Flowers Gardens Be sure to "dead-head" (pinch off the spent blooms) on
perennials, annuals and roses for longer flowering periods and more and larger blooms.
Continue fertilizing annuals, perennial and roses as instructed on your favorite fertilizer. This will give you continued flowering all season long.
Watch for the dreaded geranium budworm on
geraniums and
petunias. Besides the obvious destruction of the flowers, another telltale sign is tiny black droppings on leaves and the ground beneath the plants. The most effective treatment is to spray a systemic insecticide every 10 days.
Stake your tall blooming flowers like gladiola, delphiniums, and cannas to keep the flowers showing and upright.
Top off your planters and container gardens with an inch of Mini Nuggets bark mulch to keep in the moisture.
Drip irrigation really conserves water. Use drip irrigation for vegetable gardens, containers, hanging baskets, and flower beds.
If you are going away on vacation this summer, be sure to water all your plants (inside and out) thoroughly before you leave. A drip system with an automatic timer will assure you that your plants will be watered while you are gone.
Perennials & Roses Prevent rose and perennial diseases like powdery mildew from taking hold by using a systemic fungicide before the problem appears. Once those diseases appear it is very difficult to control. Bee balm, phlox,
columbines and lilacs are some of the plants prone to powdery mildew.
If you had rust or black spot on your roses last year, be sure to give them a good preventative spray to reduce the problem this year. You will have to repeat the spray according to the directions on the container.
Control grass in perennial flower gardens with Over the Top. It is unique in that it kills grass without damaging most perennials.
Fertilize your roses regularly for continuous, large and beautiful blooms. We also have rose fertilizer with a systemic insecticide for continuous insect control.
Pinch back asters and mums until mid July to encourage branching, compact growth and extra flowers.
Use Mini Nuggets mulch or red cedar mulch in your flowerbeds. They will retain moisture and retard weeds from emerging.
Vegetable Gardens
Avoid overhead watering when t
omatoes,
peppers, squash, cucumbers, corn and other vegetables that need pollination are in flower as the pollen may be washed away, resulting in fewer fruits.
Watch for tiny holes in
radish and bean leaves. Flea beetles are most likely the problem. Spray with Eight or apply Sevin dust to take care of those tiny problems.
Ross netting over your fruit trees and raspberries will help keep birds and squirrels out of your fruit crops. In addition, Bird Scare tape will be beneficial in protecting your fruit.
A floating row cover "tent" over your
cabbage, broccoli and
cauliflower will help eliminate the dreaded cabbage looper. If they are already present, a dusting of Sevin dust will take care of this insect.
Mulch your
annual flowers and
vegetable garden after the soil has warmed. Use Soil Pep to mulch for the summer and then till it into the ground next fall to improve the soil structure.
All vegetables should be harvested early in the morning when it is cool, especially lettuce, spinach, herbs, peas, and beans.
Pick edible pod or
sugar pod peas when the seeds are barely visible for best quality.
Continue fertilizing with a high phosphorous (the second number) fertilizer. Corn is an exception; it prefers a bit higher nitrogen (the first number) in the analysis.
Trellis your
vining cucumbers,
squash and small gourds to make more room for other vegetables. Trellising also improves air circulation and keeps the fruit off the ground.
Use soaker hoses or drip irrigation systems to get water directly to the plants' roots. You can either lay the hose on top of the mulch next to the plant or under the mulch. This is the most efficient way to water your gardens.
Harvest
broccoli when the buds are still tight and before any flowers open.
Lawn Care Set your lawn mower blade to 2 ½ to 3" to encourage deeper drought-resistant roots. The longer grass will keep the ground cooler and require less water. Be sure that the blades of your mower are sharp, since dull blades can encourage disease in lawns. Make sure the grass blades are dry before mowing your lawn.
The best part of the day to water our lawns is early morning while it is still cool. There will be a lot less moisture loss to evaporation. Be sure to use a sprinkler to fit the area to be watered to avoid run-off onto the sidewalk or driveway.
Trees & Shrubs Container grown trees, shrubs, roses, and perennials can be planted anytime during the summer. Planting early in the morning or in the cool of the evening reduces the stress on both the plant and the planter.
