Portland Sunflower Festivals and August Dahlia Care Tips Spotlight Summer Gardening

Portland’s sunflower festivals open in early August across several farms in the Pacific Northwest. West Union Gardens in Hillsboro offers a free‑parking field for $5 per person, while Lee Farms in Tualatin runs a larger celebration with a one‑you‑pick flower, maze, slide and hay maze for $14. Bella Organic adds food, wine and a cow‑train ride, and Yesteryear Farms will reopen in September. All sites advise visitors to bring water, a blanket and check social‑media updates for bloom status.

Gardeners across the United States are urged to maintain dahlia health through two key tasks in August. First, regular deadheading removes spent blooms, redirecting energy to new buds and extending the flowering period until frost. Second, deep watering once or twice a week encourages stronger roots and helps plants endure heat and drought, with drip‑irrigation recommended for larger beds. These practices aim to keep dahlia displays vibrant through late summer.