How many hats must you wear to be a gardener?

Horticulturalist: one who cultivates and manages the garden.

Environmentalist: one who is concerned with protecting the environment.

Agronomist: one who studies the science of soil management and crop production.

Biologist: one who studies living organisms.

Pathologist: one who studies and identifies diseases.

Entomologist: one who studies insects.

Or if these hats fit:

Do you love to watch healthy things grow, feel the warm tilth of the soil in your fingers, watch butterflies dance above the flowers? Do you listen to honey bees hum in the apple blossoms? Do you become one with nature as you tend your garden?

Then you can wear them all.

The garden teaches us many things about life and death and perseverance. It teaches reverence and tradition and change.

I revere the white peony my mother gave me from her garden and it has become a tradition for me to give divisions to my children. And I remember where the evergreen hedge was that my father transformed into a garden of Tropicana roses.

The August garden, though many of the earlier beauties have faded and given way to producing seed, invites the gardener to prepare for the season of division and sharing.

Soon the hot days of summer will be behind us and shorter days will strengthen plant roots to withstand removal from the soil. Even so, continue watering.

Plants to divide include bearded iris, garden peony and day lilies. Hostas also seem to be viable to transplant after they have bloomed.

In the vegetable garden many crops will be ripening this month. You may see evidence of powdery mildew on leaves of squash and cucumbers as the humidity rises. A light spray of 4 teaspoons baking soda and 2 1/2 tablespoons of Neem oil to a gallon of water can help the condition. Try to spray before the mildew appears if possible. The fruit of the plant, however, is rarely affected and is still edible.

There may have been bare spots in your garden in the spring. Now is a good time to consider incorporating spring flowering bulbs in those places. Bulb sales will be popping up in many garden centers in a few weeks. These explosions of color are welcome treats after long cold days of winter.

When friends ask where we got our lovely tans we often reply, “Oh, I am just a gardener. “

Remember the hats we wear.

Remember, we are much more than “just a gardener” we are preservers of life.

Margaret Swenson is a Spokane Master Gardener, anyone interested in learning more can call 509-477-2181.