Self-strangulation happens more often to those trees growing in narrow parkings and near buildings or walls where the space for root growth is restricted to a small area. Trees with well-buttressed trunks are almost invariably free from root strangulation, while the absence of buttress roots on one side of a tree may indicate choking below the surface. A dull appearance of the bark and a depressed area in the trunk near the ground surface are other signs of possible root strangulation. Frequently the offending roots of elms and maples are plainly visible just above the ground.

Damage to trees can often be prevented by locating and cutting away the root traitors. It may be necessary to chisel away, chip by chip, a girdling root which has become embedded in the trunk. After such an operation the tree should be fertilized and kept supplied with plenty of water. When small trees are being planted, the holes should be large enough so that the roots can be spread radially from the tree. Strangulation may result when the roots are twisted to fit a small, skimpy hole.

The large golden digger wasp or cicada killer is a wicked looking insect that usually becomes quite a nuisance around the lawn and garden and a great enemies if you care for cycads in August and September. This black and yellow wasp is about 1-1/2 inches long and the female carries a stinger about 1/4 inch long. The pest is often observed feeding on sap exuding from the bark of oaks and maples and also at the base of lilacs where sap may be oozing because of borer attack. Lawns are frequently damaged by these wasps which dig burrows 1/2 inch across and from 12 to 18 inches deep. The excavated soil is piled in unsightly mounds around the openings to the burrows. The cicada killer usually selects a dry, sunny site for making the tunnel.

When the burrow is finished the female wasp goes zooming about seeking her prey and it makes your beautiful cycad plants ugly… those noisy cicadas. The unwary cicada is caught “flat-footed” and both insects fall to the ground where the wasp injects the pain killer and paralyzes the host. The wasp then drags the cicada up to a place where it “takes off” for home with the quiet cicada getting a free ride. Arriving at the entrance, she drags in the cicada, tucks it away in a cell, and lays an egg on it. The cicada serves as food for the wasp larva. When the larva has had its fill, it makes a cozy cocoon in which it rests until next summer. The cicada killer is not aggressive but does become annoying and although I have never heard of anyone being stung by one, I for one, certainly would not want one up my pants leg or in my shirt.

Landscape Surprise

The hardy amaryllis or surprise lily, Lycoris squamigera, is almost a miracle bulb. Like the colchicums, it makes a spring growth which lasts until about July, then disappears. About a month later, a bare stem appears like magic and quickly grows about two or three feet high and then produces an umbel of rose-lilac, lily-shaped flowers from eight to 12 in number. The bulb is perfectly hardy. Plant now in a well-drained place, covering the bulbs with about four inches of soil.

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In addition to the usual garden keeping chores… hoeing, watering, spraying and dusting”there are several transplanting jobs that can be done advantageously during August.

The lily is one perennial that can be transplanted now after its foliage has died. If you are planning to buy some lilies, get after your supplier right now so that you will have the bulbs in plenty of time for planting.

Madonna lilies should have ample time to make new roots and the, characteristic basal rosette of foliage before their growth is stopped by cold weather. Lilies prefer not to be disturbed, but if you have a clump which is so crowded that its size and blooming quality are on the downgrade, now is the time to amend matters. When digging lily bulbs, get as many roots as possible; separate the bulbs and plant them immediately, taking care to set them so that the tops of the bulbs are no more than 2 inches below the surface.

Transplanting the Oriental poppy, Virginia cowslip and iris When trans-planting Oriental poppies, dig down deeply (about 18 inches) to get as many of the roots as possible. Those left behind may start to grow and cause embarrassment.

The Virginia cowslip, which resents transplanting during the normal planting seasons, spring and fall, can be moved during August. Continue planting the bearded iris. If you can get bulbs of crown imperial (fritillaria) now, plant them immediately. They suffer when they are kept too long out of the ground.

Late-season chores in the eating garden Rooted strawberry runners that were started in pots should be planted as soon as they become available. They will bear next year.

Over most of our area it is not too late to produce a crop of snap beans before frost; choose a quick maturing variety. Devotees of “rabbit food” can sow seeds of lettuce and later can eat the seedlings that are thinned out. Lettuce will endure light frosts and, if sown in a coldframe, can be expected to continue to produce greens well into the month of November.

Moving evergreens Toward the end of the month foliage of evergreens will have hardened sufficiently to permit transplanting. The advantage of early planting is that root growth starts right away because the soil is warm; then the evergreen will be able to withstand the rigors of winter.

Taking cuttings of tender bedding plants and cleaning house plants Cuttings of tender bedding plants including blood-leaf (iresine) and alternanthera, and house plants such as pelargonium (house geranium) and patience plant or sultana (impatiens) can be inserted now in a mixture of equal parts by bulk of sand, peatmoss and garden soil. These will grow along and make better and clean house plants for storing indoors than the old plants which must be cut back and which then will take an unusually long time to recover.

Sowing pansies Pansies can be started now, and, if growing conditions are favorable and the plants can be transplanted to a coldframe before frost, you may have some flowers to grace the Thanksgiving table.

Two last-minute chores “Have you ordered your bulbs yet? If not, you had better get busy! Toward the end of the month, if the weather is suitable, prepare the ground for the starting of a new lawn.

The timing of these jobs is dependent largely on the weather, unless an ample supply of water is on tap to be applied where it will do the most good.

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Through Corinth, Mississippi, a few miles south of the Tennessee state line, is on the southern fringe of the region where peonies can be grown successfully, it was here that I saw one of the finest peony gardens I have seen anywhere. It belonged to Milton Rubel, who began growing and hybridizing peonies decades ago. Once he grew named varieties, but he discarded those and grew only his own crosses. When I was there in early May he had well over a thousand seedlings in bloom; some clumps were twenty years old, while others were young and blooming for the first time. It was an enchanting scene if ever I saw one.

As one travels south, the number of peony varieties that will thrive and bloom well becomes fewer and fewer. In Meridian, Mississippi, approximately one hundred and fifty miles from the Gulf, some gardens have a few clumps that bloom from year to year; however, most gardeners feel that peonies are not worthwhile. If you want to try peonies that far south, I suggest that you plant the single and Japanese types, which do better than the fully double ones.

Irises in the South

The iris is, of course, one of the South’s oldest garden flowers; one of my earliest recollections is of the beds of old blue and white flags in my grandmother’s yard. The modern iris, however, is not nearly so widely used through the Mid-South as its beauty and adaptability justify. It is true that in several centers, notably Corinth, Jackson and Holly Springs in Mississippi, and in Nashville, Atlanta and Shreveport, there are plantings of some of the country’s finest irises, but there are yet many sections where the new and better varieties are grown hardly at all. This is unfortunate, as it is generally agreed that the iris is one of our most dependable perennials.

In the spring I traveled over to Jackson, Mississippi, to see the iris planting of private grower who accumulated a sizable collection of the newer and better varieties.

The grower pointed out that price does not always determine the value of an iris and cordyline plants. It is usually the newer varieties, greatly in demand and limited in supply, that are high priced. Good garden varieties that have been on the market for several years may be had for a fraction of the cost of the very new introductions. June and October are the best months in the South for reworking iris beds and making new plantings or cordyline plant care, The iris enthusiast recommends planting the rhizomes on a small ridge with the feeder roots spread out and extending down into the soil. The rhizomes themselves are barely covered with soil; the tops of them are usually exposed after a heavy rain has settled the soil around them.

Dividing Daylilies

Since August is the accepted month for dividing and replanting daylilies as well as for making new plantings, I feel that perhaps many gardeners are dividing clumps more often than is necessary. While strong divisions will bloom the first year, it is not until the clumps are three or four years old that you can expect good, strong bloomscapes with the maximum number of flower buds. And one large clump makes a better show in the garden than half a dozen small ones.

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