Welcome to the very first edition of our monthly newsletter. August in the Treasure Valley means triple-digit heat, deep watering, and the start of fall garden planning. Grab a cold drink — here's what to do in your yard this month.

August Task Checklist

• Water deep, water early. With highs near 98–99°F this week, trees and shrubs need deep, slow soaking at the root zone. Water before 8 AM to minimize evaporation. Fruit trees especially need consistent moisture now to set buds for next year.
• Start your fall vegetable garden. Direct-sow spinach, kale, radishes, and lettuce mid-to-late August. Boise's average first frost falls around October 5–10, so you have 8–10 weeks of growing season left.
• Raise your mower blade. Cut your lawn at 3.5–4 inches to shade the soil and retain moisture. Deep, infrequent watering (1–1.5 inches per week) beats daily light sprinkling.
• Deadhead and harvest. Keep annuals and perennials blooming by removing spent flowers. Harvest tomatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers daily to keep plants productive.
• Order spring bulbs. It sounds early, but daffodils, tulips, and alliums sell out fast. Order now for October planting, when soil temperatures drop below 55°F.
• Audit your irrigation. Check drip lines for clogs and sprinkler heads for overspray. August is when irrigation inefficiencies show up as brown patches and wasted water.

Plant Pick of the Month

Pest Alert: Spider Mites

August Weather Outlook

NWS Boise is forecasting continued hot conditions through early August, with highs in the upper 90s to low 100s. The 30-year average high for August in Boise is 91°F, with an average low of 61°F. Expect mostly dry conditions — August averages only 0.24 inches of precipitation. Smoke from regional wildfires may affect air quality later in the month.

Protect new plantings from heat stress with shade cloth (30% block) during the hottest afternoons, and mulch 2–3 inches deep around the root zone to keep soil temperatures down.

Local Highlight

New on the Site

We've been busy building out our guide library. Here's what's available now:

• Deer-Resistant Plants for Treasure Valley Gardens — new this week
• Lawn Care Guide: Growing Grass in Idaho's High Desert
• Fall Planting Guide for the Treasure Valley
• Best Trees for the Treasure Valley
• Low-Maintenance Landscaping Ideas
• Choosing a Landscape Contractor in the Treasure Valley
• Common Landscaping Mistakes to Avoid
• Native Plants for the Treasure Valley

And more — browse all 25 guides at treasure-valley-landscaping.com/#guides

Looking Ahead to September

September is the sweet spot for Treasure Valley landscaping. As temperatures cool into the 70s and 80s, it becomes the best month of the year to:

• Plant trees, shrubs, and perennials (roots establish before winter dormancy)
• Core-aerate and overseed cool-season lawns
• Divide and transplant spring-blooming perennials
• Apply a fall fertilizer to lawns (late September)
• Plant garlic and overwintering onions

We'll cover all of this in detail in our September issue.