Go out and buy tons of annuals (now is the perfect time as most places have them on sale) and pot them up. You can move the pots around to spots that are not blooming. Tuck the pots in amongst the foliage of past-bloom perennials. Voila! instant color where once was only green.

I'll paste a link below to an article with some good ideas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Filling the Holes in Your Late-Summer Perennial Garden

Thanks GG! That was a terrific article and I have bookmarked it.

I had a similar garden party last year, a big family reunion, so I can sympathize with your anxiety. Here's how I handled it.

To do now:

- Deadhead like crazy, so you've got fresh growth and blooms in August.

- If you've got a problem area where you've always been meaning to add another shrub or two, go ahead and put those shrubs in.

- Take a critical look at your lawn, and lay down fresh sod in bare spots. Don't bother with grass seed... your timeline calls for sod.

- Examine your garden walkways. Do they need to be widened or extended or leveled so people don't trip and fall? Do that kind of work now, so it has time to settle in. Repair gates so they open easily.

To do throughout the summer:

- Keep the garden REALLY well watered.

- Don't bother weeding. You'll exhaust yourself if you try to keep up with it, and you need to spend some time getting the inside of your house ready. The perennials will do fine, even if they're surrounded by weeds.

To do in August:

- Two weeks before the event, thoroughly weed out the entire garden, re-edge all of the beds with a garden spade, and put down fresh mulch.

- Three days before the event, mow the grass. If you mow it any closer to the day of the event than that, people will have fresh grass clippings sticking to their shoes.

And remember to have FUN on the big day, basking in the compliments you're sure to receive!

Thanks Carol - I should just print that out and hang it on my fridge!