Summer Garden Checklist

Mulch

Spreading a 2-inch-deep layer of mulch over your soil is one of the best things you can do for your garden. The mulch blankets the ground, shielding the soil from the sun. This keeps it cooler, so your plant roots are happier, and prevents moisture loss from evaporation.

Happily, there's not a single best type of mulch. Anything made from organic matter -- shredded wood, pine straw, a mix of grass clippings and shredded leaves, etc. -- is going to help your soil in the long run as it decomposes and adds to your soil structure.
Learn more about mulch.

Weed

Many pesky weeds love summer heat and quickly take the jump from tiny to gigantic. It's important to pull them from your garden, because weeds steal moisture and nutrients from your plants. Many weeds also encourage insect pests and diseases to pop up in your garden.

Weeds are easiest to pull when they're young and small. They also come out of the ground easiest when the soil is moist. Another reason to get them while they're young: You can stop weeds from producing seeds. A single dandelion plant can produce 2,000 seeds in a year. A weed such as lamb's quarters can produce 150,000 seeds in a year. That's a lot of future weeding you can save yourself from doing!
Check out our Weed Identification Guide.

Video: Get weeding tips.

Add Color with Summer Annuals

Once summer heat arrives, many spring-blooming annuals such as pansy, viola, and osteospermum fade. Make your yard look its best by pulling out the spent plants and replacing them with heat-loving varieties such as angelonia, lantana, ageratum, coleus, pentas, portulaca, salvia, sweet potatovine, and zinnia. Heat-loving annuals grow quickly in warm temperatures and will soon provide a beautiful burst of color.

Note: Don't be afraid to renew color in your landscape by replacing summer annuals damaged by drought, pests, or diseases.
Discover top annuals in our Plant Encyclopedia.

Plant Summer-Blooming Bulbs

Summer bulbs such as calla, canna, and dahlia are surefire ways to add color and drama to your landscape all summer long. These varieties are tender, so if you live in a Zone where they're not hardy, plant them after all danger of frost has passed. Once temperatures rise, they grow quickly.
Discover our favorite summer bulbs.

Pinch Mums and Other Late Perennials

Keep mums, sedums, asters, and other fall-blooming perennials standing tall by pinching the top inch or two of new growth. You can do so up to the Fourth of July.

Pinching the tops of the plant typically gives you a more compact, sturdy specimen. It may also give you more blooms from the sideshoots that develop, though the blooms are typically a little smaller and appear a couple of weeks later.

Other perennials that you can pinch in May and June:

• Balloon flower
• Bee balm
• Goldenrod
• Joe Pye weed
• Perennial sunflower
• Phlox
• Russian sage

Remove Faded Flowers

Remove spent blooms from many of your annuals and perennials, and you might see more flowers! Called deadheading, this process prevents plants from producing seeds so they put more energy into beautiful blooms.

Deadheading cuts back on future efforts, too, for plants that self-seed. Perennials (such as columbine, coneflower, cup plant, false sunflower, garlic chives, and verbena) and annuals (such as datura, flowering tobacco, kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate, larkspur, and spider flower) can self-seed to the point of being weedy in the garden.

Watch for Pests

Like weeding, keeping an eye on pests and diseases in your yard should be done all year. But midsummer seems to be particularly popular for these gardening obstacles.

Some of the more common midsummer problems to watch for include:

• Black spot
• Cucumber beetles
• Grasshoppers
• Japanese beetles
• Powdery mildew
• Rust
• Squash bugs
• Tomato hornworms

Water

If you experience dry summers, or a dry weather pattern, you may wish to water your garden to keep it looking its best.

Most common garden plants prefer an average of 1 inch of water a week. It's best to apply that inch all at once to encourage plant roots to sink down more deeply in the soil.

When watering, apply water directly to the ground rather than getting a plant's foliage wet; water sitting on the leaves can lead to disease. Soaker hoses are great for this!

Raise Your Mower

Raise the height of your lawn-mower blade if you have cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, or fescues. More leaf surface keeps the plants healthier during hot, dry weather.

Start a Fall Vegetable Garden

Vegetables fall into two basic categories: Cool-season and warm-season. The warm-season varieties -- tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, summer squash -- are all going now. Once temperatures cool, these plants will fade.

Enjoy continued harvests by planting cool-loving vegetable seeds -- including broccoli, carrots, kohlrabi, lettuce, and spinach -- now so you can enjoy fresh, delicious harvests this autumn.
Learn more about fall vegetable gardening.

Divide Tall Bearded Iris

Most types of iris typically enjoy being divided every three to four years to keep them vigorous and blooming well. The best time to divide them is in summer, when they're dormant.
Learn more about dividing iris.

Add More Color to Your Yard

Keep your yard colorful by adding flowers that bloom in late summer, especially if your garden is starting to feel tired. Many shrub roses are excellent picks for bold color in August, as are new sterile varieties of butterfly bush (such as the Flutterby, Buzz, and Lo and Behold series). 

Harvest Vegetables

Don't let hot weather keep you out of the vegetable garden. Keep up with your harvests to encourage your plants to continue producing and limit pest and disease problems. Insect pests in particular are attracted to overripe vegetables that fall off the plant and begin to rot.
Get tips for harvesting your favorite vegetables.

Get tips for preserving and canning your harvests!

Source: http://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/garden-care/summer-garden-checklist/

All About Mums!

Location
Choose a location that gets at least six hours of sun a day. Plants that don’t get enough sunlight will be tall and leggy and produce fewer, smaller flowers.

Soil Preparation
Mums thrive in well-drained soil. Heavy clay soil should be amended. If your chosen location is soggy after the slightest rain, grow your mums in raised beds with friable soil for good root growth. If the soil is too dense, add compost and prepare to a depth of 8–12 inches. Gypsum or greensand can be added to loosen clay soils. Mum roots are shallow, and they don’t like competition. Plant mums about 1 inch deeper than they were in the nursery pot, being careful with the roots as you spread them.

Watering
Water newly planted mums thoroughly, and never let them wilt. Use Schultz Starter Plus to stimulate new root growth. After they are established, give mums about an inch of water per week. If bottom leaves look limp or start to turn brown, water more often. Avoid soaking the foliage, which encourages disease.

Fertilizer
Use a complete fertilizer such as Plant-Tone, Jack’s Classic All Purpose, Super Phosphate, or Osmocote, beginning in the spring when new growth appears. Follow the directions on the label as to frequency of application. Fertilize through August.

Overwintering
Prepare mums for winter after the tops have turned brown. Mulch up to 4 inches with straw or shredded hardwood. Fill in around the entire plant, spreading well between the branches. Pinch off dead blooms to clean up the plant but leave branches intact. Mums have a better chance of surviving if you wait to prune old stems until spring. As soon as the weather warms, pull away mulch to allow new shoots to pop up.

Dividing
Mums grown as perennials need to be divided every couple of years. Divide in the spring after the last hard frost and after you see new growth starting. Dig up the plant in one piece and separate outer pieces from the center with a clean, sharp spade or large knife. Replant the outer portions into a rejuvenated bed, and discard the original center of the plant.

Pests
You may notice aphids, leafhoppers, or spider mites, but they are not likely to harm the plant. Treat with an appropriate insecticide.

Pinching Mums for Better Bloom

The key to those full, rounded domes of blooms that you associate with mums is pinching to create more branching and keeping plants compact. Don’t hold back; just a few minutes here and there will reward you with a thick, solid-looking plant. If you’ve bought large, full plants in the fall, then they have already been pinched, and you don’t need to do anything except plant them. Young spring plants will need pinching for maximum bloom and best plant shape. In spring, start pinching as soon as you see a good flush of growth. Pinch about 1 inch of tender new growth at the top of the shoot. Repeat the process with every 3–5” of growth (about every two to four weeks) until July 4th. Stopping then ensures you will get good bud formation and blooms in the fall.

Common Pests of Indoor Plants

Scale Insects

Typical damage: Clustered or single green-to- brown disc-like scales under leaves and on stems; also mottling of foliage when seen against the light. Leaves may turn yellow and have a sticky substance on them. Timely attention is essential because bad infestations are difficult to eradicate.

Control measures: Rub off scales with moist cotton swab soaked in rubbing alcohol or—on thick leaves—a soft toothbrush soaked in rubbing alcohol. Check plant for sensitivity by wiping only one leaf and waiting 24 hours to check for adverse reaction. Spray with Horticultural Oil Spray to smother adult insects. Pyrethrin, Neem Oil and Insecticidal Soap will help control the immature crawlers. Systemic Houseplant Insect Control may control both stage. Repeat one week later.

Red Spider Mites

Typical damage: Tiny white or yellow spots on leaves, later becoming a mottled and dusty residue or webbing. Fine webs under leaves and in growing tips. Leaves may curl and dry. Mites thrive in hot, dry weather.

Control measures: Wash with a clean, strong spray of warm water several times over two to three weeks. Also apply a miticide, Horticultural Oil Spray, Neem Oil or Systemic Houseplant Insect Control.

Thrips

Typical damage: Streaked, flecked or distorted leaves and flowers remain after insects have sucked plant juices.

Control measures: Remove flowers and buds on infested plants, as insects hide inside them. Apply Insecticidal Soap as recommended. Control thrips with insecticide containing Pyrethrin, Insecticidal Soap, Neem Oil, Horticultural Oil Spray, or Systematic Houseplant Insect Control.

Note: Insecticidal Soap may be purchased at W&W Nursery & Garden Center, and is composed of potassium salts of fatty acids. It is not the equivalent of the common household dish soap.

Aphids (pictured above)

Typical damage: Green, red/orange or black/ gray insects visibly sucking plant juices. Cause small, distorted, weak growth and leave a sticky, clear residue. Shoot tips and flower buds most susceptible. Control measures: Apply Insecticidal Soap, Pyrethrin, Neem Oil, Horticultural Oil Spray, or Systematic Houseplant Insect Control as recommended.

Fungus Gnat

Typical damage: Harmless tiny black insects fly up when disturbed. Destructive white larvae come to soil surface, feed on nutrients in soil and occasionally on young roots.

Control measures: Water plant less frequently; discard drained water from saucer. Spray soil and plant with Garden Safe Houseplant & Garden Insect Spray. Place a venus flytrap plant near affected plants. Place a sticky trap on the soil to catch adults as they emerge from the soil.

Leaf Miners

Typical damage: Irregular yellow, cream or brown channels across leaves.

Control measures: Spray with Isotox or treat the soil with a granular systemic insecticide.

Whiteflies

Typical damage: Tiny white fly-like insects fly up when plant is disturbed. Larvae suck plant juices, causing general weakening and yellowing. Thrive in dry climates, generally on flowering plants. Can spread rapidly. Timely attention is key.

Control measures: Remove leaves that have a large number of larvae on them. Flying adults can be caught with a vacuum cleaner. Spray with Pyrethrin, Insecticidal Soap, Neem Oil, Horticultural Oil Spray, or Systematic Houseplant Insect Control.

Mealybugs

Typical damage: Cottony white masses along stems and under leaves. Small flat insects move very slowly. Leaves may have a sticky substance on them and be distorted.

Control measures: Kill by wiping or spraying with rubbing alcohol after first checking plant’s tolerance: Apply alcohol to one leaf. Wait 24 hours to check for harmful reaction. Spray Insecticidal Soap, Pyrethrin, Neem Oil, Horticultural Oil, or Systematic Houseplant Insect Control as recommended. Remove cottony masses (egg sacs) from under pot rims, shelving, stakes and under pots.

Hydrangea Care

Growth: Hydrangeas are relatively non-finicky plants. They will grow in a multitude of soil conditions including clay, stony or sandy that are either alkaline or acidic. Naturally, hydrangeas are found in either full sun or in dappled shade provided by deciduous trees. Deep shade, like that provided by dense evergreens, tends to lead to unthrifty plants. It should be noted that hydrangeas require ample moisture and will perform poorly if it is not provided in either condition. Scorch is not an uncommon problem for plants in a sunny, dry position.

Flowering: A summer-flowering plant, the flower heads usually consist of a mix of sterile and non-sterile flowers. Most flowers change color when they age. The sterile flowers don’t fade and go to seed, which is the reason for their long blossoming time. Flower color for macrophylla and serrata hydrangea types tend to be influenced by soil acidity.

Feeding: It is beneficial for hydrangeas to receive a spring feeding with a balanced fertilizer high in nitrogen and a top dressing of compost. When adjusting pH to influence bloom color towards blue, use a fertilizer high in nitrogen and potash, and low in phosphates. Avoid superphosphates as they tend towards alkalinity. Gar- den sulfur is one of the best additives for increasing soil acidity. 

When adjusting pH to influence bloom color towards pink/red, use a fertilizer with high phosphorus. Dolomite lime is one of the best additives for decreasing soil acidity. For the above pH adjustments, apply 1/3 of the annual amount 3x a year so as not to burn the roots. Be persistent; it may take up to 3 years for a hydrangea to settle into its permanent color.

Pruning: As a group, hydrangeas are unique in that the best time to prune them is during winter. Each group has slightly different requirements, but in general remove dead and diseased branches, thin weak stems and reduce the height as desired. Selective pruning has the added benefit of increasing the quality and size of the flowers.

*In the fall, after the plants have gone dormant, certain varieties require 12 inches of mulch

for winter protection directly over the center of the plant. Most of these varieties are found in the macrophylla and serrata families. Ask your nursery professional for further

assistance. 

Disease and pests: Hydrangeas are relatively pest-free. Slugs and snails may occasionally bother the macrophylla types; control with slug bait. Mildew could be a problem in wet, humid summers; apply a fungicide to control it.