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