a deep sigh. We’re almost through the worst of it, they say. It’s been a hot summer.
CURRENT EVENTS, HISTORY, REVIEW, AND NOTES
The Sonoran Desert of Northern Mexico, 亚利桑那州南部和加利福尼亚州东南部一直在下雨. Monsoons, 在西班牙语中被称为“chubascos”，是一种戏剧性的暴雨，它翻滚着巨石，在山洪暴发时冲刷着曾经干涸的河床. The water rushes down to soak the sandy lowlands. Typically, 索诺兰沙漠每年一半的降雨量都是通过这些非凡的夏季风暴获得的.
Our state has been as hot and dry as any summer ever, and numerous heat records have been broken throughout the West. But take a drive out into the sticks, a sojourn into the wildlands of southern California, and see that everything is just fine thank you, (and this after a dry winter), and that native plants are tough and adapted, somehow always ready to handle one more hot day.
WATERING
继续你的“偶尔深浸泡加上频繁的清新洒”模式，保持水分锁定在根区(14英寸深)，也保持叶子和土壤表面的新鲜, clean and happy. 夏季浇水的目标是让整个花园有1-2英寸的降水, 每3-4周左右把它慢慢地浸到土壤深处(清晨浇水), supplemented by refreshing sprinkles two or three times a week, spraying the garden down for five minutes or so, (early evening sprinkles). On a hot day, those are like afternoon monsoons moving through.
To achieve a Deep Soak, you will need to run a typical sprinkler system 2-3+ hours, which in most situations would result in runoff and puddling, 也会造成长时间的过度潮湿. 给你的花园浇水2-3小时的最好方法是利用一种叫做“脉冲灌溉”的技术.“只要连续三天每天运行洒水器30-45分钟(确保没有径流). The goal is to get the equivalent of a 1.5” rain event to soak slowly into the soil. 这些灌溉是在早上很早，最好是在极端高温事件发生前的几天. With each watering, the moisture goes a little deeper.
大多数成熟的自然花园每年只有4-7次深度浸泡，5月到10月. 新的花园需要更频繁的浇水，降雨通常足够为当地人提供他们所需要的凉爽季节的浇水. 这些说明假设你有一个典型的灌木喷头洒水系统 .4 – .8” precipitation per hour. 您可以查询您的喷头的沉淀率，根据制造商和型号搜索在线. 然后计算一下，这样你就可以运行足够长的时间来复制1-2英寸的降雨事件.
你只需要5-10分钟和一根花园软管就可以做一个清爽洒. With a spray nozzle (the pistol type works great), wet down all the leaves, the soil surface, the whole garden. When a hummingbird buzzes in for a quick bath, enjoy. Turn the nozzle straight up and take a quick shower. 你会真正感激你让你的植物感觉有多好. You can do Refreshing Sprinkles 2-3 (or more) times a week, always in the late afternoon or early evening. Ideally, the leaves should be dry by nightfall. On a warm summer’s day, the leaves will dry quickly, 但你将达到你的目的，冷却一切，并在一天结束时给植物一点安慰.
RELATED TO WATERING
Deep Soak – waters the root zone, infrequently
Refreshing Sprinkle – waters the leaves, frequently
植物通过根部吸收水分，应用于深层浸泡，并使其流经整个系统. 在冷却自己的过程中，它们将水分流失到大气中，这个过程被称为蒸腾作用. 植物也通过叶子吸收水分(尽管原生植物吸收的水分少得多). 清爽的糖屑可以弥补一些因蒸腾作用而流失的水分. Always do refreshing sprinkles very late in the day. That way the plants will be ready for the heat of the next day.
PRUNING
No pruning other than deadheading old flowers, corrective pruning, 或者往回走的亚灌木，它们彼此之间的干扰太多了. It is best to wait around 6 weeks to do any significant shaping. Major thinning can wait until fall/winter time.
Coffeeberry Frangula (Rhamus) californica is clean and bright all year
WEEDING
You may be dealing with a few warm season weeds like purslane, puncture vine, telegraph weed (actually a native), or field bindweed. Persistence is the key. Cut them or better yet pull them. 只对像肉豆蔻这样难以生长的杂草使用除草剂, bindweed, or bermuda grass, and always follow the label instructions carefully.
MULCHING/TOP DRESS
你所有的衣服材料都应该放好，起到保湿和除草的作用. Do not bring in fresh organic mulch during the warm weather.
FEEDING
August is a month when most natives are not actively growing, so no plant food is needed at this time. 沙漠植物和盆栽植物在温暖的季节总是受益于肥料.
TROUBLESHOOTING – VARMINTS, PESTS AND DISEASES
这个月自然花园中害虫一般都不活跃. 一些地方总是有蜗牛，如果你适当地给你的自然花园浇水, snails don’t live there, so if you find snails or slime trails, you can probably blame your neighbors. Time to convince them to plant a natural garden. 这个月益虫和传粉者非常活跃，所以不要把他们当成坏人.
ANNUAL WILDFLOWERS
All last year’s flowers have gone to seed. Maybe you collected some, so good job. 你可以播种收集的种子，或者在10月来生命之树获取一些新鲜的种子. 现在，就像土壤在等待下雨一样(现在谈论下雨还为时过早)，耐心点.
圣凯瑟琳花边的可爱的茶色夏季种子头，大角蕨
ADDING NEW PLANTS
As much as I’d like to encourage you to plant lots of stuff now, 我们离种植季节的开始只有大约6周的时间. 最好推迟，除非你是在阴凉处或靠近海岸的地方种植. 此外，如果你的帝王蝶需要马利筋，一定要尽快为它们种植. Otherwise, this month you can plan, 想象你从9月15日开始要种植什么.
托里松国家保护区海岸鼠尾草灌丛的沙漠路面
ENGAGE
A natural garden embodies the truth that less is more. Each plant, rock, or shadecast, 甚至每一个裸露的空间都在讲述一个故事，可以编织成游客的想象. Nature is complex, but never complicated, 因此，简单的花园设计允许一个复杂的体验. 一条由天然踏石组成的花园步道将步行者带回到她记忆中的一条山间小径. She brushes the branches of a bay and is transported to Big Sur. 一只蜥蜴从巨石上凝视着她，沙漠夜晚的记忆鲜活起来. 喷泉就像瀑布一样，青草簇拥着草地.
We can make gardens that provide encounters with nature, 无论是在现实中(碎石小道上粗糙的脚步声)还是在想象中(假装这条小路通向三小时车程外的一个营地). “营地”实际上可能是一条长椅，面向一个小池塘. You can momentarily “see” a high Sierra lake. 这是一个坐着看色彩鲜艳的蜻蜓在水面上争夺位置的好地方. Or read. Or take a nap. Then enjoy a swig of water before heading back to the house.
It’s a high calling, building and tending nature in miniature. 让我们把它叫做“自然园艺”，并把它提升到我们社会应有的地位, for those who practice it make our world a better place. Let’s answer the call and do this.
Hey, we made it!
From the August Garden,
Mike Evans
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