Summer Gardening Tips

Weeding & Pest Control

Summer has arrived and it’s time to clear out any weeds from your flowerbeds, the lawn, and around trees and shrubs. Plants will need more frequent watering and fertilizing; however, it is best to do both in the early morning hours before the heat and humidity rise. Aphids, snails, slugs, and other pests begin to be a real problem, as the weather grows warmer. There are various sprays and powders that can be used to rid the garden of these, or a mild solution of detergent and water may be applied.

Summer Annuals

Annual plants that will tolerate the full sun, up to 8 hours a day, include geraniums, marigolds, verbena, and portulaca. There are other annuals that do well in summer gardens that are fully shaded, receiving only two to four hours of direct sun, such as begonias, impatiens, and coleus. In addition, nasturtiums and snapdragons will do well in partially shaded gardens, with four to six hours of sun. In areas that are deeply shaded, it may be best to plant ferns, English ivy, and other types of ground cover.

Perennials, Rock Plants and Hanging Baskets

Perennial plants such as Shasta daisies take full sun. Hostas, ferns, and astilbes like a lot of shade, and lamium is a good choice for gardens in partial shade. Rock plants or Alpines and herbaceous plants can be started in your summer garden from seeds or cuttings. Hanging baskets of trailing tomatoes make a nice addition to your patio garden. Patio plants should be fertilized weekly and watered twice a day in regions with extremely hot and dry summers.

Cutting and Pruning

Bedding plants should be fed with liquid plant food in the summer. It is important to remove or “deadhead,” flowering plants, such as roses, zinnias, geraniums, salvias, and marigolds in the summer. Cutting the fading blossoms with sharp scissors or pruning shears before they turn to seed will encourage continued blooming. However, heavy pruning of trees, plants, or shrubs should be avoided in the summer.