Late Spring-Summer Hort Report

From Carol Giunta:

  • Fertilize spring bulbs so they will bloom next year
  • Direct sow summer annuals such as zinnias, cosmos and marigold to fill in any empty spots in your garden
  • Any spring flowering shrubs such as Rhododendron, azalea, lilac can be pruned once they’ve shed their blooms.
  • Start scouting for Japanese beetles while walking in your yard. Drop them into a bucket of soapy water to kill them.
  • Weed, weed, weed
  • Plant warm weather vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant after Father’s day. This is also a good time to direct sow warm crops such as squash, beans, and cucumbers.
  • Pinch back autumn perennials such as autumn joy sedum and mums to keep them bushy (pinch about ½” every two weeks) until mid July
  • Deadhead roses by pruning them back to the first five-leafed branchlet.
  • Stake/support vines and floppy plants
  • Weed, weed, weed and keep dead leaves or any debris out of garden beds to reduce disease and pests.
  • By August you should stop feeding shrubs, trees and perennials so the plants can put their energy into becoming winter hardy. Feeding late summer/fall forces plant to put out new growth that will not be winter hardy.
  • During droughty periods, try to give your gardens about an inch of water per week. One long, deep watering is much better for plants than many shallow waterings.
  • Don’t despair if your lawn browns out in the summer. Many grasses go dormant in the summer and green up again when the weather gets cooler. Maintain grass height at 2-2 ½ inches.

Enjoy the summer! See you in September!!!
Carol Giunta, Horticulture Chair