Summer in Bloom

Monthly Gardening Tasks

In Bloom

Agastache, blackberry lily, coreopsis, daylily, garden phlox, heliopsis, rudbeckia, veronica, ligularia, tickseed, yarrow

Annuals

If annuals in your hanging baskets, containers or flower borders are getting leggy, give them a “haircut” by pruning them lightly. Fertilize with flowering plant food, and your flowers will be looking good as new within a few weeks.

Stop pinching chrysanthemums by July 16th.

Perennials

Plant upright sedum varieties in late July for late summer color that can withstand heat. ‘Autumn Joy’ and ‘Neon Flash’ are two popular selections.

Late summer is the best time to separate and replant daylilies and iris. Do this in late July every 3 to 5 years to improve flowering. Be sure to replant immediately after separating.

Warm Season Vegetables

Fertilize fruits and vegetables as needed with a slow-release vegetable food such as Merrifield Flowering Plant Food or Garden-tone.

Stake tomato plants or use Merrifield’s custom made two-piece tomato cage. This tomato cage can be placed around mature plants and is made from extra heavy gauge wire.

Hot weather can prevent tomato plant flowering and ripening, and may lead to blossom end rot. Take steps to prevent this by adding lime to the soil and watering consistently.

If you see brown or spotted leaves on your tomato plants, bring a sample into the plant clinic. It’s likely a disease you can treat with Copper fungicide.

If necessary, spray tomato plants and other vegetables to control diseases.

Cool Season Vegetables

Start seeds for fall vegetables this month. This includes broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and many others.

Watering

Avoid frequent (daily) light watering as this leads to shallow root systems and promotes the spread of disease. Instead, water less often, but water deeply.

To conserve water, irrigate your lawn early in the morning, when the temperatures are cooler, and ensure that water is not running off into the driveway or sidewalk.

Mowing

Keep your mowing height high, 3’-4” through the summer. This encourages deep roots and helps shade the soil for improved heat and drought tolerance.

Fertilizers and Weed Control

Zoysia is a warm season grass and can be fertilized now with Merrifield Premium 26-0-12 Lawn Food.

Kentucky Bluegrass and Tall Fescue are cool season grasses. Growth of these lawns will slow and color will fade for the summer. Applying Fast Acting Iron will help keep it green without excessive growth.

Do not apply weed controls when temperatures are above 85 degrees F.

In Bloom

Crape myrtles, roses, spirea, hydrangea, summersweet and butterfly bush are all in bloom. There are many varieties of these shrubs and trees to choose from, and you can learn more about crape myrtles, hydrangeas and roses in our blog.

Watering

Gator bags provide a great way to keep trees watered during hot and dry months. These bags, which can hold up to 20 gallons of water, are secured to the trunk of the tree, where they release the water slowly to the root ball over the course of 15-20 hours.

Pruning

Do not prune azaleas and rhododendrons after the second week of July as they will soon be developing their buds for next year’s bloom.

Pest and Disease Prevention

If needed, set Japanese beetle traps up, but away from the garden.

Spray roses with Ortho Rose Pride or Immunox Plus to keep black spot and other problems under control.

Spray for bagworms on arborvitae and other evergreens. Use Sevin or Thuricide.

Lacebugs can be controlled on azaleas, andromeda and other plants now with Bayer 3-in-1 Insect, Disease and Mite Control.

Water Clarity

Clear pond water can be achieved with proper plant balance. If the pond is in full sun, 50-70% of its surface must be covered with foliage such as floating heart, water hyacinth, water poppy, water lily, or lotu

Underwater grasses produce oxygen, helping to maintain D.O. Levels. Grasses will improve water clarity by using nitrate.

Plant and Fish Care

Time to fertilize all water lilies and lotus once a month to keep them blooming continuously throughout the season.

Time to switch from spring fish food to summer fish food since water temperatures have risen above 70 degrees. At higher temperatures, fish metabolize at a faster rate, thus creating a need for more protein.

Hummingbirds

If you keep hummingbird feeders, know that in hot weather your hummingbird nectar can go rancid in just 2-3 days. Rinse and refill your feeders with 1 part sugar to 4 parts water at least twice per week.

Clean hummingbird feeders monthly to remove stains and mold. You can use a diluted bleach solution.

For in depth information about welcoming hummingbirds to your garden, visit out our blog.

Butterflies

Monarch butterflies are passing through on their annual migration from Mexico and need places Milkweed to lay their eggs. Help them out by planting milkweed in your garden.

Plant small pollinator gardens in containers to welcome butterflies to your deck or patio. You can find ideas for pollinator container combinations in our blog.

Mosquito Control

Use Mosquito Patrol or Mosquito Off to keep mosquitoes, gnats and black flies under control

Design a mosquito trap water garden to lower the mosquito populations. Select your favorite container, fill it with water and add Mosquito Bits. To make it beautiful, add water plants of float cut flowers on the surface.

Seasonal Weeds

Use Round-Up to kill weeds and grasses in brick patios and walks.

Watering

Assuring that plants have the correct amount of water is the single most important step you can take in maintaining a healthy garden. New plants and those growing in containers will dry out faster than mature established plants growing in the ground. Root competition from shade trees may cause soil to dry faster than soil shaded by the house or deck. This is why we follow Merrifield’s Golden Rule to “Check for moisture before you water.”

See our watering guide.

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