Late summer is ideal time for planting new trees

August is winding down; so is summer. There are still some long, hot and lazy days to be enjoyed, however.
Watering is still the most important chore to be done in the garden. Remember deeply and infrequently beats shallow and often every time. Deep watering encourages roots to grow deep, retaining moisture and keeping them cool and comfortable.
You'll still want to deadhead faded blossoms; early morning is best, before the sun hits its full strength. Fertilize just enough to keep growth steady as we head for fall.
August is prime production time for vegetables. Keep them picked while young and tender. If you didn't get around to planting much - or if the July sizzler struck hard - there are wonderful buys at the farmers' markets.
As always, it's a good time to look ahead and plan for the future. Want to have hosts of bright flowers in the spring? Time to order your bulbs now and be ready for planting next month. It's also a good time to start seeds of perennials that will form the backbone of beds and borders next summer.
And what about autumn color? Trees and shrubs with bright leaves can make the fall season outstanding. Browse through your favorite nursery or garden center during the next few months and pick out the specimen that's just right for your garden.
It's also the right time for planting these gems. The soil is still warm, so are daytime temperatures, while evenings and nights are cooler, encouraging good establishment of the roots. They'll be well set to take off in the spring, having benefited from the winter rains.
Oaks and maples are a good choice if you have room for larger trees. There is also a Japanese maple, much shorter, offering grand color.
You might consider the sweet gum (Liquidambar), which can make a spectacular display of reds, yellows and oranges. One drawback is that the seedpods contain hundreds of small seeds that can germinate quietly in the lawn and flower beds, making a major removal project.
Graceful and hardy is the Ginkgo biloba, the Maidenhair Tree, whose leaves turn bright yellow in the fall, making it glow when backlit by the sun.
Plant only male trees, since the females produce quantities of messy, foul-smelling fruit.
Another fall favorite is the Chinese Pistache (Pistachia chinensis). While young trees are often gawky and lopsided, they mature into shapely specimens and the colors are gorgeous - reds, orange, sometimes yellow tones.
For a bonus of fruit, which adds its own color to the scene, consider the persimmon. New leaves are a soft green in spring, darkening as they mature. In late autumn they turn scarlet, orange and yellow. After leaf drop, the orangish fruit hangs on for quite awhile.
There are many more to brighten the autumn landscape. There is the Chinese flame tree (Koelreuteria bipinnata), a good patio shade tree that holds its leaves well into December, when they turn yellow. Clusters of red, orange or salmon seed capsules resemble Japanese lanterns.
Also attractive is the hawthorne (Crataegus), a member of the rose family known for its pretty flowers in spring and showy fruit in late summer and fall. They attract bees and birds but have thorns and need pruning to thin out excess growth.
Aphids can be a problem and fireblight attacks entire branches. The affected area must be cut off and the pruning shears disinfected between each cut.
Helen Bale can be reached at htbale@infostations.com.